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Three Standouts From Clemson Basketball's Trip to Italy

Head coach Brad Brownell leaves Europe with some top performances from his group, which led to a perfect 3-0 record.
Griffin Barfield|
Clemson forward Dallas Thomas (8) emerged in the program's three-game stretch in Italy over the last two weeks.
Clemson forward Dallas Thomas (8) emerged in the program's three-game stretch in Italy over the last two weeks. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Clemson Tigers

It’s not often that college basketball games are being talked about in the summer, but Clemson men’s basketball has the treat of doing so. 

The Tigers headed to Italy on a 10-day trip to connect as a team, visit landmarks and play three exhibition games against teams from across Europe. Head coach Brad Brownell’s group was successful in winning all three contests despite plenty of injuries from his top players. 

As Clemson concluded the trip with a 99-54 win over Orange1 Bassano on Tuesday, it means we can pick out some of the best players from the Tigers’ trip over the last week-and-a-half. Below are three of the best from their time in Italy. 

Notable Injuries (missed all of the games)

G Zac Foster - sophomore

G Ace Buckner - redshirt sophomore

F Carter Welling - senior

F Dylan Faulkner - senior

Cole Certa, Guard

The Notre Dame transfer was known for his 3-point shooting that made Clemson go and get him this offseason. He showed that off overseasons. 

Certa was the only Tiger to record double-digits in every game in Italy, hitting multiple threes in every contest to provide an optimistic approach to Clemson next season. Brownell’s group struggled with having a knockdown shooter, and Certa has played like that player thus far in his new uniform. 

In his last two games, the Le Moy, Ill., native also added at least four assists in each contest. Not only can he hit the open look, but keeping the ball moving is something that Brownell wants in his group next season with so many guards. 

Foster and Buckner’s absence meant that a guard would shine overseas. It turns out that Certa was that constant showout. 

Dallas Thomas, Forward

Clemson’s former four-star recruit has had fans waiting for him to breakout. 2026-27 might be that season. 

It wasn’t the key shooting that had many excited about Thomas’s third year, it was the other stuff that he put all together. In the team’s second game against Pro Camp, from Italy, the redshirt recorded 11 points while blocking two shots. A game later, he had a block and three steals with nine rebounds. Thomas also had six assists in the last game of the Italy trip.

We saw in the ACC Tournament just how powerful of a microwave Thomas can be next season. It was the other tangibles that Brownell emphasizes in his teams that he wasn’t able to meet expectations with. These numbers in Italy are promising for the forward to end up being one of Clemson’s key pieces next season. 

Harris Reynolds, Guard

A lot of different Tigers could be on this list, but Clemson’s guard room raised its sealing from its play in Italy. On Tuesday, a true freshman helped that. 

Reynolds got better with each game overseas, eventually finishing with a team-high 18 points in the program’s final game in Como. At the half, the Atlanta native had 13 points in 12 minutes, showing off his spark plug ability next season. 

He added at least two steals in his final two games for the Tigers, having the ability to make plays on both sides of the floor. Brownell typically goes with experience to begin the year, so Foster, Buckner and Certa will be the key players at the start. 

But Reynolds, a four-star from this year’s cycle, proved that he’s going to be tough to keep off the floor too. That’s a strong positive for the Tigers, who enter the 2026-27 season with experience and built chemistry from a successful trip abroad. 

Note: There was limited game information from Clemson’s first game abroad. The game also ended early in the fourth quarter due to playing court conditions. 

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Griffin Barfield
GRIFFIN BARFIELD

Griffin is a communications major who was the Sports Editor for The Tiger at Clemson University. He led a team of 20+ reporters after working his way up through the ranks as a staff writer, sideline reporter, and assistant sports editor.

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