Clemson Men's Basketball Star Named Top "Glue Guy" Heading into 2024/25 Season

The Clemson Tigers will look to rely on their top returning forward as they attempt to make it back to the Elite Eight in 2025.

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The Clemson Tigers Men’s Basketball team will look to make another magical run in 2024/25.

After making it to the Elite Eight last season for the first time since 1980, the Tigers will return most of their critical contributors as they hope to improve from their 24-12 (11-9 in ACC) record that was only good enough for fifth in the conference. The team did have four players announce their departure from the program, but their integral pieces remain intact. 

Before the season starts, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein for CBS Sports dropped his 16 “glue guys” to watch during the 2024/25 season. On the list was Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin. 

“The unsung presence of the Tigers’ run to the Elite Eight last March, the 6-8 Schieffelin had 11 double-doubles last season and averaged 14.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament. This guy truly fills the mortar in between the bricks,” said Rothstein. He was named to the 2024 All-West Region Team for his performance in the tournament.

The senior forward has exceeded every expectation since joining the Tigers, and he compliments the way head coach Brad Brownell likes to manage his players on the court. He started all 36 games for the Tigers last season and recorded a career-high 27.5 minutes per game.

Not only did he have a good tournament last year, his 2023/24 regular season was just as impressive. He was close to averaging a double-double on the season with 10.1 ppg and 9.4 rebounds. He is the engine of this Tigers unit.

Another aspect of his game to marvel at was his efficiency all over the court last season. He shot 56.4 percent from the floor, including 46.9 percent from behind the arc, which was a big reason why he was named the ACC Most Improved Player in 2024. 

As Schieffelin looks to lead the Tigers back to the NCAA tournament, they will look to reach their first Final Four in program history. As he continues to be the glue for the Clemson squad, another big step forward in his career may also get him on the radar to extend his playing time to the NBA.

Clemson will have one exhibition game against August on October 30th before beginning the 2024/25 regular season against Charleston Southern on November 4th. The first four contests, including the preseason matchup, will be at Littlejohn Coliseum. They will open ACC Play on December 7th on the road against the Miami Hurricanes.