Star Minnesota Prep Forward Commits to Clemson Tigers Men’s Basketball

The Clemson Tigers men’s basketball team picked up another commitment for the Class of 2025 over the weekend.

Mar 29, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Clemson Tigers coach Brad Brownell at a press conference at Crypto.com Arena. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While most Clemson Tigers fans were paying attention to football, the men’s basketball team picked its third commitment for the Class of 2025.

Chase Thompson, a 6-7 forward who is the No. 2 ranked recruit in the state of Minnesota, announced his commitment to the Tigers on social media.

Verbal commitments are non-binding. The earliest Thompson could sign with Clemson is during the early-signing period in November.

He is the third prep player to commit to the Tigers this cycle. Per 247Sports, the Tigers have the No. 2 recruiting class in the ACC and the No. 6 class in the country.

Blessed to be a Tiger🐅 #ClemsonGrit pic.twitter.com/WugXifyD1J

— Chase thompson (@ChaseThompson25) September 29, 2024

Thompson plays for Alexandria Area High School in Alexandria, Minn. He is a three-star recruit (four-star as ranked by Rivals) who is the No. 42 ranked power forward in the country and the No. 175 overall recruit in the nation.

Thompson had reportedly visited two other schools, Iowa and West Virginia.

The lead recruit in the class is combo guard Zac Foster, a 6-3 senior at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Ga. He is a four-star player per 247Sports who is the No. 69 player in the country. He committed to the Tigers just a couple of weeks ago.

The other commit is Trent Steinour, a 6-10 power forward from Lake Norman High School in Mooresville, N.C. He committed in May and is a Top 200 player, per 247Sports.

They’re set to join a program led by coach Brad Brownell, which is coming off its biggest season since 1979-80. The Tigers reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1980 but lost to Alabama one step short of the Final Four.

Brownell has led the Tigers since 2010 and in that span he’s won 265 games. Since the 2017-18 season, he’s led the Tigers to 20 or more wins four times, three NCAA Tournament bids and two NIT bids.

Clemson recently released its full 2024-25 schedule, which includes its first ACC schedule with 18 teams in the conference. The Tigers will play each ACC team once, except for Georgia Tech, which is the Tigers’ designated travel partner and will play in a home-and-home series.

The Tigers also learned their ACC opener will be in Miami on Dec. 7.

Clemson finalized its non-conference slate a few weeks ago, with its biggest game set against Kentucky on Dec. 3 at Littlejohn Coliseum in the ACC-SEC Challenge. This will be the first time the two teams have met in nearly 90 years. It’s also a 9:30 p.m. local tip to accommodate television.