Clemson basketball losing two prominent players to NCAA transfer portal
Two notable Clemson basketball players entered the transfer portal on Monday.
Tigers senior forward Chauncey Wiggins and freshman guard Del Jones are both entering the portal after one season with the Tigers, The State has confirmed. On3 Sports was the first to report the news of both players’ departures.
Monday was the first day men’s basketball players could formally put their name into the NCAA transfer portal. The portal remains open until April 22.
Wiggins started 26 of 34 games for Clemson this year as a junior and averaged 8.3 points per game, fifth most on the team. The 6-10, 216-pound forward shot 43.8% from the field and 36.5% on 3-pointers. He made 42 threes, second most on the team.
Wiggins lost his starting spot to guard Dillon Hunter late this season before returning to the starting lineup after Hunter suffered a season-ending hand injury.
Wiggins had been noncommittal on his future with the program in a postgame interview with The Clemson Insider after the No. 5 Tigers lost their opening NCAA Tournament game to No. 12 McNeese State on Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island.
Jones appeared in 32 of 34 games for Clemson this season and averaged 3.8 points per game in 11.8 minutes per game off the bench (third most among bench players). Jones shot 40.3% from the field, 31.1% on 3-pointers and 76.5% on free throws.
The rising sophomore guard (listed at 6-foot-2.5, 187 pounds) had spoken positively about his “spark off the bench” role as recently as Wednesday. Jones was expected to have a larger role in 2025-26 alongside guards Dillon Hunter and Jake Heidbreder.
Redshirt freshman forward Asa Thomas also entered the transfer portal on Monday after two seasons with the Tigers. He appeared in 12 games and played 27 total minutes this season after redshirting his freshman year after shoulder surgery.
Brownell and Clemson have nailed their portal acquisitions in recent seasons and will need to ramp up that process again for 2025-26, as the Tigers are now expected to lose their top five scorers and six of their top eight players (by minutes played).
Clemson set a single-season wins record at 27-7 this year and also won 18 ACC games. The team’s success earned Brownell some interest from Indiana for their open head coaching job and a subsequent contract extension with Clemson.
Clemson basketball 2025 roster outlook
Among scholarship players
- Out of eligibility (5): G Chase Hunter, G Jaeden Zackery (looking into a JUCO waiver but unlikely to return), F Ian Schieffelin, F Myles Foster, F Viktor Lakhin
- Transferring (3): G Del Jones, F Asa Thomas, F Chauncey Wiggins
- Returning (5): G Dillon Hunter, G Jake Heidbreder, G Ace Buckner, F Dallas Thomas, C Christian Reeves
- Incoming freshmen (3): G Zac Foster, F Chase Thompson, C Trent Steinour
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 2:54 PM.
