A big-time Peach State prospect was in attendance for Clemson’s game against Duke this past Thursday.
As The Clemson Insider previously reported, Pace Academy (Atlanta, Ga.) three-star Kyle “KJ” Greene, Jr. was on campus for the first time since Clemson extended him a scholarship offer in late June 2021.
Greene — a 6-foot-3, 170-pound sophomore — recapped his first gameday experience at Littlejohn Coliseum in a conversation with TCI Sunday.
“The Clemson game was really good,” he said. “It was a great experience, great atmosphere, good game. The score (82-64) really showed that Duke won more, but it was actually a close game up until the end. That was really interesting to me because Duke’s a top-10 team in the country vs. Clemson, whose unranked while missing some of their best players (Hunter Tyson & David Collins). So, it really just shows how good of a program Clemson has.”
What was the overall message Greene received from Clemson’s coaching staff while he was on campus?
“When I was there, they was just telling me that they like my size, they like how I can score, how I affect the game,” Greene said. “They were just telling me that they really see me coming down to Clemson. They were talking about how they give their guards freedom on offense, but they expect a lot from them on defense.”
He indicated that Clemson really made him feel like a priority when he was on campus.
Greene got a chance to speak with Brad Brownell and Clemson assistant coach Antonio Reynolds Dean. He talked with Brownell after Clemson’s 82-64 loss and according to Greene, Clemson’s head coach was telling him how he likes his size, how he really likes how he can score on and off the ball and how somebody of his size could really fit into the Tigers’ program.
Greene also has a previous connection to Clemson, as he has a close relationship with Josh Beadle. He caught the freshman guard as he was leaving the locker room after the game.
“We talked for a bit,” he said. “My parents were talking about how cool it was to see him there with me visiting. We used to grow up playing basketball together, going to the same basketball camp as kids. To see us both now chasing our dream, being successful, was a heartfelt moment.
“He really likes it there. They treat him good. They got him on a workout plan where he workouts a lot every day because he’s redshirting, trying to get him ready for next year when he finally gets a chance to play. He really enjoys it. You can just tell by the way he sits on the bench, talking to his teammates. He’s not mad. He’s not grumpy. He’s always into the game. You can really tell he likes what’s going on there.”
Speaking of his parents, Greene indicated that he loved the experience and the atmosphere. Greene’s dad was also pretty excited they were sitting behind Dabo Swinney at the game.
“They really just loved it,” he said. “It really felt like a family-oriented environment for it to be a college.”
Clemson was the first ACC school to offer Greene. He has since earned offers from Ole Miss, LSU, Cleveland State, Georgia Tech and Georgetown, to go with the offers he already held from Texas A&M, South Carolina and North Carolina A&T.
For Greene, this past Thursday was an opportunity to see Clemson in person, which he said meant a lot to him and his family.
“To see ACC play up close, you really see how fast and physical the game is,” Greene said. “Everyone is big and built, so they really show you that you got to come with it. It was really good to get out there. Clemson’s a great school with a great campus. It’s in a nice part of South Carolina. It’s very nice.
Greene has come with it this season. The sophomore point guard is averaging eight points and seven assists per game. It’s a season for him to feel out his new team at Pace Academy after transferring from Blythewood. He’s also learned how to become more of a point guard.
Next season, Greene is planning to pick up production. This season, Pace has a Cincinnati commit in Josh Reed, so they’ve really been running the offense through the three-star forward. Greene said he’s tried to get in where he can, but he feels his junior season will be interesting to see how he and 2025 forward Bryson Tiller mesh together.
This season has really opened Greene’s eyes as a passer. It showed him that he can do more than just score the basketball to affect the game.
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