Some of the fans inside Littlejohn Coliseum made it known to Hunter Tyson where they would like him to be playing basketball next season.
With the Clemson men’s basketball team’s win over Virginia Tech still fresh late Saturday afternoon, chants of “one more year!” were directed at the Tigers’ senior forward, who might have just played the final home game of his Clemson career. With the additional year of eligibility granted to student-athletes by the NCAA a couple of years back in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Tyson also has the option of returning to the Tigers’ program for another season.
When Tyson eventually grabbed a microphone to address the fans lingering in the arena, he didn’t offer much clarity as to what his decision might be.
“I don’t really know what the future holds, but I can promise you one thing: Clemson will always be home, and this will be the best four years of my life,” Tyson said.
Clemson coach Brad Brownell said he and Tyson recently had a “preliminary talk” about his future beyond this season but didn’t get into many specifics about exactly what factors Tyson is weighing when it comes to staying or leaving. A two-year starter, Tyson is still tied with fellow senior David Collins as Clemson’s third-leading scorer this season (10.3 points per game) despite missing eight games with a broken clavicle.
“Want to support him. Want to help him be informed. Want to see where his head is and how motivated he is to come back and why that would be and if it makes sense for him,” Brownell said. “We’ll wait and see. Obviously he wants to get through the season and see what things look like.”
Tyson scored just five points on 2 of 7 shooting Saturday in his second game back from the injury, but he made a timely jumper to extend Clemson’s lead to three points in the final 30 seconds of what became a 63-59 win for the Tigers, their fourth straight heading into next week’s ACC Tournament. It was a moment to savor for Tyson if it is the final shot he ever attempts inside Littlejohn Coliseum.
“Need to talk to my family, sit down and pray about it a little more,” Tyson said. “Regardless, it was a great way to end the season here at Littlejohn if that’s how it is.”
Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.
Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help. #SaveNicks
