Chase Hunter withdraws from NBA Draft, will return to Clemson basketball for sixth season

CLEMSON — Clemson basketball's Chase Hunter announced he will return for his sixth and final season with the Tigers after withdrawing his name from the 2024 NBA Draft.

"Clemson family, let's run it back one more time!" Hunter wrote on his Instagram page.

Hunter was not one of the 45 prospects invited to the NBA G League Elite Camp earlier this month and did not receive an NBA draft combine invitation. He had until 11:59 p.m. on May 29 to withdraw from the draft.

In his fifth season with Clemson, Hunter averaged 12.9 points on 42.4% shooting, 3.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds over 36 games. He made the 2024 NCAA Tournament All-West Region team, averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and two steals over four games.

Still, the six-year guard can increase his stock like PJ Hall did when he came back for another year of college before entering the NBA Draft this season.

Hunter, an Atlanta native, was phenomenal in March Madness, lifting the Tigers to victory in the first two rounds against New Mexico and Baylor. In the Sweet 16 against Arizona, he had 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He was also tasked with guarding elite scorers like Ja'Kobe Walter, Caleb Love and Mark Sears throughout the tournament.

"Chase just was outstanding in the tournament — played as well as he's ever played at Clemson," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said.

Hunter's decision is a massive boost for Brownell's 2024-25 Clemson team, returning its third-leading scorer and top facilitator. He will complement Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery, his younger brother, Dillon Hunter, and Jake Heidbreder in the backcourt.

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The Tigers lost three of their top five scorers from last year with Hall going pro, Joseph Girard III’s eligibility expiring and RJ Godfrey entering the transfer portal. They also lost Joshua Beadle, Jack Clark and Alex Hemenway to the portal.

Brownell has revamped the roster, adding transfers Viktor Lakhin, Christian Reeves, Myles Foster and Zackery. Clemson's goal is to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and reach the Final Four for the first time in program history.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00