With top scorers back, here are five things to know about Clemson women’s basketball
Amanda Butler is in her fourth year as the head coach of the Clemson women’s basketball team, and she’s looking for the group to continue making small increments of improvement.
It helps that the Tigers return top two scorers in Delicia Washington and Gabby Elliott — and Elliott went to the USA Basketball U19 trials this summer to work on her shooting. The continuity and talent the two bring will help to lead a talented group that has high expectations.
Here are five takeaways about the team ahead of Clemson’s 2021-22 season that begins against USC Upstate on Nov. 10.
Washington still ‘WIP’
Delicia Washington’s nickname has become WIP, which stands for “work in progress.” After leading the Tigers in scoring with 16.4 points per outing a year ago, there’s still more for the Florida native and Clemson’s lone all-ACC preseason team member to tap into, and she decided to continue that process at Clemson.
“I think Delicia made a fantastic decision for herself to come back, work on her game, work on her 3-point shot, work on who she is and as a defender, continue to push herself as a leader and to really just be a great student of the game,” Butler said.
The Tigers’ mentor added that she believes Washington, now a Clemson graduate, has the potential to be one of the best guards in the ACC.
Adding Kiara Lewis
Before turmoil was revealed within the Syracuse women’s basketball team, Kiara Lewis transferred to Clemson in April, her third college after starting her career at Ohio State.
Following a redshirt season, she started in 55 games for the Orange, averaging 14 points in her final season. The fifth-year senior will be tasked with expanding her abilities at the point guard position, but is a welcomed addition to the Tigers’ team.
“She’s had a tremendous amount of success as a college athlete already obviously in different programs, but we get the benefit of that,” Butler said. “She’s really just going through the process right now of trying to understand what (being a point guard) means as a Clemson Tiger — because maybe that does mean something a little different than her experiences at Syracuse and Ohio State.”
Freshmen to watch
Clemson’s Class of 2021 includes five freshmen, all of whom Butler is excited about. They’ve already added to the team’s personality and the chemistry.
Butler specifically mentioned guard Madi Ott as someone who can have a significant leadership role on the team sooner than later. The Texas native was a three-time MVP at the high school level, leading Frisco High to a 24-12 record in that time. As a junior, she averaged 16 points, 4 assists and 3.5 rebounds.
“She’s a great communicator, and when you’re a great communicator, you can find your way onto the floor,” Butler said. “She can also shoot it as well.”
Having fun
When asked about the personality of the team, Butler said it’s a fun group, which she feels is important. Being a competitor and fun aren’t exactly synonymous, but the Tigers being able to balance the two characteristics could pay off in the long run.
Butler got in on the fun recently, participating in a Tik Tok challenge.
“I think their senses of humor and how they enjoy each other is really important as it relates to what we can be competitively,” Butler said. “We’ve got such a cross-section of different individual goals going on ... there’s gotta be common threads. There’s gotta be some fun and enjoyment of each other as people to make a group of so many different agendas work together.”
Potential of Team 47
Heading into Clemson’s 47th women’s basketball season, there are high expectations because of what Butler believes the group can do. The Tigers have a mix of talent, experience and energetic youth, which will hopefully help them to have a standout year.
Clemson was picked to finish 10th in the ACC after finishing 10th in the league standings a year ago. The Tigers also went two rounds in the Women’s NIT last season, finishing with a 12-14 record. Not counting the pandemic-influenced 2019-20 season, Butler has only missed the postseason once with the Tigers.
“I hope that what we’re doing each year is making progress towards making Clemson women’s basketball its absolute best and that I’m learning as a head coach how to do that a little bit better every year,” Butler said. “Hopefully the trend continues to go in that positive direction.”
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 10:05 AM with the headline "With top scorers back, here are five things to know about Clemson women’s basketball."
