They say college athletics is getting more and more like the pros every day. Actual trading of players does not happen, of course, but with the Transfer Portal, players trading places is becoming more common. Tuesday morning former Clemson forward Ben Middlebrooks announced he is moving on to NC State. A couple of hours later, former State forward 6-8 Jack Clark announced he is headed to Clemson. They could high-five as they pass each other on I-85.
In Clark, the Tigers are getting an older player who began his career at La Salle in 2018. He joined the Wolfpack last season as a graduate transfer and started 17 of 23 games he played in, including the first 15. He missed six weeks with a groin tear suffered, ironically, in a game at Clemson on December 30th.
For the season, Clark averaged 9 points and 7 rebounds per game. He shot 44% from the floor, 29% from three, and 84% from the foul line. In two games against the Tigers, he scored 17 points and grabbed 18 rebounds.
The 6-10 Middlebrooks leaves Clemson after two seasons as a backup to PJ Hall. He played in 34 games this past season and averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds per game.
Ironically, he scored his career high of 10 points in that December 30th win over NC State, the game in which Clark was injured.
Clark joins 6-7 high schooler Asa Thomas and 6-5 Air Force transfer Jake Heidbreder as newcomers for Clemson at this point. The Tigers have two more roster spots they can fill.
