Clemson officially announced the addition of two transfers in Jaeden Zackery (Boston College) and Viktor Lakhin (Cincinnati).
The 6-foot-2 Zackery and the 6-11 Lakhin will join a freshmen class that includes Dallas Thomas (Little Rock, Ark./Parkview Magnet), Del Jones (Largo, Md./Arizona Compass Prep) and Ace Buckner (Cleveland, Ohio/La Lumiere School). The freshmen class ranks No. 22 in the country, according to 247Sports.
“I love Jaeden’s competitive spirit and have seen firsthand how he always seems to do whatever his team needs to win,” said head coach Brad Brownell. “He’s a two-way player who has proven he can guard all three perimeter positions in this league. Offensively he plays the game with great efficiency, scoring and distributing, and his numbers reflect this.”
Zackery was Boston College’s third leading scorer last season (11.3 ppg), adding 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per contest. He shot 48.4 percent from the floor, including 40.5 percent from three and 82.4 percent at the free throw line.
The Salem, Wis. native totaled 22 double-digit scoring games a year ago, including four 20-point outings. Zackery is a career 40.5 percent shooter from three and 45.5 percent from the floor. He’s totaled nearly as many rebounds as assists in his career (331-330) and added 168 steals to go along with 1,106 points.
Zackery finished sixth in the ACC in overall games last season in assists (152; 4.22/game) and steals (63; 1.75/game). He was ninth in assist/turnover ratio (2.14). He is a veteran of 102 games, including 100 starts.
“Viktor is an experienced post player who should bring scoring and rebounding to our team,” Brownell said. “Offensively, he’ll fit in well in our system because of his ability to play in both the high and low post. On the defensive end he’ll provide rim protection that will complement our team defense.”
Lakhin is a veteran of 91 games, including 56 starts in 62 games over the past two seasons. In 2022-23 he averaged 11.6 points and 7.1 rebounds. Last season he totaled 9.2 points and 6.0 rebounds. His rebounds per game last year ranked 12th in the Big 12 Conference.
The Anapa, Russia native posted 13 double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 26 in a win over Eastern Washington. He had a season-high five blocks against Oklahoma. He posted three double-digit rebounding efforts, while collecting at least eight in a game on 10 occasions.
For his career, Lakhin is 55.8 percent from the field, averaging 8.5 points and 5.6 rebounds. He has totaled 74 steals and 78 blocks.
(Release via Clemson)
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