Why transfer Joseph Girard III said Clemson was his best chance to play in Sweet 16 again
LOS ANGELES — When Joseph Girard III transferred from Syracuse after four seasons, he knew he had to go somewhere to not only maximize his abilities but to help a program make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament in his final season.
The graduate student landed with Clemson basketball and is relishing being in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2021, when he scored 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting in Syracuse's 62-46 loss to Houston.
"I had one shot at it, to get back to a moment like this, to get back to a Sweet 16 like I did my sophomore year," said Girard, who is third all-time in 3-pointers made in the ACC. "And I felt these guys gave me the best chance. They've been nothing short of the best teammates I've ever had."
Girard looks to help the sixth-seeded Tigers advance to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history when they battle No. 2 seed Arizona Thursday (7:09 p.m. ET, CBS) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Joining the Tigers (23-11) has allowed Girard to flourish, shooting a career best from the field (42.9%), 3-point range (41.4%) and free-throw line (95%), which is tied for first in the country.
Girard's game has complemented Chase Hunter's play style well, with both becoming a top-scoring backcourt duo in the conference. Add in PJ Hall and Ian Schieffelin, whose inside presence and off-ball screens allow quality shots for him, and Girard can change a game.
"His experience certainly helps, his poise, his swagger, the fact he's been in all these moments," coach Brad Brownell said. "I also think we've done a good job as a staff and players of putting him in positions to be successful. He certainly has capitalized on that."
Girard's chemistry with his teammates formed before he joined the Tigers. Coach Brownell and associate coach Billy Donlon recruited him while he was in the portal, spoke highly about the Tigers' players and locker room to him and pitched how he would fit in.
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When Girard visited Clemson, he experienced the camaraderie first hand, hanging with Hall and Hunter and almost instantly meshing with the veterans.
"Obviously, there's a lot of stuff that speaks to his game, with the shooting and play-making ability," Hall said. "It's not going to work out if you're not a good dude."
Now back in the Sweet 16 three years later, Girard hopes to break through this round and continue to fulfill what Clemson brought him in to do: score in every facet of the game.
"I think we delivered on our end in terms of what we thought he could do for us," Brownell said. "And he certainly has delivered to us, in terms of productivity, confidence, experience, swagger and leadership."
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
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson basketball: Joseph Girard has 'swagger,' Sweet 16 experience
