Clemson added its second four-star transfer from out of the portal to its 2023-24 roster Sunday when ex-Syracuse guard Joe Girard committed to the Tigers.
Girard joins ex-NC St. forward Jack Clark as the other four-star transfer Brad Brownell has acquired.
Girard averaged 16.4 points, 3.0 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game for the Orange this past season. The 6-foot-1 guard can play the point or off the ball. He made 38.1 percent of his 3-pointers and 85.7 percent of his free throws in 2022-23.
Girard started 123 of 125 games he played in for legendary head coach Jim Boeheim across four seasons. The ‘Cuse only made the NCAA Tournament once in that span, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2021 with wins over San Diego St. and West Virginia.
Girard had 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds in a 78-62 win over the Aztecs. He finished with 12 points, seven assists, six boards and one steal in a 75-72 win over the Mountaineers. Girard buried 4-of-8 attempts from downtown vs. WVU.
The ‘Cuse lost 62-46 to Houston in the Midwest Region semifinals. Girard scored 12 points, but he only had one rebound and one assist compared to a pair of turnovers.
As a freshman in 2019-20, Girard averaged 12.4 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 SPG. Then as a sophomore, he averaged 9.8 points, 3.5 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 SPG.
In 2021-22, Girard averaged 13.8 points, 4.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.6 SPG. He hit treys at a career-best 40.3 percent clip.
For his career, Girard is a 36.3 percent shooter from long distance and has made 86.3 percent from the free-throw line. He is second in Syracuse history in career FT percentage behind only Gerry McNamara.
Girard is third in program history in 3-pointers made (283), second in 3P percentage and fourth in attempts (781).
In a loss at Clemson on Feb. 22 of this past year, Girard had 11 points and two rebounds, but he didn’t have any assists and committed three turnovers.
Clark is a super senior who was at La Salle for four years (redshirted and didn’t play one season) before transferring to NC St. last season. He started 17 of 23 games for the Wolfpack, averaging 9.0 and 6.9 RPG.