Clemson women’s basketball added another intriguing piece to its transfer class, landing Saint Mary’s forward Edie Clarke.
Clarke, a 6-foot-4 sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, comes to Clemson after two seasons with the Gaels and gives Shawn Poppie’s roster another frontcourt option with starting experience. That part matters. Clarke is not coming in as a complete unknown or a long-term project that barely touched the floor. She started 29 of 32 games last season and played 24.2 minutes per game, which is a pretty real role at the college level.
Advertisement
Her production also made a clear jump. After averaging 3.3 points and 2.4 rebounds as a freshman, Clarke moved up to 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds this past season while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. That is the kind of year-over-year improvement Clemson can work with.
The more interesting part is that Clarke’s game does not seem completely boxed in. She had an 18-point game against Portland, grabbed 11 rebounds against San Diego, handed out five assists at Gonzaga, and recorded six steals against Nevada. For a forward, that is a pretty solid mix of flashes.
Clemson needed more reliable frontcourt depth; it had only two upperclassmen in the frontcourt department. Clarke gives the Tigers someone who has already handled starter minutes and shown she can grow when given a bigger role. She also brings a different background to the roster as a Melbourne native who played at Saint Mary’s before making the jump to the ACC.
This is not the loudest transfer pickup in the country, but it is an interesting one. Poppie is still building this roster piece by piece, and Clarke feels like the type of addition that could matter more once the season starts than it does on commitment day.
Advertisement
Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson basketball picks up six foot four forward from Saint Mary’s.
