Family ties have Nebraska near the top for 2023 guard Chase Clemmons

2023 Legacy (S.C.) Early College guard Chase Clemmons got the full Nebraska experience during his official visit to Lincoln this weekend.

It also didn’t hurt that he had two familiar tour guides to show him around while on campus.

The cousin of current Husker players Trey and Bryce McGowens, Clemmons had trouble narrowing down his favorite parts of the trip. His visit included the basketball team’s “Opening Night” event on Friday and then the football team’s 56-7 win over Northwestern on Saturday.

“I loved it,” Clemmons said. “It was definitely better than I expected. It was a great environment and a lot of great people that I met. It was just great overall… Everything was family-oriented. Everybody sticks together; everyone is having fun.

“It was just a fun environment. That’s what stuck out to me the most.”

While there was a lot to like about Nebraska, including head coach Fred Hoiberg’s up-tempo offensive scheme, Clemmons said having two of his close cousins already in the program was as much of a selling point as anything.

He said Trey and Bryce had obviously tried to sway him to the Huskers, but they’d also been honest in what Clemmons could expect if he ended up at NU.

“I talk to Trey and Bryce every day, and they give me input on how the program is, how the coaches interact with each other, and all that,” Clemmons said. “Trey and Bryce both tell me that (Nebraska’s coaches) are going to push you. Our dream is to make it to the league, so they said (the coaches) are going to push you to make it to the league.

“They’re going to work every day, and they’re not going to sugarcoat anything. They’re just going to be real with you. That’s the biggest part.”

This weekend was Clemmons’ first official visit, though he’d taken several unofficial over the past couple of years. He doesn’t have any more official visits scheduled yet but said he’d heard a lot recently from schools like Virginia, Missouri, Clemson, Auburn, and Tennessee State.

Seeing how he’s only going into his junior season, Clemmons said he was in no rush to make a college decision and would like to take a lot more visits before committing anywhere.

There’s a good chance that Clemmons has only just scratched the surface of his recruitment, too. A strained patellar tendon ended his sophomore season at Mount Vernon (Ga.) Academy after just eight games. He was averaging roughly 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists per game before his injury.

This summer, Clemmons decided to transfer to Legacy, where Bryce McGowens played last year. He was finally fully cleared to return to the court a couple of months ago.

But while he plans to take his time with his recruitment, Clemmons said his time in only further verified Nebraska as a legitimate contender on his list.

“I’m definitely going to consider them because the love they show is unmatched,” Clemmons said.