New Faces, Same Fire: Clemson Reloads Under Poppie with NCAA Hopes in Sight
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Clemson women’s basketball took center stage Tuesday at the ACC Women’s Basketball Tip Off in Charlotte, NC, with head coach Shawn Poppie, senior guard Mia Moore, and graduate transfer forward Demeara Hinds representing a program hungry to turn the corner in 2025–26.
In his first year leading the Tigers, Poppie guided Clemson to a 14–17 overall record and 6–12 in ACC play, finishing 13th in the 18-team league. The Tigers showed flashes of high-level potential, notching top-20 wins over No. 19 Georgia Tech and No. 20 California, while narrowly falling in close games to ranked opponents such as No. 13 North Carolina (53–51), No. 22 NC State (83–79), and Louisville (70–68) in the second round of the ACC Tournament.
Poppie made it clear that near-misses aren’t the standard Clemson wants to live by.
“We were very competitive a year ago, but still, at the end of the day we were 14–17, and that’s not what our goals or expectations are at Clemson,” Poppie said. “I know it’s year one, but I’m not very patient.”
Poppie emphasized that the difference between last year’s record and a postseason berth came down to execution in crucial moments.
“We were only about five possessions away from having a totally different year,” he said. “How we started games and how we finished them—that’s where we have to grow. But I think we have a group in that locker room that truly believes we can take that next step and compete to get into the NCAA Tournament, which hasn’t happened here in a long, long time.”
That next step will come with change. Clemson lost its top scorer and playmaker Loyal McQueen (13.5 ppg, 5.0 apg) and forward Tessa Miller (8.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg), both one-year transfers who made major impacts last season. To fill those voids, Poppie turned to the transfer portal, bringing in six new faces— Hinds (Wake Forest), Rusne Augustinaite (Georgia Tech), Morgan Lee (Marist), Taylor Johnson-Matthews (DePaul), Hadley Periman (Tulsa), and Rachael Rose (Wofford).
Rose, when healthy, proved to be one of the most dynamic guards in mid-major basketball. Though limited to six games last season due to injury, the former two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year, previously led the conference in scoring (22.3 ppg), assists (5.4), and steals (2.13) in 2023. She’ll pair with Moore to anchor the Clemson backcourt.
Moore, who averaged 10.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and a team-high 42 steals, sets the tone defensively—something she takes pride in.
“I feel like defense has always driven me on the offensive side,” Moore said. “I love to get steals. I love to get rebounds. It brings momentum. You can’t have offense without defense.”
Poppie grinned, “Don’t let her fool you. She’s pretty good on offense too.”
Indeed, Moore was part of a Clemson attack that set a program record with 228 made three-pointers, connecting on 42% from deep herself.
Poppie expects that record to fall this year.
“That record will be broken,” he said confidently. “We put a really talented group together, skilled, bigger, and more versatile. We can play a little more inside-out now. Obviously, D (Demeara) is here for a reason. She’s added a big dynamic to us inside along with Morgan Lee. But we’ve also gotten more skilled on the perimeter. We’re going to play quicker, in space, with the idea that three is still worth more than two.”
At 6-foot-3, Hinds gives Clemson much-needed size and versatility. She said Poppie’s offensive vision played a major role in her decision to come to Tigertown.
“I definitely did like when I was being recruited because I did feel like I could fit within his system and his style of play,” Hinds said. “I would just say there's a lot of positives towards his view or his perspective of how we can kind of run through his offense this year.”
Moore has already seen what Hinds brings to the table.
“She's the Hulk,” Moore joked. “She makes it so much more easier on the offensive side. I'm coming down. I see her. She's, like, 'Ball, ball, ball.' I'm giving it to her. She can go to work on anybody. She's tough. She's physical. She's skilled. She's the post player that you want to have on your team down low.”
When asked who might surprise fans this season, Hinds pointed to fellow newcomer Morgan “Mo” Lee, a 6-foot-5 center who averaged 12.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game last season.
“Mo Lee has been doing so good recently in practice and everything,” Hinds said. “She's really found her spot, and her touch is insane. If you even let her see the rim, she's going to get it in there.”
Another name to watch is Johnson-Matthews, who scored 14.5 points per game and hit 38% from deep at DePaul in 2024.
For a program that has made the NCAA Tournament only once in 21 years, expectations are growing but Poppie isn’t letting the Tigers look too far ahead.
“That is definitely way out in front of us,” he said of dancing in March.“Right now, it’s just about getting better daily, one day at a time. If this group does that, they’re going to put themselves in the conversation for what their goals are this season.”
The Lady Tigers open their season at home against USC Upstate on Nov. 3 at Littlejohn Coliseum, followed by an in-state showdown at South Carolina on Nov. 11 and a marquee early ACC matchup against Louisville in Clemson on Nov. 16.
