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Poppie, Clemson Women's Basketball Snag Second Transfer Portal Commitment
Clemson adds another versatile weapon, bringing size and shooting to Shawn Poppie's revamped roster. Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Just three days after snagging one of the best playmakers in college basketball out of the transfer portal, Virginia Tech's Mackenzie Nelson, Clemson Tigers head coach Shawn Poppie has now landed his second transfer addition of the offseason.

On Saturday afternoon, Arkansas's Jenna Lawrence announced her commitment to the program ahead of her final season, as first reported by On3's Talia Goodman

She's one of nine players to transfer out of the SEC program following two down years, during which the team compiled a 22-42 record under head coach Mike Neighbors.

The 6-foot-3 rising senior is coming off a career year, where she averaged the fifth-most points (7.4 points per game) and the fourth-most rebounds (3.4 per game) for the Razorbacks. But what's even more impressive is that she managed to put up this production on just 15.4 minutes per contest, which was the second-fewest among the nine primary rotation players.

Additionally, Lawrence established herself as one of the best shooters on her team, as 99 of her 190 field goal attempts came from behind the arc, where she shot 36.4% from (third-best on the team). She also shot 90% from the charity stripe, a team-best, and something that could be a huge addition for a Clemson program that ranked in the bottom 60 nationally last season at just 67.13%.

While she saw a dip in her playing time this past year, it appears to stem from her knack for drawing fouls consistently on the court, as she averaged nearly 2 per contest (57 total), which was the third-most on the team.

In her sophomore campaign, she was a rotational starter, averaging 21.6 minutes while starting 20 of 32 games, scoring 5.7 points and grabbing 4.8 rebounds. However, her shots weren't falling efficiently, as she shot 33% from the field and 24.6% from three-point range.

The talent has always been there for Lawrence, too. Coming out of state-wide powerhouse Farmington High School, she was one of the best players in the country, earning a four-star rating and ranking No. 61 nationally in the 2023 class per SportsCenter's NEXT 100, just four spots behind national superstar Audi Crooks.

As a senior, Lawrence led the Lady Cardinals to a 35-1 record, helping them capture the 4A girls state championship while averaging 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. She earned all-conference, all-state and all-tournament honors on her way to winning the state tournament MVP. 


This article first appeared on Clemson Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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