Note: The following appears in the Syracuse football gameday program.
Reese Basinger, Chase Hunter and Walker Parks are the recipients of the Clemson athletic department-wide awards for the 2024-25 academic year. Basinger is the recipient of the IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year, Hunter is the recipient of the Frank Howard Award and Parks is the recipient of the Brandon Streeter Award.
The IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year is presented each year to the Clemson student-athlete who excels on the field and in the classroom. The Evans, Ga. native and Winthrop transfer is the first softball student-athlete to win the award and the first female student-athlete to win the award since Sam Staab (women’s soccer) in 2018-19.
Basinger was named ACC Pitcher-of-the-Year in 2025, the first Tiger to win that award. She totaled 18 wins and posted a 2.94 ERA in 35 appearances in earning First-Team All-ACC and first-team all-region honors.
Basinger’s 18th and final win of the year took place at the Austin Super Regional versus Texas, where she led the Tigers to a victory over the eventual national champion Longhorns. Basinger was a major reason Clemson won the ACC title for the first time and reached the super regional.
“What an honor it is to win the IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year,” remarked Head Coach John Rittman. “I am so proud of her because this is a department-wide award. She had an outstanding year in the circle and was a huge part of our success. She performed at such a high level all year and was so dependable and consistent. She was exceptional in the classroom as well. Reese has been a great representative of our program in every area.”
Basinger was named the ACC Softball Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year after posting a 4.0 GPA in biology. She was named a third-team Academic All-American by College Sports Communicators and was named an NFCA All-America Scholar.
The IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year dates to the 1978-79 academic year, when Steve Fuller was the first recipient.
The Frank Howard Award is presented each year to a Clemson student-athlete for bringing honor to Clemson. It is named after former Tiger Head Coach Frank Howard and was first presented in 1970, when Charlie Waters was the recipient.
Hunter is the first men’s basketball player to win the award since Horace Grant in 1986-87. Other men’s basketball players to win the award are Tree Rollins (1977), Mike Eppley (football, basketball, 1984) and Vincent Hamilton (1985).
Hunter was the leading scorer on the basketball team that posted a school-record 27 wins, including a Tiger-record 18 victories in ACC play and a Clemson-record nine ACC road wins.
“I am proud to have coached Chase Hunter during his career at Clemson,” said Head Coach Brad Brownell. “He improved every year to the point he was a First-Team All-ACC player his final year. He improved in terms of leadership as well, and his ability to lead was a big reason we won 76 games over the last three years, more than any three-year period in Clemson history.
“In this era of the transfer portal, a lot of players don’t stay at the same school their entire career, but Chase did that. Being able to develop a young man as a player on the court and off is why I do this, so it was very rewarding to see Chase’s progress and to see him win this award that considers Clemson student-athletes in all sports.”
The native of Atlanta, Ga. was a First-Team All-ACC selection on the hardwood and was also selected to the All-ACC Academic team. He joined former teammate Hunter Tyson as the only Tigers to be selected to both First-Team All-ACC teams in the same year. He was also named to the NABC All-District team.
Hunter was the first Tiger guard to earn First-Team All-ACC honors since 2002-03, when Edward Scott was selected.
Hunter set a Tiger record by playing in 110 wins during his career. He finished third on Clemson’s career scoring list (1,768) and is sixth in assists (435).
As a senior in 2024-25, Hunter averaged a career-high 16.8 points per game. He shot 41 percent on three-point attempts and 87 percent from the free-throw line.
The Brandon Streeter Award is presented each year to the student-athlete who overcomes injury or illness to have an outstanding season on the field.
In 2022, Parks played the majority of Clemson’s ACC championship campaign with torn ligaments in his ankle, an injury first suffered in an early October win against NC State. He missed most of the offseason after undergoing ankle surgery to repair three lateral ligaments and to address bone spurs.
In the second game of the 2023 season, Parks suffered an ankle injury, and an MRI revealed that his subtalar joint, which acts as a bridge between the foot and ankle, had fused together. Parks faced two different surgery options, one that would definitively fix the ankle but instantly end his football career, or another that Parks and medical personnel called “a flip of the coin.” He chose the latter and missed the final 11 games of the 2023 season.
“Walker Parks is awesome,” said Head Coach Dabo Swinney. “He is as tough as they come and brings a hard edge to our offensive line group and our team. He is a tremendous leader. There is no one more committed to football, to Clemson or this team than Walker Parks.
“His ability to come back from injuries has been nothing short of amazing. He has been an inspiration to his teammates. We need his fire, his experience, his knowledge and his presence on the field. He is very deserving of this award, and we are certainly excited he is back for another year in 2025.”
Parks came back strong in 2024 and earned Third-Team All-ACC honors. He was a big reason Clemson won the ACC championship and reached the College Football Playoff. In addition to earning Third-Team All-ACC honors on the field, Parks was an All-ACC Academic pick.
In his career, Parks has played 2,882 snaps (10th most in Tiger history) over 55 games (43 starts). He played 703 snaps in 2024 while starting all 14 games. He helped Clemson to a top-15 national finish in total offense with 452 yards per game.
The Brandon Streeter Award is named after the former Clemson quarterback, who was the first recipient of the award in 1999-00.
