White transfers to Clemson as a graduate and will be immediately eligible with two years of eligibility remaining. (Nelson Chennault)
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University men’s basketball has added a pair of transfers in Jonathan Baehre (pronounced “Bear”) and Javan White (pronounced “JAY-ven”, announced by head coach Brad Brownell on Tuesday.
JONATHAN BAEHRE
“We are excited about adding Jonathan to our program,” said Brownell. “He is a versatile front court player who can play multiple positions and effect the game in many ways. He has the ability to stretch the floor by making threes and the touch to finish around the rim as he continues to get stronger during his year in residence.”
Baehre, a 6-foot, 10-inch big that can play inside and outside, recently completed his sophomore season for the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. He appeared in 34 games and started 21 of those contests for a Bulldog team that finished 21-13 overall, including 13-5 in the Big South. Baehre finished fifth on the team in scoring (7.4 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.6 rpg).
He played 21.8 minutes per contest for the Bulldogs, while shooting a team-best 53.9 percent (103-for-191) from the field, including 37.3 percent from long range and 80.8 percent at the charity stripe.
Baehre’s best game of the season came in the Bulldogs’ NIT matchup at Southern California (USC) when he posted 28 points and 14 rebounds on 11-for-17 shooting – good for his third double-double of the season. He also swatted five shots in a game for the third time of the 2017-18 campaign against the Trojans.
His five blocked shots in a game were the second-most all season by a player in the Big South Conference. Baehre finished third overall in the Big South in blocked shots per game with 1.8 (61 total blocks). He also finished with three 10+ rebounding games.
In his career, Baehre has appeared in 43 total games for the Bulldogs, including a contest last season against the Tigers. Baehre scored nine points on 4-for-6 shooting and grabbed five boards in what was a 31-point defeat for UNC Asheville.
Prior to his time at UNC Asheville, Baehre grew up and played in Hessen, Germany before moving to Georgia and playing his senior high school season at Wilkinson County. He was a GHSA Division A State Champion and was named Co-MVP of the title game. He earned All-State team honors while in Germany in 2013 and received an invitation to the U18 German National team tryouts that season.
Baehre will sit out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA transfer rules and will be immediately eligible for the 2019-20 season with two seasons overall left to play.
JAVAN WHITE
“I am thrilled to announce Javan White has decided to join the Clemson basketball family,” said Brownell. “Javan is an extremely bright and hard-working young man who was able to graduate ORU in three years. As a basketball player, Javan is a terrific rebounder and an athletic finisher around the basket. His size, versatility and experience should allow him to be an immediate contender in our frontcourt.”
White, a 6-foot, 10-inch, 230-pound big that recently wrapped up his redshirt sophomore season for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and will transfer to Clemson as a graduate. He appeared in all of Oral Roberts’ 32 contests and made 29 starts. White finished fourth on the team in scoring (10.2 ppg), but led ORU in rebounding with 9.0 per contest. White grabbed a team-best 287 rebounds, including a team-high 113 on the offensive glass.
He played 27.5 minutes per game for the Golden Eagles, while finishing as one of just two players on the team to shoot at least 50.0 percent from the field (51.4 percent – 132-for-257). White also finished with 41 assists, 21 blocks (second on the team) and 30 steals (second on the team).
White posted double-digit points in 15 games, while grabbing double-digit rebounds in 16 contests last season. He grabbed a career-best 20 in a win at Little Rock on Dec. 2. His career-high in points also came last season when White poured in 25 at Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 16.
White finished the year with nine double-doubles.
In his career, White has appeared in 56 games for the Golden Eagles. He played in 23 games, while starting five as a freshman during the 2015-16 campaign. He redshirted the 2016-17 season before playing in a career-high 32 contests last year.
Prior to his time at Oral Roberts, White played at Ames High School in Ames, Iowa, where he averaged 10.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game as a junior and upped those totals to 13.9 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior. He graduated with honors from Ames and helped his team reach the state tournament.
White was named first team all-conference and second-team all-state. He broke former North Carolina Tar Heel and current Dallas Maverick Harrison Barnes’ state blocks record (94) by swatting 127 shots.
White transfers to Clemson as a graduate and will be immediately eligible with two years of eligibility remaining. White is just the second-ever graduate transfer in Clemson history joining Mark Donnal who played for the Tigers last season after transferring from the University of Michigan.