CLEMSON — Clemson basketball's Chase Hunter announced Wednesday that he is entering the NBA Draft while keeping his college eligibility after helping the Tigers reach the Elite Eight.

"I've taken some time to reflect on my career, and I have decided to enter my name into the NBA Draft while maintaining my eligibility," Hunter said on a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In his fifth season with Clemson, Hunter averaged 12.9 points on 42.4% shooting, 3.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds over 36 games. He made the 2024 NCAA Tournament All-West Region team, averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and two steals over four games.

The Atlanta native lifted the Tigers to victory in the first two rounds of March Madness to take down New Mexico and Baylor. In the Sweet 16 against Arizona, he posted 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He was also tasked with guarding elite scorers like Ja'Kobe Walter, Caleb Love and Mark Sears throughout the tournament.

Hunter had until 11:59 p.m. on April 27 to enter his name in the NBA Draft. If he returns to Clemson, he can withdraw from the draft by 11:59 p.m. on May 29 like PJ Hall did last year.

On "Road Rage with Walt Deptula" on April 4, Clemson coach Brad Brownell said there's a chance Hunter would return for his sixth season.

The 15-year Tigers coach, who landed former Cincinnati transfer forward Viktor Lakhin earlier Wednesday, is awaiting decisions by Hunter and All-ACC forward PJ Hall to see how his 2024-25 roster will look.

Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson basketball: Chase Hunter enters name in NBA Draft