Ian Schieffelin is back on the basketball court, but he definitely can’t escape those football vibes. We all saw it this week when the former Clemson basketball player and tight end dropped a hook shot for the Miami Heat in their 128-118 preseason win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. The bucket itself was pretty standard, honestly. But what went down right after? THAT’S the moment that absolutely blew up and went viral.
The Play That Blew Up
Miami was up 115-110, with under five minutes left, when Schieffelin sank his shot. And longtime Heat play-by-play legend Eric Reid didn’t miss a beat. He reached right into Schieffelin’s wild Clemson past, calling out, “Ian Schieffelin, the former Clemson tight end, with a first down.” Seriously, a FIRST DOWN in a basketball game! You gotta love it. The Heat’s social media team was on it immediately, posting the clip and tweeting, “That’s former Clemson TE, Ian Schieffelin to YOU.” That clip exploded, racking up over 100,000 views across multiple platforms. It was a massive shoutout to one of the most unique career paths we’ve seen lately, and a perfect example of how Clemson basketball gets talked about.
From Death Valley to the Hardwood
And let’s be real, Schieffelin’s journey is straight-up wild. This dude played 134 games for Clemson basketball, becoming one of the ACC’s top rebounders. He averaged 12.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in his last season before he did the unthinkable: he traded Littlejohn Coliseum for Death Valley! He joined Dabo Swinney’s football program, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound athlete, and actually appeared in eight games at tight end, catching two passes for 10 yards. How many guys can say that? Eventually, he made his way back to the hardwood, hitting up the California Classic and NBA Summer League with Miami, where he put up 8.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in five appearances. He signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat on September 25, and now he’s battling for a spot on the team. If the basketball plan doesn’t pan out, at least Eric Reid has found him another position, right? Two points on the stat sheet, ‘first down’ on the broadcast, that’s a career highlight right there.
This guy’s got heart, switching sports like that and then fighting for an NBA roster spot. It’s a tough grind for Schieffelin to stick with the Heat organization, but with a viral moment like that already under his belt, you know everyone’s gonna be watching to see what he does next. Keep an eye on Schieffelin. Maybe we’ll get another ‘first down’ call before the season’s through.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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