Most fans old enough to remember back to when Greg Buckner played basketball for Clemson, probably recall the dunk against North Carolina to beat the Tarheels in the quarterfinals of the 1996 ACC Tournament.
For Buckner himself, while that is one of his favorite memories of his time as a Clemson Tiger, it doesn’t even make his top two.
“Obviously most people would probably say the dunk, and I mean, that’s true,” Buckner told Clemson Junkies. “I think that’s the average Clemson person. For me, the first game of my career and the last game. Those are the two most memorable experiences of my time at Clemson.”
Just playing at the Division-1 level was something Buckner had longed to do since he was a child. Growing up in Kentucky, playing for one of the two big schools in his home state was what he really dreamed of growing up. Although, playing in the ACC came in a close second.
“Obviously, putting on a college uniform for us, you know, is a lifelong dream,” Buckner said. “To play Division-1 ball. I grew up in Kentucky. I either wanted to play for Kentucky, Louisville, or play in the ACC and I got to play in the ACC growing up. So that was unbelievable.”
However, it’s his final home game as a Tiger that stands out most of all. One last time playing with the guys he’d grown to love, in front of all of his family, that is what really sticks out. Not to mention having one of the better games of his career that day.
“Then in my last game, all of my family’s there and I think that’s the time when I scored the most points, in my last home game,” Buckner said. “It was one of those days and I think it was Florida State, if i remember correctly.”
“Then playing with Terrell McIntyre for the last time on that court who was, you know, my back court mate and we pushed each other to be great. I remember him coming up to me after I made the first free throw and missed the second one. He gave me a tap and a big hug. It was one of the most memorable things that ever happened to me to be able to play with a guy like Terrell McIntyre and finish with him.”
