Charlotte 49ers getting transfer from Clemson

Former Clemson guard Austin Ajukwa is transferring to the Charlotte 49ers.

Ajukwa will be eligible to play during the second semester of the 2016-17 season and will have another season of eligibility remaining after that. He was a three-star recruit coming out of Columbia’s Cardinal Newman.

Ajukwa (6-foot-6), who played two seasons for the Tigers, averaged 2.7 points in 55 games with no starts.

“I’m thrilled to add Austin to our program,” 49ers coach Mark Price said in a statement. “He brings a lot of experience coming from the Atlantic Coast Conference and is a big athletic wing player. He’s a very good defender and an underrated offensive player. He will be a tremendous asset for us on the court and is also the kind of young man that we want to bring into our program and really fits the culture we are trying to build.”　

Ajukwa left the Clemson program just days before this season started. Clemson coach Brad Brownell hinted that Ajukwa wanted more playing time, averaging 10.1 minutes in his two seasons.

“I understand his desire to play a bigger role, but I’m obviously disappointed with the timing of this decision,” Brownell said at the time.

Ajukwa has started classes at Charlotte.

“I’m really excited about working with the staff to get better and about where the Charlotte 49ers program is headed,” Ajukwa said. “Coach Price played basketball at the highest level and it will be great for me to learn from him. I’m very eager to come in and contribute and help Charlotte win games.”

Ajukwa is the fourth player Price has signed for next season, joining guards Quentin Jackson and Hudson Price (a transfer from Texas Christian) and center Lukas Bergang.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Charlotte 49ers getting transfer from Clemson."