On Thursday afternoon, the Clemson men’s basketball team hosted a media-available practice, where head coach Brad Brownell, as well as many players, spoke on the upcoming season, which tips off in just a few weeks on November 6th.
With plenty of talk from the players, as well as a sneak peek on the new-look Tiger roster that Brownell has constructed over the offseason, Clemson is looking to brush off the woes of missing the NCAA Tournament and have a phenomenal season.
First, Brownell spoke on a few injuries that should remain cautious before the season begins, headlined by transfer combo guard Jack Clark and redshirt sophomore Joshua Beadle.
“Hopefully, Jack Clark is going to start moving towards practice,” Brownell said. “Some people know Josh Beadle, unfortunately, was in a car accident last week and is lucky that it wasn’t worse than it was. But he did suffer a broken nose and a concussion, so he’s going to be out a couple more weeks.”
Brad Brownell
Brownell said that there were many guys who have been able to fill the role of the two impact players, naming Dillon Hunter, Chauncey Wiggins, R.J. Godfrey, and freshman Asa Thomas.
When asked about Thomas, Brownell had some high praise for the young forward, comparing him to recent Clemson great Hunter Tyson, who left in the offseason for the NBA Draft.
“I think he plays with a quiet confidence that you really like as a coach,” Brownell said. “It’s kind of Hunter Tyson-esque. There’s some similarities in the guys in terms of, you know, both physically not quite ready, but both think they are really good players at the time and surprise you every once in a while.”
Brad Brownell
With an offseason led by the news of Tyson leaving, Brownell talked about some of the leaders that have emerged from the loss of the star forward, speaking on center PJ Hall and guard Chase Hunter, who attended a leadership camp this summer to gain leadership skills.
“I think, off the court, the leadership is big.” Brownell said about Hall. “He’s got a big personality, emotional guy, I think he’s one of those guys that can rally the troops because he’s well-respected as a player and a person.”
Brad Brownell
He also included transfer Joe Girard III with the duo, who comes in after a four-year stint with the Syracuse Orange.
There has been plenty of progression across the board from the entire roster, but when asked about who could potentially take the biggest step out of the younger guys, Brownell brought up Wiggins and Godfrey again, who had minutes in most games for the Tigers last season.
“They had moments where they were really good and some moments that they looked like they didn’t exactly know what was going on,” Brownell said on the two sophomores. “I think both of those guys for sure, because of their size and the need at their position, are going to get plenty of opportunities. And both guys have, again, been very consistent all offseason in their work habits.”
Brad Brownell
With the amount of transfers coming in, as well as the return of key players and developing underclassmen, the team hopes to disrupt the typical standard of the ACC, headlined by reloaded blue bloods Duke and North Carolina.
“It’s hard for teams to be mentally ready everytime, and that’s where we got ourselves to that point: where we are ready to attack everytime out.” Brownell added. “I think we’ve got a hungry group.”
