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Clemson Basketball

Brad Brownell Previews Western Carolina & Season

November 9, 2017
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Clemson head basketball coach Brad Brownell spoke with the media earlier today prior to his team’s opening game against Western Carolina Friday night.

  • Brownell is excited for the season to finally get underway and he believes the two exhibition games his team got to play will help them as the season starts.
  • The last time we saw Clemson, it had just given up a 20-point lead in the NIT tournament against Oakland and Brownell seemed to be on his way out.
  • Brownell returns this season to right the ship and he believes that executing on both ends and being physical are keys to being a successful team.
  • He said that throughout the offseason, his team has made some strides on the defensive end, but offensive flow is still in the works as the starting five is still getting used to playing with each other.
  • After losing Jaron Blossomgame to the NBA, Clemson will have to look for players like seniors Dante Grantham and Gabe DeVoe to step in and be “the guys” on both sides of the ball. Brownell said that he doesn’t really know what his team will be like during this first month.
  • “We have talented enough players to (replace Blossomgame) and we have a lot of options on this years team. We still have to figure out the roles that everyone will blend into. The most fun thing about coaching, and most challenging, is getting guys to want to do the role that they need to do to be successful. That’s what we will learn more as we play games more consistently.”
  • Brownell said he doesn’t know if there is a guy like Jaron Blossomgame or KJ McDaniels on this team that can consistently give you 16 or 17 points a night, but he does believe a number of guys have the capability to do so. “We’re just going to have to wait and see how it works itself out each game.”
  • After only making the NCAA tournament once in his seven seasons at Clemson, the pressure is on Brownell to get over the hump this year even with the loss of some star-power on the court.
  • Brownell said today that there is no need to focus on the NCAA tournament in November and that he is focused on playing a great game against Western Carolina.
  • The potential is there for this team, but with a brutal ACC gauntlet, it’ll be hard for Clemson to finish .500 in conference play. If Clemson can somehow finish above that .500 mark in ACC play, then the squad should feel good about its progress.
  • Making the NCAA tournament is a priority for a fan base that is so used to seeing another sport have so much success. Fans may be disappointed for another season as Clemson probably barely makes the NIT.
  • Brownell’s job may end up resting on the shoulders of Zion Williamson’s decision of where he will be playing basketball.


 

Game Notes:

Tigers Open 2017-18 in Littlejohn Against Western Carolina

Gameday Setup:
CLEMSON (0-0) vs. WESTERN CAROLINA (0-0)
Date: Friday, November 10
Tipoff: 7:05 p.m. ET
Arena: Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
Radio: CTSN (Don Munson-pbp; Tim Bourret-color)
TV: ACCN Extra (Pete Yanity-pbp; Jim Davis-color)
• Clemson opens the 2017-18 season on Friday against Western Carolina. It marks the first meeting between both programs since the season opener in 2010-11.
• The Tigers return two double-digit scorers from a year ago: Shelton Mitchell (10.8 ppg) and Marcquise Reed (10.0). Elijah Thomas, Donte Grantham and Gabe DeVoe all averaged over 7.0 points per contest.
• Clemson owns a perfect 11-0 record against Western Carolina, including a 10-0 mark in games played in Littlejohn Coliseum.

Series History:
CU Series W-L record: Clemson leads 11-0
Streak: Clemson has won 11 games in a row dating back to the first matchup in 1978-79.

Tiger Tracks:

  • Donte Grantham and Elijah Thomas were both recognized by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. Grantham was named to Rothstein’s “Top 20 Breakout Players”, while Thomas was listed as a “Top 20 Under-The-Radar” player.
  • Both Grantham and Marcquise Reed are closing in on 1,000 points this season. Grantham needs 169 points, while Reed needs 142 to eclipse the milestone.
  • Mark Donnal is eligible immediately for the Tigers after qualifying as a graduate transfer. Donnal played over 100 games in his career in the Big Ten Conference for Michigan and has played in five NCAA tournament games over the last two seasons.
  • Head coach Brad Brownell enters the season just nine wins shy of 300 for his career.
  • Clemson will debut eight players who have seen limited or no action in a Tiger uniform during the 2017-18 season.
  • The program welcomed four freshman into the fold, including redshirt freshman Anthony Oliver II who enrolled as an early enrollee in January of 2017.

 

 
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