Brad Brownell previews Wake Forest; Mark Donnal update
CLEMSON -- Coming off of their win against North Carolina, the Tigers took yesterday to relax and take a deep breath after their biggest win of the season.
No. 20 Clemson travels this weekend to Winston-Salem to take on 9-13 Wake Forest in hopes of building off of its two-game win streak.
The Demon Deacons are coming off of an impressive 76-72 win over 16-6 Florida State and have some momentum of their own after losing their previous seven games.
“I thought they played very well,” coach Brad Brownell said Thursday afternoon. “Great guard play. Bryant Crawford, Keyshawn Woods are really talented guys. Doral Moore inside, he’s a real problem on both ends. He’s the biggest guy we will see. He’s averaging a double-double and really playing well in terms of protecting the rim defensively as you would expect. He seems to be getting more and more comfortable.”
Wake Forest has two seven-foot centers, Olivier Sarr and Moore, and another six-foot-11 center the Tigers will have to deal with. These are easily the tallest big men Clemson will have to face all season, and Brownell said it’s going to take knocking down jump shots for Clemson to win.
“It’s going to be hard to finish at the basket. I don’t know if you are going to be real successful there,” Brownell said. “It’s going to force you to shoot more jump shots. You aren’t going to get to the rim very often with two seven-footers. (Moore) is a talented guy for a freshman. He is very mobile and seems to be poised.”
It may be another game where Clemson will rely on its ability to hit the three-point shot. The Tigers knocked down 15 threes when they beat North Carolina, the most made attempts since Brownell took over as head coach.
As for Mark Donnal, Brownell doesn’t know yet if he will be available. Donnal is still going through the concussion protocol and was cleared to participate in non-contact practice today to get back into rhythm.
“Hopefully, if no symptoms come back and he has a good night, then the next day he will try some contact practice. After that, if the symptoms are still gone, and he feels good, then we will have a chance to use him. But if any of his symptoms come back, then he’ll probably be a scratch.”
This would be Clemson’s second consecutive game without Donnal in the lineup, forcing the Tigers to rely on players deeper in the bench to step up again and play a key role. Aamir Simms, Malik William, and Clyde Trapp combined for 15 bench points in Clemson’s victory over North Carolina so expect any of them to come in with some confidence when called upon.
Brownell’s main focus with his team has been to keep up the “daily improvement.” This team was happy with the win against North Carolina, but some of the veteran players like Gabe DeVoe and Shelton Mitchell didn’t seem too fazed after the win. The calm, nonchalant demeanor carried over to the press conference when DeVoe was asked what the emotion was like when students rushed the court after the win over the Tar Heels.
His response: “I just tried to get out of the way.”
There is a feeling that these players have bigger fish to fry than what they have accomplished so far this season. It’s an attitude that starts from Brownell himself.
“We just need to keep working,” Brownell said. “Our team has done a good job this year of not overreacting to wins or losses; we are just trying to play and play well. Hopefully, that will continue. Certainly, we have seen things in the last game or two that we need to improve upon."
“I like where we are. I like how our guys have competed in some close games, which is a lot of what being successful in this league is. Most teams that are doing well are going to win more than their fair share of close games.”
The Tigers fit that mold. After going 4-12 in games decided by six points or less, the Tigers are 6-1 this season in games decided by five points or less. This is a remarkable turnaround that has been the difference this season.
Brownell is back to work, pointing out the good, the bad, and the ugly in early-morning film sessions with his team. Some of the “ugly,” Brownell mentioned, is looking at turnovers, illegal screening, missed block outs, and poor defensive mistakes from scouting.
“There’s always some ugly out there,” Brownell said with a smile. The good news for Clemson is the ugly hasn’t been enough to result in many losses.
Correcting those mistakes and continuing to play well could prepare this Clemson team - which is tied for second in the ACC - for an ACC tournament run.
The Tigers play Wake Forest at 2:00 PM Saturday afternoon.