Clemson athletic director Graham Neff recently offered his thoughts on a coach that’s produced mixed results during his time leading one of the Tigers’ athletic programs.
Brad Brownell is in his 12th season at the helm of Clemson’s men’s basketball program. He took the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament in his first season as Oliver Purnell’s successor in 2011. But the Tigers went the next six years without getting back to the Big Dance.
The drought ended with a Sweet Sixteen run to conclude the 2017-18 season. Clemson has been to two of the last three NCAA Tournaments (the 2020 postseason was canceled in response to the coronavirus pandemic), but the Tigers will need a late-season surge if they want to get back there this year.
Asked on Wednesday how he assesses the way Brownell has performed in his job, Neff said it goes beyond the court.
“I just get really excited for how he goes about it,” Brownell said. “We all know how he leads the men in the locker room, culture and how he has engaged former players. Obviously academics and compliance, particularly in men’s basketball, is certainly something that is a non-negotiable at Clemson as far as play by the rules and do it the right way. And when you have a head coach like Brad in a sport like college basketball and what that means, it’s just a huge comfort and a huge value quite frankly. So all of those things off the court, Brad is spades. And get excited about where he has the roster and what is left in the season.”
As for what Clemson is doing on the court this season, the Tigers sit at 12-9 overall and 4-6 in ACC play following their win over Florida State on Wednesday. But there’s still plenty of work to do if Clemson, currently No. 73 in the NET rankings, hopes to get itself back on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
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