Tag: Brad Brownell

Clemson basketball opponent in Sunshine Slam announced

Here’s who the Clemson men’s basketball team will face in the 2024 Sunshine Slam event down in Daytona Beach.

The Clemson men’s basketball team will be playing in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in Daytona Beach, Fla., this November.

That scheduling news was announced back in May, when it was revealed that the Tigers would play in the annual event along with Penn State, Fordham and San Francisco.

The Tigers recently announced that they’ll open the two-day event against San Francisco with Penn State facing off against Fordham on Monday, Nov. 25. The winners of the head-to-head matchups will meet in a championship game the following day, as will the losing teams of the opening-round contests in a third-place game.

Clemson reached the NCAA Tournament last March as a No. 6 seed and made an improbable run to the Elite Eight, beating No. 3 seed Baylor and No. 2 seed Arizona before falling to No. 4 seed Alabama. It was the first time the Tigers had reached the Elite Eight since 1980.

RELATED: Clemson star Chase Hunter forgoes NBA Draft, will return for final season of college eligibility

San Fransisco went 23-11 overall and 11-5 in conference play last season, finishing third in the West Coast Conference.

Clemson opens the 2024-25 men’s basketball season at Littlejohn Coliseum against Charleston Southern on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. ET.

Among other nonconference opponents Brad Brownell’s team will face this season in addition to San Francisco and either Penn State or Fordham are Boise State (in Boise), Memphis (at home), South Carolina (in Columbia), and Kentucky (at home).

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Brad Brownell, Erik Bakich and others get contract extensions

Contract extensions and raises for Brad Brownell, Erik Bakich, Mike Noonan and Eddie Radwanski were announced Thursday.

Clemson athletics gave fans plenty to cheer about in the past year, especially on the basketball court and the baseball diamond.

The Tigers’ men’s basketball team made a thrilling run through the NCAA Tournament and reached the Elite Eight for only the second time in school history, and the first time since 1980. Clemson finished No. 15 in the final USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.

In June, Clemson baseball reached its first Super Regional since 2010 after a 44-win season. The Tigers finished No. 9 in the final coaches poll.

The coaches who led those two programs were awarded with raises and contract extensions by the Clemson Board of Trustee Compensation Committee Thursday.

Brownell received a five-year contract extension through 2029. His salary will reach $4.5 million by 2028-29. Brownell will make $3.5 million this coming season, his 15th as Clemson head coach.

“I’m honored and grateful to continue to lead the Clemson Basketball program. I want to thank Graham Neff, President Jim Clements and our entire administration for their continued belief and confidence in me and my staff. I am extremely proud of our recent success, both on and off the court, and there is not a better time than now to be a part of the Clemson family,” Brownell said in a statement Thursday.

For his part, Bakich agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2030 season after leading the Tigers to their first NCAA Tournament on-site Regional win in 14 years. Bakich’s new deal calls for a pay increase of $325,000 (to $1.275 million) in 2025. His pay is scheduled to increase to $1.525 million by 2030.

Bakich assistants Nick Schnabel and Jimmy Belanger also received contract extensions from the Board of Trustees.

“It is a privilege to serve this incredible university and athletic department,” Bakich said as part of a statement Thursday. “We are beyond grateful for the leadership and continued support from the Board of Trustees, President Jim Clements and Director of Athletics Graham Neff.”

Two other Clemson head coaches also received contract extensions and pay raises Thursday. Men’s soccer coach Mike Noonan received a two-year extension and a $160,000 increase in salary for the upcoming season (from $440,000 to $600,000) after leading the Tigers to their second national championship in three years. Noonan’s deal runs through 2029.

Women’s soccer coach Eddie Radwanski received a three-year extension through 2028. His salary will increase from $205,000 last year to $230,000 in 2024 with subsequent raises each following year, capping at $250,000 by 2028.

Clemson extends Brad Brownell through 2028-29 season

The Clemson Tigers and Brad Brownell reportedly agreed to a contract extension to keep the head coach through the 2028-29 season.

Entering his 23rd season as a college basketball head coach, Brad Brownell will have more job security than usual.

According to a report from Jon Rothstein, the Clemson Tigers have offered Brownell a contract extension through the 2028-29 season, keeping him at the helm after back-to-back 20+ win seasons.

Brownell led Clemson to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, his fourth time doing so since taking over the program in 2010. The Tigers earned a No. 6 seed and went all the way to the Elite Eight, taking down No. 11 New Mexico, No. 3 Baylor, and No. 2 Arizona in the process before losing to Nate Oats and the No. 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide.

It marked the furthest Brownell has led Clemson, surpassing the 2018 NCAA Tournament when, as a five seed, Clemson beat New Mexico State and Auburn before losing to No. 1 seeded Kansas.

All told Brownell has won 265 games at Clemson, far surpassing Cliff Ellis (177) for the most in Tigers history. He’ll now get a chance to add to that total for another half decade, and with a transfer portal class ranked inside the top 30 there’s little reason to doubt his ability to keep succeeding in the modern era.

Clemson star Chase Hunter announces decision on NBA Draft

Clemson guard Chase Hunter has withdrawn from the NBA Draft and will return for a sixth and final season with the Tigers.

Clemson guard Chase Hunter will forego the NBA Draft and return to Clemson.

The Tigers’ star announced in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Wednesday that he had withdrawn from the 2024 NBA Draft to return for a sixth and final season under coach Brad Brownell.

Wednesday marked the deadline for college players to withdraw from the NBA Draft.

Brownell had said earlier this month that he was optimistic about Hunter possibly returning for a sixth season with the Tigers.

“He worked out for an NBA team this week,” Brownell said back on May 9. “I’m excited for him to be able to do some of those things. I was so happy to watch him play at the level that he did in the NCAA Tournament. He was tremendous.”

An Atlanta native, Hunter started all 36 games for the Tigers a season ago. He averaged 12.9 points per game to go with 3.2 assists and 2.6 rebounds. He shot 42.4 percent from the field.

Hunter made a national name for himself in the NCAA Tournament. He scored a season-high 21 points in the Tigers’ first-round victory over New Mexico before posting 20 in the team’s upset of No. 3 seed Baylor in the second round.

Hunter added 18 points in Clemson’s upset of No. 2 seed Arizona to help the program to its first Elite Eight appearance since 1980.

In the Tigers’ four NCAA Tournament games, Hunter averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds.

 

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Brad Brownell ‘optimistic’ Clemson star Chase Hunter will return for another season

Brad Brownell on the possibility of Chase Hunter returning for another season.

Could Clemson men’s basketball star Chase Hunter return to Clemson for one more season? 

While Hunter has declared for the 2024 NBA draft, according to head coach Brad Brownell, he is ‘optimistic’ Hunter will return for one more season. Even with his name in the mix for the draft, he has retained his eligibility for one more season.

“I’m optimistic Chase will come back. He worked out for an NBA team this week,” Brownell said. “I’m excited for him to be able to do some of those things, I was so happy to watch him play at the level that he did in the NCAA Tournament. He was tremendous.”

Hunter was phenomenal for the Tigers this past season, especially in the tournament as they made their run to the Elite 8. He earned West All-Region Team honors as the Tigers’ clear top performer in March Madness. During the regular season, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 0.5 steals per game, while adding in 0.3 blocks per game.

Fans hope he opts to stay for another run with the program.

Clemson to play in college basketball’s 2024 Sunshine Slam

Clemson Basketball: The Clemson Tigers are one of four men’s basketball teams that were announced would play in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in-season tournament in Daytona, Florida for the 2024-25 season.

Clemson basketball is headed to the Sunshine State as part of its non-conference schedule.

The Tigers are one of four teams that will appear in the 2024 Sunshine Slam in Daytona, Fla. They’ll join Penn State from the Big Ten, Fordham from the Atlantic 10, and San Francisco from the West Coast Conference as part of the in-season tournament.

At least four other schools are expected to participate in the tournament.

Official dates and matchups will be announced later. The news was first reported by The Clemson Insider and confirmed in a social media post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by college basketball analyst Jon Rothstein.

Clemson is coming off its most successful season in recent history. Coach Brad Brownell’s team defeated New Mexico, No. 3 seed Baylor, and No. 2 seed Arizona to reach the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, part of a 24-win season.

Among the three other schools mentioned in Wednesday’s announcement, San Francisco had the best 2023-24 season. The Dons were 23-11 overall and 11-5 in league play to finish third in the West Coast Conference. That included an impressive 14-2 mark at home.

Penn State is coming off a 16-17 season. The Nittany Lions finished 11th in the final Big Ten standings. Their best wins were a 90-89 victory over Illinois on February 21 and an 87-83 win over Wisconsin on January 16.

Fordham went 13-20 last season and 6-12 in the Atlantic 10.

Florida State defeated Colorado to win last season’s Sunshine Slam. The Seminoles were one of eight teams to participate in the tournament, which began in early November.

Brad Brownell believes ‘There’s a chance’ Chase Hunter returns to Clemson for another season

Could Chase Hunter return for another season?

Could Clemson return one of their best players for another season with the Tigers?

According to Clemson head coach Brad Brownell, this is a real possibility. Recently appearing on  Road Rage with Walt Deptula on The Roar, Brownell discussed Hunter’s upcoming decision and whether he could return to Clemson.

“There’s no question he needs to put his name through the process and see what kind of feedback he gets. We’ll see what that is, support him in whatever he decides,” Brownell said.

“I do think there’s a chance he comes back because we do have NIL and because this is a great place and if you’re not going to get drafted, you don’t necessarily have to just go do that and we’ll see.”

Hunter was phenomenal for the Tigers this past season, especially in the tournament as they made their run to the Elite 8. He earned West All-Region Team honors, as the Tigers’ clear top performer in March Madness. During the regular season, he averaged 13.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 0.5 steals per game, while adding in 0.3 blocks per game.

If Hunter returns to Clemson for one more year, the Tigers could be once again a dangerous dark horse.

Where Clemson ranks in way-too-early men’s college basketball Top 25 for 2024-25

NCAA Basketball: The Clemson Tigers placed in the top 15 of USA TODAY Sports’ way-too-early rankings for the 2024-25 men’s basketball season.

It’s been less than 24 hours since UConn was crowned as national champions for the second straight year after a resounding 75-60 win over Purdue at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Who knows what the college basketball landscape will look like in a few weeks, let alone in a few months? The transfer portal changes by the day, if not by the hour. See: Arizona’s Oumar Ballo, Wisconsin’s AJ Storr and Florida Atlantic’s Johnell Davis, just to name a few.

The coaching carousel has also yet to stop after former Kentucky coach John Calipari took the college sports world by storm when he bolted the Bluegrass State for SEC rival Arkansas.

There’s also players that could turn pro, as well as those that could opt in for a fifth college season by using their COVID-19 waiver. That includes Clemson’s PJ Hall and Chase Hunter.

Lots of (basket)balls are still up in the air, but that never stops sports minds from thinking far in advance. To that end, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, and Eddie Timanus have put together their way-too-early Top 25 rankings for the 2024-25 college basketball season.

In those rankings, Clemson checks in at No. 13 following the team’s run to the Elite Eight. The Tigers had their best season to date under coach Brad Brownell, beating New Mexico, Baylor and Arizona to reach the West Regional final of the NCAA Tournament against Alabama.

Per Myerberg, Smith and Timanus:

“A repeat of the Tigers’ journey to the Elite Eight will be a challenge, but a number of the key players could be back if they choose to use their extra year. That group includes standout postman P.J. Hall, as well as guard Chase Hunter and reserve forward Jack Clark. Joseph Girard III is gone, but Ian Schieffelin, voted the ACC’s most improved player in 2023-24, is also slated to return.”

Clark recently entered the transfer portal but could opt to return to Clemson if he doesn’t find a better fit to his liking.

The Tigers’ non-conference schedule is a long way from being set, but their ACC schedule was announced in late February. Clemson will host Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and conference newcomers Cal and Stanford at Littlejohn Coliseum in 2024-25.

The Tigers will travel to NC State, Virginia, Miami, Louisville, Pitt, Boston College, and SMU for road games. They’ll also face three schools at both home and away: Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

Clemson guard enters the transfer portal

After a historic run, a Clemson guard entered the transfer portal.

Brad Brownell and the Clemson men’s basketball team’s dream run in the NCAA Tournament came to an end in the Elite 8 with a loss to Alabama, and with the season behind them, the offseason begins.

Like football, the transfer portal has become an even more integral part of college basketball. When the season concludes, players fly into the transfer portal as they look for perceived greener pastures.

Clemson is no different than others, with a Tigers’ guard entering the portal. According to reports, sophomore guard Josh Beadle has entered the transfer portal.

Participating in 32 games this past season, Beadle averaged 10.8 minutes per game, scoring 3.0 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He shot 47.3 percent from the field, 68.8 percent from the free-throw line, and 14.3% from the three-point line. In two seasons with the program, he averaged 2.6 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game, averaging 11.8 minutes in 65 games.

Joseph Girard on transfers considering Clemson: ‘Do it for me. This place has been unbelievable’

Girard has a message for all transfers out there in college basketball.

The Clemson men’s basketball team landed a massive piece when they got Joseph Girard III in the transfer portal and we saw how well he fit into the program as he helped the Tigers reach their first Elite 8 since 1980.

Girard was a massive piece for Clemson this season, after spending four seasons at Syracuse. The Tigers needed help at guard and Girard was just that. His impact was tremendous and showed exactly what the right transfer can do for a team.

Following the Tigers Elite 8 loss to Alabama, Girard discussed what transferring to Clemson has meant to him. The star guard also made a pitch to all transfers out there in men’s college basketball.

“Do it. For me, this place has been unbelievable. And it all goes back to the culture, really, and that’s what was attractive to me. The people at Clemson are great. I think I said that, like, the first week I got there. There was cookies at my apartment day from some random person that I still don’t know who it was to this day,” Girard said.

“Clemson is just an unbelievable place. There’s unbelievable people. They obviously developed their players and they win a lot of basketball games. Anyone looking forward to living in a great place, playing with great people, playing for great people, and doing great things should go to Clemson.”

While the transfer portals have a lot of negatives that we’ve seen clear as day, Girard’s situation was not one of them. He helped Clemson build something special this season.