Tag: Brad Brownell

Gibson details commitment with TCI: Clemson ‘made me feel like I was at home’

Chauncey Gibson wanted to feel like he was at home. He found that at Clemson. It’s why the Kimball (TX.) product didn’t leave Tiger Town without offering a verbal pledge, making him the second Chauncey to join Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class. Gibson …

Chauncey Gibson wanted to feel like he was at home.

He found that at Clemson.

It’s why the Kimball (TX.) product didn’t leave Tiger Town without offering a verbal pledge, making him the second Chauncey to join Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class.

Gibson detailed his decision with The Clemson Insider on Sunday night.

“When I was down there and by the end of the visit, they made me feel like I was at home,” he told TCI. “The players, they treated me well, they made me feel like I was already a player on the team. I only hung out with five of them, but all five of them made me feel at home. 

“The coaches made me feel at home. They told me some stuff that any player would love to hear, going to the next level. That played a big role. I really think they’re going to help me get to the next level.”

Gibson told Clemson’s coaching staff at Breakfast Saturday morning that he would be committing to the Tigers over schools like SMU, Texas Tech and Old Dominon.

Their reaction?

“They was happy. They was real happy, especially Coach Brownell,” Gibson said. “He was happy.”

Gibson’s recruitment was spearheaded by both assistant coach Antonio Reynolds Dean and director of recruiting Lucas McKay. Though, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell played a significant role throughout and during Gibson’s official visit.

What part of Clemson’s recruiting pitch resonated the most with Gibson?

“The way they was coming at me,” he said. “They came at me pretty hard. They came at me. They called every day, probably twice a day. They called every day, so that played a big part in it. I feel like I was a priority. I feel like they needed me and wanted me and I felt like I needed them and wanted to be there.”

Even though he’s been committed for just two days now, it means a lot to Gibson that Clemson continues to reach out every day and check in on him. That goes a long way.

While it was ultimately Gibson’s decision, his parents felt the same way about Clemson. That family feeling was apparent as soon he walked into the Littlejohn Coliseum. Everybody welcomed him with warm and open arms.

“When I walked in the arena, I was so amazed,” he said. “I was amazed. And then, when we went into breaking down what role I would be playing here, I was amazed that I would have to play a big role like that. I would think I would just come in being a shooter. They want me to come in and fill big shoes, facilitate the offense, knock down open shots. So, they want me to come in and be an all-around player. I gotta get stronger. I gotta get faster. I gotta get quicker. I gotta get more mentally smart. I’m in it to work. We gotta get the job done.”

Gibson touched on the role that Clemson envisions for him, but he provided some more details.

“I gotta come in,” he added. “I know one thing I gotta defend, be ready to defend 94-feet. Another thing they told me I gotta do, is really, I gotta rebound. That’s really it. Any coach wants a leader, but they want me to come in, lead the team. They’re gonna tell me what I do wrong and I gotta be coachable and everything.”

When Gibson was leaving to return home to Texas, fellow Class of 2022 commit Chauncey Wiggins was coming in. The four-star pledge, who was a major addition from Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), thrives playing along the wing and can play either the 3 or 4 positions for the Tigers.

“We talked on the phone,” Gibson said. “We linked up on the phone and everything. Two Chauncey’s. It’s already gonna be a problem with us two and the people that are already there? Yeah, it’s gonna be a problem. And then, we’re trying to get Ven-Allen [Lubin]. If we get Ven-Allen? Oh, yes.”

Gibson has already talked with Lubin a couple of times since Saturday. 

“I’ve told him that this is the place for him,” Gibson said. “This is where he needs to be. No other place!”

While he now puts on his recruiting cap as he tries to work Lubin, Gibson is quite happy he pushed back his own commitment date.

It allowed him to see what Clemson was all about and it certainly impacted his decision.

He couldn’t be happier to be a Tiger.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Podcast: Brownell joins pod to talk Clemson football, preview upcoming season

Clemson men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell joins the pod to talk some Clemson Football, as well as give Levon Kirkland and myself a hard time about our Pittsburgh Steelers. Brownell also gives a preview of what to expect from his Tigers this …

Clemson men’s basketball coach Brad Brownell joins the pod to talk some Clemson Football, as well as give Levon Kirkland and myself a hard time about our Pittsburgh Steelers.

Brownell also gives a preview of what to expect from his Tigers this coming season. The Clemson Insider’s Davis Potter drops by for his weekly interview, as he updates the pod on all of the injuries, and if he thinks the Tigers can pull it together in time to win a seventh straight ACC Championship.

Levon and myself also give out our top 10 teams in college football and more.

You can download and listen to today’s podcast here (LINK), or listen to it and download it where you listen to all of your podcasts at either Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify.

Priority 4-star recruit feels he can make ‘a major impact’ at Clemson

The Clemson Insider checked in with a four-star priority recruit who was on campus this past weekend. Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep four-star power forward Ven Allen-Lubin took in an official visit as he begins to narrow down his recruitment, which …

The Clemson Insider checked in with a four-star priority recruit who was on campus this past weekend.

Orlando (Fla.) Christian Prep four-star power forward Ven Allen-Lubin took in an official visit as he begins to narrow down his recruitment, which has been spearheaded by Clemson assistant coach Antonio Reynolds Dean and head coach Brad Brownell.

“My visit to Clemson was great. It was good to experience the atmosphere and the culture they’ve built since Coach Brownell got there,” he told TCI. “They just committed to what they do well at that school, in the classroom, and on the court. Their fanbase is crazy. Everyone is supportive, everybody’s loving, everybody cares for one another. That’s what I like about having that family environment that they have at their school. Just something I really enjoyed was actually spending time with my family over at Clemson. We also got to see what they also had to offer on the visit, so it was really cool. It was really dope.”

As TCI previously reported, Lubin was on hand for Clemson’s 19-13 win over Boston College at Memorial Stadium this past Saturday. He was taken up to the top of the hill with the high-priority football recruits and got to see one of the best traditions in college football.

“It was an amazing experience,” he said. “I honestly was clueless at the moment, what was gonna happen, what was the situation, but then seeing them coming down the hill, the fans getting loud and energy was just building. It never slacked since the beginning.”

He’s similar to some players who have had success in a Clemson uniform like Jaron Blossomgame, Aamir Simms and Donte Grantham.

“For sure,” Lubin said when asked if he feels like he can make an immediate impact at Clemson. “If I were to make my decision and go to Clemson, I feel like the way they develop their guys at my position and the history they have behind it; a way to develop guys, the skills they need to improve on and just their strengths and just continue getting better. And then, they have a higher chance of making an impact at their school and also going so far in life with their basketball career. I feel like I can trust them with that to where they can build my weakness to where they can be considered strengths and I feel like they can make me very successful in life.”

What was it about Lubin’s visit that stuck out the most?

“That family culture. That’s something that I was really looking for in college,” he said. “That family environment, somewhere that I can feel safe and be me and feel like I could really call it home. I feel like I can really call it home because wherever everybody cares about me, I feel like they’re gonna be my next family, like my Clemson family. They really supported me on that and that was kind of a big thing that stuck out because they also treat the other players like that. I feel like if I were to come to the school, I feel like I would be loved, respected and cared for.”

Lubin’s family was left impressed as well. What stuck out to them was the academic portion of the visit, which will certainly play a huge role in his eventual decision.

“I would say mainly the way the school’s run,” he said. “My parents are really big on academics and their academics are really high. They have academic advisors, tutors and all that stuff to really help student-athletes to where you can be successful in the classroom and not ever fail. If you’re ever struggling you can always come to them. I just feel like they don’t have to worry about me failing class or being unsafe or anything about me that could actually harm me in the future just in that environment. That’s really something that stuck out to them.”

The state of Florida officially begins practice on Nov. 1. While Lubin doesn’t have an exact date in mind, he plans on making his decision sometime in mid-November, before the start of his senior season.

He’s narrowed his recruitment down to four teams: Clemson, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. By the end of next weekend, Lubin will have taken an official visit to all four schools and will begin to weigh his options.

Lubin originally had a top-7, which included Florida, Auburn and Alabama. He will not be taking an official visit to any of those programs, so they’re seemingly eliminated from contention.

“Just as the way since the beginning of my recruitment,” he said when asked how he envisions the remainder of his recruitment playing out. “Just lay back, trust the process and go through it. See the details of every school, what they have to offer and then make the comparisons of what school has what and just communicate that with my family. Sooner enough later, I’ll make my decision.”

What part of Clemson’s recruiting pitch resonated the most with Lubin?

“They don’t promise anything,” Lubin said. “They feel like I have a big opportunity to start for the team as a freshman. The opportunity is there for me, of course, it’s not going to be given, but it will be earned…I have the opportunity just to come out and make a major impact on that team.”

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

A closer look at Brownell’s contract extension

Clemson officially extended Brad Brownell’s contract Friday. And with it came a raise that will put him in the top half of the ACC when it comes to compensation for head men’s basketball coaches. Brownell’s original contract had three years …

Clemson officially extended Brad Brownell’s contract Friday. And with it came a raise that will put him in the top half of the ACC when it comes to compensation for head men’s basketball coaches.

Brownell’s original contract had three years remaining on it before the university’s Board of Trustees approved a two-year extension that will run it through the 2025-26 season.

“I want to thank (athletic director) Dan Radakovich, President Jim Clements and the Board of Trustees for continuing to support my leadership of our Clemson basketball program,” Brownell said in a statement.  “None of this would be possible without the outstanding young men I’ve coached and dedicated assistant coaches and staff who have worked alongside me the past 11 years. I am blessed to continue to coach at this great university. I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish both on and off the court and look forward to continuing our program’s upward trajectory.”

Brownell, who has led Clemson to two of the last three NCAA Tournaments, was initially set to make $2.2 million in total compensation for the upcoming season, but his base salary is increasing from $245,000 to $290,000 while his supplemental income is increasing from $1,655,000 to $1,785,000 for the upcoming season, according to a copy of the contract term sheet obtained by TCI through an open records request.

With personal licensing fees (a bump to $300,000 from $200,000) and a deferred payment of $225,000, Brownell’s total compensation for the 2021-22 season will be $2.6 million as part of his restructured contract. As for the remaining years of his new deal, his base salary will remain the same, but his supplemental income will jump to $1,935,000 for two years starting with the 2022-23 season before getting an even larger bump to $2,410,000 in the fourth year.

There’s no deferred payment after the first three years of the contract, but the other raises will bring Brownell’s total compensation to $3 million for the final two years. To put that in perspective, only four ACC head men’s basketball coaches made at least $3 million in total pay last season, according to USA Today’s coaching salaries database.

But the increases don’t stop there.

Like most coaches, Brownell has performance-related incentives built into his contract. Even the amount he can earn for achievements such as conference wins, postseason berths and teamwide academic success has gone up.

Previously, Brownell could earn as much as $150,000 for his team earning a top-4 seed in the ACC Tournament. That number would double if Clemson were to win the regular-season conference title. Winning the league tournament would now earn him a $200,000 bonus (up from $100,000) while making the NCAA Tournament would earn him $100,000 (up from $50,000). Between a berth and subsequent wins in the NCAA Tournament, Brownell can max out his tournament-related bonus earnings at $800,000 (up from $700,000).

National coach of the year honors from the Associated Press or the U.S. Basketball Writer’s Association would be good for $50,000 while being selected conference coach of the year would net a $25,000 bonus. An Academic Progress Rate score of at least 950 for Brownell’s team would earn him $25,000, and a National Invitation Tournament championship would net him $15,000.

Brownell is entering his 12th season at the helm. He’s Clemson’s all-time winningest men’s basketball coach with a 201-150 record.

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Hoops signee a big addition to Clemson’s roster

Clemson’s men’s basketball program is getting some additional frontcourt help for the upcoming season with the addition of Ben Middlebrooks, who signed with the Tigers on Wednesday. Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound center out of Westminster …

Clemson’s men’s basketball program is getting some additional frontcourt help for the upcoming season with the addition of Ben Middlebrooks, who signed with the Tigers on Wednesday.

Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound center out of Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was originally a 2022 prospect but has reclassified to 2021. Ranked a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, Middlebrooks averaged 20.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game last season.

“Ben is a skilled, versatile big who moves very well for his size and rebounds the ball at a high level,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said in a statement. “He has a high motor and excels because of his skill level and high basketball IQ. His passion for Clemson was evident throughout the recruiting process, and fans will see it in his play.”

Middlebrooks’ sister, Mackenzy, was a member of Clemson’s women’s tennis program before graduating earlier this year.