Clemson Basketball Head Coach Says Fans Will Notice Key Change For This Season

With previous Clemson Tiger teams known for being top-heavy with elite players, the team's head coach says that more players are earning minutes to begin the season.

Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell says that the men's basketball team will have more depth than ever before. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Over the last few years, Clemson men’s basketball has been known for players that have played long, gritty minutes that end up being the face of the program. 

However, that may not be the case for any player this season under head coach Brad Brownell, who says that his team’s depth will be much more than that of a season ago. 

Brownell spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the season’s start next Monday, when Clemson plays New Hampshire. The Tigers have played two games in the preseason, an exhibition against Presbyterian and a scrimmage at Charleston. 

In those two games, Brownell says there has been a change in guys used off the bench, not using guys for almost the entire game, which fans saw with guard Chase Hunter and Jaeden Zackery last season. 

Zac Foster, a freshman, played the most minutes for Clemson against the Blue Hose, recording only 23 minutes. Nine players played over 15 minutes.

“We’ve played two, an exhibition and a scrimmage,” he said. “I don’t know the most minutes anybody’s played, 23, 24. I know we’ve played 11 guys in double-figure minutes, and the guys have been productive.”

The team is completely different, with only guard Dillon Hunter as the returning player that played significant minutes for the Tigers. Unless counting RJ Godfrey, who spent his first two seasons at Clemson before a year at Georgia, counts, the minute share looks a lot different because there’s more value off the bench this season. 

Brownell says it's because of the team’s ability level. 

“I think we’re closer together in ability level, and so it’s hard to play that many minutes and consistently play with tremendous effort,” he said. “I think this year, the minutes will come down on the top-end guys and go up on the bottom-end guys, and we’ll still get that effort.”

With the fresh legs coming in and out of the game, Brownell believes that the team is a little faster as well. Because of that, the Clemson head coach will want to see more full-court presses to stifle offensive rhythm, being successful with other teams throughout his tenure. 

“I do think we have a chance to add some speed,” he said. “I think we have multiple guys that can guard the ball, especially in the full court.”

As the team prepares for a long season ahead, it could be beneficial that more guys can be used as the season goes on. It’s also more fun for fans, Brownell says, as more players are becoming prominent figures with the program. 

“There’s going to be a lot of substituting in and different lineups,” he said, “and I think it’s fun in a lot of ways for our fans because you’re going to get to see what guys can really do, and I think it’s a fun way to play.”

It’s not like everybody is getting minutes because of the drop of talent, everybody is deserving of minutes through how they are playing in practice. Even freshmen like Foster and Chase Thompson will be prominent names throughout the rotation, something that is uncommon for freshmen under Brownell’s system. 

As the Tigers gear up next Monday to host New Hampshire, look for Brownell’s squad to play faster and deeper than teams of old. 

“They’ve gotten things done to prove that they deserve to be out there, and so that part is different,” the Clemson head coach said. “The person at the table is going to be busy.”