Clemson Basketball Expected to Hire New Assistant Coach Following Staff Departures

This offseason is just a week old, but Clemson Basketball isn't wasting any time, as the Tigers are expected to add to head coach Brad Brownell's coaching staff following multiple departures.

On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that Charleston assistant coach Chris Harriman is expected to join the Clemson Tigers coaching staff, as first reported by CBS Sports' Matt Norlander.

Charleston assistant Chris Harriman is joining Brad Brownell’s staff at Clemson, source tells CBS Sports. Harriman, a highly regarded coach, spent two seasons with Chris Mack and previously worked at the high-major level at Cal and Nebraska for seven combined seasons.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 26, 2026

The longtime coach has over two decades of experience at the collegiate level, and was now-South Florida head coach Chris Mack's first hire when he decided to take the head coaching job with the Cougars in 2024. Harriman's previous stops at the high-major level include four years at Cal and three years at Nebraska. He's also had stints with Saint Louis and New Mexico, where he was an associate head coach from 2015-2019.

Now, he'll look to bring experience to a Clemson program navigating three significant departures from Brownell's staff this season.

The first staffer to move on from the Tigers was associate head coach Billy Donlon, who opted to fill the head coaching role at Eastern Michigan after four successful seasons in upstate South Carolina. He's been coaching at the collegiate level for over 25 years, including nine seasons as a head coach — six at Wright State from 2010-2016 and three at Kansas City from 2019-2022.

Welcome to 𝓨𝓹𝓼𝓲𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓽𝓲‼️

We’ve hired 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗻 🚨

MORE: https://t.co/1KpNiDk4KT pic.twitter.com/JLFfF38jk2
— Eastern Michigan Men's Basketball (@EMU_MBB) March 17, 2026

In what was the best four-year stretch in program history, Donlon helped guide the Tigers to 98 wins — the most in four years — and three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight run in 2023-24.

Along the way, he primarily worked with Clemson's backcourt, most notably with 2025 All-ACC First Team honoree Chase Hunter, Jaeden Zackery — who earned a spot on the 2025 ACC All-Defensive Team in his lone season with the program — and Joseph Girard III, who broke Clemson's single-season three-point record by draining 105 threes at a 41% clip.

In addition to guard play, he was heavily involved on defense, which has been the name of the game for the Tigers in recent years. In 2024, Clemson allowed just 64.8 points per game (No. 28 nationally, No. 2 in ACC), and had a similar finish this past season, allowing 66.7 points per game (No. 26 nationally, No. 2 in ACC).

Following Donlon's decision to move on from Clemson, longtime assistant coach Dick Bender decided to retire from coaching after 40 years in the industry. Bender served 14 years on Brownell's staff in multiple roles, including the last 10 as an assistant coach.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for our program, Coach Bender! Your dedication, integrity and impact go far beyond the court. Enjoy your well-earned retirement.

📰: https://t.co/2jKr2KHghu pic.twitter.com/j3aWhl0EfL
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) March 25, 2026

In his time with the Tigers, Bender has worked with the offensive scheme and post players, working closely with multiple-time All-ACC forward P.J. Hall — who's now with the Charlotte Hornets on a two-way contract — 2023 ACC Most Improved Player Ian Schieffelin and stretch big Viktor Lakhin in recent years.

However, Bender wasn't the only staffer to retire as Jeff Reynolds, who was apart of the support staff as Brownell's special assistant, also retired after nearly 40 years in the coaching business. From what we've heard, this is likely who Harriman will end up replacing entering next season.

The only assistant expected to return next season is Sean Dixon, who will enter his fifth season in that role in 2026.