Virginia Tech’s Mike Young Calls Clemson’s Roster Rebuild a ‘Masterclass’

The No. 20 Clemson Tigers fell short to a hard-nosed Virginia Tech team on Wednesday, ending their four-game winning streak fresh off a near week-long west coast trip that saw them take down ACC foes Stanford and California.

The 76-66 loss was certainly not the outcome the team wanted, especially heading into possibly the biggest ACC matchup all year against Duke. However, Tigers head coach Brad Brownell received high praise from Virginia Tech’s Mike Young following the contest.

The longtime head coach was asked about the construction of Brownell’s roster and how successful they’ve been with a team full of almost entirely new faces. In response, he had a simple yet commendable answer.

“I think it’s a masterclass,” Young stated. “None of us are immune to it. Pardon me if I miss somebody, but I think he only brought back Dillon [Hunter] and [Ace Buckner].”

He began by going over the returners — which he did miss one in redshirt freshman Dallas Thomas — mentioning Hunter and Buckner.

The backcourt duo of the returners has been a monumental piece to the successful season the Tigers have been having, as Buckner dropped 16 points off the bench in the home loss. Hunter, on the other hand, has been a do-it-all guy for the Tigers all season, averaging 7.8 points, four rebounds, a team-high three assists and one steal per game on efficient shooting splits.

Young then shifted his focus to the impact of Clemson’s offseason additions through the transfer portal, emphasizing just how impressive the roster turnaround has been in such a short amount of time.

“And for what he did now to get Godfrey back was huge,” Young continued. “But [Carter Welling] and Nick Davidson — [Jake Wahlin] is a good player. Jestin Porter has helped their team. It’s a masterclass.”

Brownell brought in six players through the transfer portal this offseason, headlined by the return of R.J. Godfrey, who came back to Clemson after spending one season at Georgia.

Of those additions, four have quickly become the backbone of the Tigers’ production. Godfrey, Welling, Porter and Davidson currently lead the team in scoring while also setting the tone defensively.

Even just going off last night — while it was in limited action due to suffering an ankle sprain — Welling had the best performance of the night, putting up 19 points, six rebounds and three blocks.

Davidson also got to his spots off the bench, recording 16 points, three rebounds and one steal in 26 minutes off the bench.

Together, the group has developed strong chemistry in a remarkably short time, a testament to both their buy-in and Brownell’s ability to assemble and integrate a nearly brand-new roster into a cohesive, competitive unit.

That rapid turnaround, however, wasn’t something everyone anticipated during the early stages of the roster rebuild. Young noted that there were doubts about Clemson’s outlook in the summer and fall as the new pieces were still learning to play together and build chemistry.

“And I had a couple of people say, ‘Hey, listen, we saw Clemson in the summer and in the fall, and we didn’t think they looked very good.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’ve heard that before. I know that guy down there blowing the whistle. He’ll get them right,” Young finished. “Now, here we are, and they’re ranked nationally, justifiably so, and on their way to another NCAA tournament.”

Currently sitting at a 20-5 overall record and 10-2 in ACC play — tied for second with Virginia — the Tigers have positioned themselves among the top teams in the league standings as the postseason picture begins to take shape.

With one of the biggest conference tests of the season looming against the Blue Devils on Saturday, Clemson now has the opportunity to prove just how far Brownell’s rebuilt roster has come.