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Brad Brownell Wants to Take Clemson Basketball Where it has Never Been Before

Tigers’ head coach said, ‘I want to try to go to a Final Four here’

CLEMSON, S.C. — No one wants to succeed at Clemson more than Brad Brownell. In fact, the Clemson men’s basketball coach wants to take the program to a place it has never been – the Final Four.

But getting to the Final Four is the goal, not the expectation at Clemson. The expectation is becoming a program that consistently makes the NCAA Tournament while competing at a high level in the ACC.

“I get it. Everything is measured by the tournament. That is fine. That is our expectation, make the tournament,” Brownell said Wednesday. “That is what we are trying to do, and we are getting to the point where we need to get in there and we need to do even more. We need to get more Sweet Sixteens and Final Fours and those kinds of things. We can do that here.”

Last month, new Clemson athletic director Graham Neff sent IPTAY donors a letter explaining what his expectations for the men’s program are and what he wants to see going forward. In the letter, Neff explained the 2021-’22 season did not meet those expectations.

The Tigers finished the year by winning five of their last six games. However, that made them just 17-16 overall and 8-12 in the ACC, good enough for 10th place.

“Yes, I hear it loud and clear from Graham. I agree with it,” Brownell said. “I want to be as good as we can be. I am excited to hear that we are getting more and more resources for basketball and support and (other) things.

“We are not going to shy away from expectations. Again, I want to try to go to a Final Four here.”

Brownell feels Clemson is close to reaching Neff’s expectations than they probably realize.

In the last five years, Clemson has played in two NCAA Tournaments. Advanced to the Sweet 16 in one of those runs and has the seventh best record in the ACC during that time.

“There are some names behind us in the league that our bigger named schools,” he said. “That speaks to the consistency of the way that the kids in our program compete, fight and try to get the most out of our ability and our talent.

“We don’t give in. Hey, we all wish we were doing better, and we need to do better. There is another level we are aspiring to get to. I think we are closer than some people think.”

Though Tigers are trying to reach that next level, Brownell hopes people appreciate what they have been able to do to this point, especially when you consider the program did not have adequate facilities or other advantages needed during the first seven years of his tenure.

In fact, while Littlejohn was being renovated, the basketball program had no home for 22 months. They shared the facilities at the Jervey Athletic Complex with the volleyball team, the men’s and women’s soccer teams, track and field teams and the women’s basketball team.

They had to practice at Jervey Gym during that time and played their home games at Greenville’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena, which is a 55-minute bus ride from Clemson.

“We did not have a building,” Brownell said. “It is pretty hard to recruit. ‘We can’t show you anything but here is a rendering. Do you believe us?’ We were over there with the dance team, volleyball team, the women’s team, our team. Sharing lockers and stuff with the soccer team.

“Those were some tough years to have some really good teams. Guys could not come in and shoot whenever they want. There were some disadvantages that happened the first seven years. And I get it, but we got to this point. I have helped raise a lot of money in this program and create a lot of interest to help us have some of the facilities and things that we did not have when I first got here. And I am really proud of that, and I do not think that has been said enough by a lot of people.”