Season Preview

Brad Brownell

4. Clemson


2010-2011 record: 22-12 (9-7 ACC)


Games against NCAA Tournament teams: 6
Best non-conference game: 12/10 at Arizona





Projected Starting Five:


F - Devin Booker (Junior)
F - Milton Jennings (Junior)
G - Tanner Smith (Senior)
G - T.J. Sapp (Freshman)
G - Andre Young (Senior)




The team that I was probably most surprised about when the ACC media preseason rankings came out was Clemson.  Coming off an NCAA Tournament berth, with most of their players back, Clemson was picked 7th.  I'm a believer in Brad Brownell and the Tigers, and think they are in for a good year.  I got the chance to see Clemson in person in the ACC Tournament last year, and was very impressed at how they competed despite not having the same level of talent as North Carolina.  Coach Brownell implemented his system, a big change from the pressing style of Oliver Purnell, and made it work.  The team peaked at just the right time.


So what will this year's team look like?  Expect a heavy dose of Devin Booker, who isn't the same player his brother Trevor was, but can fill up the stat sheet.  I expect Booker to blossom into a double figure scorer.  Milton Jennings has shown flashes of talent, and needs to show some consistency.  In the backcourt, Andre Young is the go-to guy.  He will get his points.  I'm sure Clemson fans want to see more from Tanner Smith this year.  His points per game went down last year, and he looked to be lost in the flow of the game at times.


Clemson has the opportunity to get off to one of their usual good starts.  They don't have a lot in the non-conference, outside of a trip to Arizona.  If the draw works out well, they could face some tough opponents in the Diamond Head Classic.  They have a great opportunity with home games early against Florida State and Duke to make a statement to the rest of the league.


I thought Clemson would take a step down once Oliver Purnell left, but they overachieved last year.  And I think with a second year under his belt, Coach Brownell will get the most out of his players and go the NCAA Tournament again this year.