With the news that Clemson has poached former Wright State head coach Brad Brownell to leads its basketball team, SB Nation’s Clemson blog, Shakin’ The Southland, takes a closer look at his previous record and coaching tendencies. The verdict? While Brownell’s schemes may not be a huge adjustment for the Tigers, the team may have to get used to playing at a much, much more pedestrian pace than the one they were used to under the full-court pressing Purnell. From Shakin’ The Southland:
Brad Brownell: Just Who Is Clemson’s New Basketball Coach?
[Brownell’s] at least a decent recruiter (2010 class with 4 guys rated 80 or higher by ESPN) , with more ties in the Ohio area than in NC, and they play decent defense (61st Def. Eff by Kenpom), but they play a half-court game and very slow tempo (316th). His teams really take the air out of the ball, but play with discipline and hustle. Those are two things I would like to see out of our current players.
He’s young, and is known as a pretty good X’s and O’s coach, and if he brought in the right staffers to recruit into Atlanta I think I would support this hire by TDP. He runs a 3-2 motion set with man/man defense and a bit of 2-3 zone to mix it up. He runs his 3-2 with the PF/C in the high post, perfect for Milton Jennings. Damien Leonard would fit his offense perfectly as well. I doubt his scheme would be a huge adjustment for our players and we could possibly win immediately with it.
Clemson fans, no strangers to first-round NCAA tournament exits under Oliver Purnell, must be at least a little worried, however, that Brownell has never advanced to the round of 32 (in three tries) himself. Plus ça change...
See More:
