College Basketball is right around the corner, with Clemson’s men’s basketball team playing their first game against Anderson University Wednesday, Oct. 30 in LittleJohn Coliseum. After finishing No. 8 in the ACC with a 20-14 overall record and missing the NCAA tournament last year, the Tigers look to improve this season.
It is no easy task to win in the ACC, as it is the most competitive conference in the country, with teams like Duke, Virginia and North Carolina always finishing at the top of the conference. It is important to note that those teams are not just the best in the ACC, but they are also the best in the country. After all, they were all awarded No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament last year and Virginia won the whole thing.
Clemson was inconstant last year. At various points in the season they showed great potential, like when they almost beat UNC. However, they did not play with enough discipline, nor did they finish games strong enough. Not making the big dance was disappointing. It is safe to say that fans were not too pleased with Clemson’s performance last year, including some people calling for Head Coach, Brad Brownell, to be fired. However, players rallied around their coach and defended him by taking accountability for their own mistakes.
The Tigers lost four of their starters from last year, Marcquise Reed, Elijah Thomas, Shelton Mitchell and David Skara, leaving just one returning starter, Aamir Simms. Starting all 34 games, averaging 8.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and one assist per game, Simms proved to play a vital role on the Tigers team this year.
Coach Brownell says that Simms is “a vocal leader and plays with confidence. We think he’s in for a big year.” In addition to Aamir Simms, Clyde Trapp, Hunter Tyson and Trey Jemison are also important returning players who can expect to play a bigger role this season.
Although they still have talent, losing those key players means losing 74 percent of the Tigers’ scoring offense. Over the offseason, Coach Brownell searched to fill the hole that the team was left with. Al-Amir Dawes and Chase hunter are two notable freshman additions. Both are talented guards; Dawes being a four-star recruit and Chase being a three-star recruit. The Tigers also added four transfers, two of which being graduate students, Tevin Mack and Curran Scott, giving Clemson some more experience on a relatively young team. Mack started his college career at Texas, where he was one of their best players. However, he was suspended indefinitely because he violated an unspecified team rule. From there, he transferred to Alabama, and now to Clemson. Although he adds talent to Clemson’s offense, he may be a risk for behavioral issues.
In the offseason, Clemson won the gold medal at the World University Games in Italy. Assistant Coach Dick Bender said “The team bonding that was established in Italy was huge and we feel like we’ve already accomplished something as a team, which is huge. Team unity is a strength going into the season.” Being in sync and trusting one another, is an important component in any team sport, but it certainly is not everything.
It is very unlikely that the Tigers will finish in the top five of their conference, and the preseason poll has Clemson predicted to finish at No. 9 in the ACC. However, the Tigers do have a chance to finish at No. 6 and beat out some ACC teams like Florida State, Virginia Tech and Syracuse.
This is a rebuilding season for Clemson, so it is hard to know exactly how all of the new players will perform. Fans hope at the very least for the Tigers to get an invite to the NCAA tournament this year. This is a very attainable goal for the Tigers. Nonetheless, the road will not be easy and at the end of the season, Clemson will likely be right on the bubble between an invite or not.
It all starts next week on Oct. 30, at home, against Anderson University.
