Despite starting the season strong, the Clemson Tigers have dropped four of the last five games to start the new year. The Tigers were previously ranked as the No. 16 team in the nation, but due to their current skid, they have fallen out of the top 25 rankings. Since their first loss on Jan. 3, Clemson’s star players have been taking the team’s lack of success especially hard.
“I have not been fun to be around,” guard Joseph Girard III said of his attitude off the court during the team’s recent performances.
Girard, a fifth-year transfer from Syracuse, has been one of the most crucial players for Clemson this season, averaging 15.2 points. He has been accredited for much of the team’s success when they are on a winning streak, but more recently, that credit has turned to blame for the team’s poor play.
“I am the biggest sore loser there is,” he said following Clemson’s win over Boston College last week.
After their victory over the Eagles, the Tigers were hopeful to return to their winning ways; however, with another heartbreaking loss to Georgia Tech, marking just their second defeat at home this season, the team remains at a defining point in the season.
“They all really care. They all really want to win,” head coach Brad Brownell said regarding Chase Hunter, PJ Hall and Girard’s attitude toward the game.
The team’s big three have a passionate, competitive spirit that carries onto the rest of the squad, and they all hope to lead Clemson to a deep tournament run once March comes around.
“It’s a part of it, 100 percent a part of it,” center PJ Hall said.
Any team will have rough patches in a given season, and the entire unit holds the same belief: they will work their way out of it together. Girard has the same attitude for how the team should play their best basketball that he has had all season.
“After a loss (or) after a win, we just got to look to the next one,” Girard said.
Clemson will look to do this as they travel to Florida State to take on the Seminoles this Saturday, Jan. 20, at 4 p.m. in another conference matchup.
