Clemson men’s basketball head coach Brad Brownell believes the Tigers have grown and bonded this offseason and have the versatility to compete at a high level.
Speaking to the media on Oct. 25, Brownell was high on several of his players, including sixth-year guard Brevin Galloway, who the Tigers brought over through the transfer portal.
Brownell believes the new group of guys will bring a lot to the team, especially Galloway, through his shooting and strength.
“He’s a good player,” Brownell said. “I think where he’s going to be really valuable for us is in the heat of battle, like when we’re on the road in ACC environments. He’s been there. He’s done it… You got a proven guy that has made shots in big games, so he’ll help us a lot that way.”
In Clemson’s exhibition game against Benedict on Wednesday, Galloway had seven points, three rebounds and two assists in just over 15 minutes of play.
As far as the haul of true freshmen goes, Brownell is excited to see how they play and highlighted the size and strength the young group already has. He also believes that true freshmen RJ Godfrey and Dillion Hunter will see the court soon in the season.
Furthermore, the idea that true freshman Chauncey Wiggins plays early isn’t out of the window.
“There’s a chance. I mean, he’s 6-foot-10. He’s just big and long,” Brownell said of Wiggins. “There are days he does things that other guys can’t do because he’s 6-foot-10. I mean, he can shoot over top of people. He can make threes.”
Turning to the veterans of the group, fourth-year guard Chase Hunter turned a lot of heads toward the end of the 2021-22 season after having back-to-back 20-point games in February. 
“I think he’s on point to have a good year,” Brownell said of Hunter. “He’s playing with a lot of confidence. He can play all over the place. I just like where he is right now.”
Hunter impressed Brownell in the exhibition win over Benedict, scoring 11 points and recording three assists as a starter.
A huge piece of Clemson’s success last season was forward/center PJ Hall. At this point, a timetable for Hall is not set in stone, but there is a chance he will return sometime before the end of the calendar year as he recovers from a knee injury.
“We’re optimistic he’ll play at some point in November, but I don’t know when,” Brownell said of Hall. “He’s done a good job and made some progress.”
Brownell added that Hall is working well on the side through conditioning and is ahead of schedule, according to the doctors.
Clemson will kick off its 2022-2023 regular season on Nov. 7, when they host The Citadel at 7 p.m.