Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
CLEMSON — Clemson’s Brad Brownell, like every coach in the college ranks, has to strike a balance in recruiting. Brownell wants to sign and develop high school recruits to anchor his roster, fostering a culture that carries from year to year. An overemphasis on transfer additions not only risks program stability but also steals scholarships from prep prospects. At the same time, coaches have to win. Refusing to mine the transfer portal for talent could mean rejection on Selection Sunday, and fading in relevance on the recruiting trail. As Brownell enters a new season, it’s clear he made every effort to boost program momentum. His roster features six transfers, plus four true freshmen, a potent potpourri of talent that will need to mesh into Brownell’s third straight NCAA tournament squad. That’s the immediate challenge. But the Tigers’ coach also finds himself considering what it will take to win next year, and the year after that. He’s been exceptionally willing to evolve in the transfer portal era, but how does Brownell feel about European pros now flocking to America for revenue-sharing dollars? What about G Leaguers who are following suit and stepping back into the “amateur” ranks? “The part that I'm really struggling with, though, is we're just taking away from high school recruiting with all of this,” Brownell said. “We have 21-year-old international freshmen, now we're going to have 21-year-old G League (sophomores and juniors) … those are all opportunities that are not going to high school players. “Everybody's pushing every boundary that they possibly can. This is the next one.” But if everyone else is pushing, Brownell can’t hold back. “You gotta do what you gotta do to be competitive,” he added. “So it's something we'll look at, certainly.” That much was confirmed this week when the recruiting site On3 reported Clemson had been in contact with ex-G League guard TJ Clark. This just wouldn’t have been allowed in previous years, but NCAA rules have been blurred ever since college started paying athletes name, image, and likeness (NIL) dollars. There was less of an argument to ban overseas pros, just because they were paid to play. Then, G League Ignite guard Thierry Darlan committed to Santa Clara in September, and his teammate, London Johnson, just pledged to Louisville last week. Johnson’s commitment prompted some of the sport’s top coaches to cry foul. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo said it was “embarrassing” that scholarships meant for high school recruits were going to ex-pros. Houston’s Kelvin Sampson said the NCAA’s ruling had made a “mockery” of college basketball. Matt Painter, a friend of Brownell, said he was “at a loss for words.” “These coaches, they want to win. They want to keep their job. They want to grow it,” Painter said, “but are you going to do it with 19- to 20-year-olds or 22- to 23-year-olds?” Brownell wants to build through the high school ranks as much as he can, and it’s possible he has two freshmen, guard Zac Foster and forward Chase Thompson, who could factor heavily in the Tigers’ rotations this year. But he has assured he won’t have to lean on them too heavily. Butta Johnson (UAB) and Jestin Porter (Middle Tennessee) were brought in to help bridge from Chase Hunter and Jaeden Zackery to Foster. Clemson will have Nick Davidson (Nevada), Carter Welling (Utah Valley), and RJ Godfrey (Georgia) in the paint, along with Jake Wahlin (Utah) on the wing. Not just Thompson. “They have to earn their playing time,” Brownell said of Foster and Thompson, adding that it’s about “production” at the college level. “But they've been able to do that so far, so I don't see any reason why they won't play a lot.” Brownell thinks his roster will keep the scorer’s table busy, because 10 or 11 players could be subbing in and out constantly. It might take time to develop chemistry, but Brownell believes he has a team equipped to play meaningful basketball in March. The ACC could be a gauntlet, though. Partially because of the pros entering the fray. Virginia has a 7-foot freshman, 20-year-old Johann Grünloh, who played for RASTA Vechta of the Basketball Bundesliga in Germany, and 6-9 Thijs De Ridder, a 22-year-old freshman who played for Liga ACB in Spain. Louisville has stocked its backcourt with transfers, including Ryan Conwell (Xavier) and Isaac McKneely, but has also added Vangelis Zougris, a 6-8 forward who played for Peristeri Athens in the Greek Basketball League. “A lot of those guys, they've been in real life basketball experiences,” Brownell said, “where some of our guys have just been in regular high schools. And it's different.” That said, Brownell likes the background of a Thompson, a 6-8, 228-pound former high school quarterback, because he’s competitive. Now that he’s focusing on just one sport, he can max out his potential. He likes the makeup of 6-10 freshman Trent Steinour, who would be playing if not for a sprained ankle, and his potential as a late-bloomer. Brownell doesn’t love the idea of recruiting 21-year-old freshmen from Europe or the G League, but he’s adapted before with the transfer portal. He might have to adjust again. “It makes it hard to play with 18-year-olds,” Brownell said, “unless your 18-year-olds are probably (NBA) one-and-dones. That part of it bothers me a little bit.” NOVEMBER 3—New Hampshire, 7 p.m.; 7—Gardner-Webb, 7 p.m.; 11—Morehead State, 7 p.m.; 15—at Georgetown, 12 p.m.; 17—North Alabama, 9 p.m.; 21—West Virginia#, 6:30 p.m.; 23—Georgia or Xavier#, TBD; 28—Alabama A&M, 7 p.m. DECEMBER 3—at Alabama, 7 p.m.; 9—BYU+, 6:30 p.m.; 13—Mercer, 3 p.m.; 16—South Carolina, 7 p.m.; 21—Cincinnati=, 3 p.m.; 31—Syracuse*, 2 p.m. JANUARY 3—at Pittsburgh*, 12 p.m.; 7—SMU*, 9 p.m.; 10—at Notre Dame*, 6 p.m.; 13—Boston College*, 7 p.m.; 17—Miami*, 2:15 p.m.; 20—N.C. State*, 7 p.m.; 24—at Georgia Tech*, 12 p.m.; 31—Pittsburgh*, 12 p.m.
