Brad Brownell didn’t sign any four-star players or attract an instant-impact graduate transfer last week; he did even better.
Clemson’s basketball coach received commitments from guards Shelton Mitchell and Marcquise Reed that they’ll be returning for a final season of eligibility, which may rank as the biggest “recruiting” coup of Brownell’s tenure.
Their presence assures that Brownell’s ninth season has the potential to be as productive and rewarding as his eighth, when the Tigers exceeded expectations by winning 25 games and advancing to the Sweet 16 for just the third time in school history.
“That’s a huge deal for Clemson to get those experienced guards back,” said ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas. “When you can retain your most experienced players and leaders, it gives you a leg up on the rest of the league.”
Instead of undergoing a major overhaul, Brownell’s 2018-19 team now has the luxury of blending some younger talent – most notably Aamir Simms, Clyde Trapp and A.J. Oliver – into the fold while allowing incoming rookies such as John Newman and Trey Jamison to develop at a more leisurely and beneficial pace.
The Tigers also will have 6-foot-10, 230-pound big man Javan White, a graduate transfer from Oral Roberts, at their disposal.
Suddenly, instead of rebuilding it appears that Brownell is simply reloading, and that hasn’t been a common scenario around Tigertown in many a moon, if ever.
Paired with rising senior big man Elijah Thomas, who has been working diligently this offseason to enhance his game, Mitchell and Reed give Clemson a solid core of experienced veterans around which Brownell can build.
Both Mitchell and Reed recently dipped a toe in the NBA Draft water and rightfully decided it was too chilly for their tastes.
Both are gifted college talents, but NBA ready? No.
Still, they had options. Both players already have undergraduate degrees tucked into their gym bags, so they could have moved on, pursuing pro careers elsewhere or venturing down other career paths.
Instead, they have set their sights on going out with a bang while wearing Clemson uniforms for a final time.
“Be ready to ‘Rock the ’John’ come November,” Reed said on his Twitter account.
“Let’s make this 2018-2019 season something special. Let’s get it,” Mitchell added.
There’s plenty to get. And there’s no doubt that the return of Mitchell and Reed in the backcourt changes the complexion of the Tigers’ outlook.
“They are extremely talented players who play well together and should give us one of the better backcourts in the ACC,” Brownell said.
No question there. In fact, the Tigers’ backcourt will enter the season as the premier 1-2 tandem in the Atlantic Coast Conference and one of the best in the nation.
“I’d certainly put them up there,” Bilas said. “Those guys know what it takes. They’ve been through the ACC wars. I’ll take experienced good players over inexperienced talent any day.”
Bilas’s point is well taken. There will be several super-hyped, four- and five-star rookie guards patrolling the ACC’s hardcourts this fall, but for his money, Bilas will take fifth-year players such as Mitchell and Reed.
Bilas is convinced that their savvy and experience will be enough to keep Clemson among the top contenders in the ACC.
“Brad is a terrific coach and I’m a big fan of his,” said Bilas, who played at Duke. “It’s still really hard in that league, because you’ve got the entrenched powers, but Clemson is in a good position. I like what Brad is doing and the direction they’re headed.”
This much is certain: When the ACC preseason poll comes out in October, expect Clemson to be rated considerably higher than the 13th-place spot they were afforded last year.
