Brad Brownell admits he was too hard on PJ Hall in Round of 32 vs. Baylor
The Clemson Tigers are on their way to the Sweet Sixteen after taking down the West Region’s No. 3 seed, the Baylor Bears, 72-64. While there was plenty to celebrate in the Tigers camp, head coach Brad Brownell had to take a moment after the victory to address his handling of the Tigers’ star big P.J. Hall.
After their victory over the Big 12 power, Brownell addressed what it was like coaching Hall that game and lamented how he handled one of his favorite players.
“Hard. I love PJ Hall. He’s one of my all-time favorites. To be honest with you, I was too hard on him today. And I didn’t help him play as well as he can play,” said Brownell.
“I’ve been very demanding with him throughout his career. We have a very special relationship. He felt bad that he didn’t play well in these two games. But, I mean, he’s a superstar. He’s a superstar player. He’s been the face of our program for the last couple of years. And he’s one of the kids, a top 50, 60 recruit who stayed home to play for his home-state school. That hasn’t been popular in my time here. It’s been hard for South Carolina and Clemson to get kids to do that.”
Hall had a rough night against the Bears, struggling mightily both offensively and defensively. The Tigers’ senior center finished the contest 4-11 and field goal attempts, missing his only three-point attempt on the night to finish the game with 11 points. Hall also had three rebounds and one assist but would foul out of the game, with Clemson nursing a 66-64 lead with 37 seconds remaining in the contest.
Fortunately, Baylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter stunned everybody in attendance. The +80 percent free-throw shooter missed two attempts from the charity stripe, allowing the Tigers to maintain their narrow two-point lead. Still, Brownell is not a fan of how he handled the situation and understands there was more to it than just Hall struggling on his own accord.
“So he’s one of my all-time favorites. Always will be. So it was hard,” he continued. “And I felt bad that he wasn’t playing up to his level. But the way the game was going, that’s basketball. There was tough calls. And obviously the play where Jack had the rebound and had it stolen.
“It’s hard to hang onto these leads. It’s hard to hang onto the lead against New Mexico when you’ve got 30 minutes to go and you’re up 15. Every team is really good. They’re well-coached. Guys that can make shots and they put pressure on you and you’re trying to foul. It’s not easy to finish off games. However, you gotta do it — for us it was a guy off the bench who is not a great free-throw shooter by the stats.
“Two months ago, two and a half months ago I told one of our assistant coaches in a staff meeting, I want him in the gym every day for 20, 30 minutes for extra shooting, more extra shooting. He’s been doing it. So all that hard work paid off for RJ today. Again, sometimes the basketball gods smile at you, and today was one of those days for us.”
Clemson now heads to Los Angeles where it will take on the West Region’s No. 2 seed, the Arizona Wildcats. That matchup will take place Thursday, March 28, at the Crypto.com Arena, home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:09 p.m ET.