Clemson hoops headed in right direction, despite disappointing end to season

Friday night’s heartbreaking loss to Rutgers was without a doubt a tough way for Clemson’s season to come to an end.

But it’s still a season that should be celebrated, not viewed as a disappointment.

Clemson was picked to finish 10th in the league. It finished fifth. The Tigers made the NCAA Tournament for the second time in four years, went 10-6 in the league and improved to 39-33 in the ACC over the past four seasons.

In a league that is widely considered to be the best basketball conference in the country most years, Clemson’s 39 wins are tied for sixth over that stretch.

“We’re on the up and up,” senior guard Clyde Trapp said following Friday night’s loss. “It’s proven. We’ve won these tough games. We’ve beaten the top of the top. Clemson basketball isn’t the bottom of the ACC. We’ve been trying to fight for that respect all four years that I’ve been here.”

Shortly after the 60-56 loss, some fans took to social media to make their feelings known about the program and head coach Brad Brownell.

There were calls for Brownell to be fired and for a new coach to be brought in.

While it’s just a small portion of the fanbase that is on Twitter, it’s also the portion of the fanbase that players interact with the most. Negative comments being made about Brownell is nothing new, and it’s something his players notice.

“Coaches are human, too. Just like we read things on Twitter, coach Brownell can read things on Twitter,” Trapp said. “I know that he’s seen it, and he knows that we know he sees it. And the best thing for us to do is just be there and let him know that we support him just as much as he supports us.”

Now isn’t the time for a change. Not after overcoming a pair of COVID pauses to earn a 7 seed in the Big Dance. Clemson beat eight tournament teams during the regular season, including SEC champ Alabama.

Clemson signed the No. 20 recruiting class nationally last year, led by the top player in the state in P.J. Hall. The Tigers return three starters and seven players who averaged 10+ minutes per game.

“I’m proud of our program. I’m proud of what our program stands for. And it’s that way because we have really good kids, we recruit good kids, and these kids give us everything they have,” Brownell said.

“Unfortunately it didn’t end the way that we wanted it to, but when it’s all said and done they’re going to be proud of what they accomplished this season.”

Critics have compared Brownell’s tenure to that of former football coach Tommy Bowden. Clemson hit the jackpot hiring Dabo Swinney after Bowden was let go, and sure, if you were guaranteed to win a national championship with the next coach, you’d make a move.

That’s far from the case.

Winning is hard and winning in the NCAA Tournament is even harder.

No. 2 seed Ohio State, 4 seed Purdue, 5 seed Tennessee, 6 seed San Diego State and national power North Carolina all lost on the opening day of the tourney.

Other top programs — Duke, Kentucky and Indiana — aren’t even in the Big Dance this year. In fact, Indiana hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in five years. The Hoosiers fired a guy who made the Sweet 16 three times in six years to hire one who made the tourney zero times in five years. Now IU is looking for a new coach again.

Despite Friday night’s loss, Clemson has been one of the most consistent teams in the ACC over the past four years. Clemson, Virginia, Florida State, N.C. State and Duke are the only ACC teams with at least 9 wins every season over that stretch.

Take a step back, look at the big picture, strive for more but also understand that the program is in a good spot.