Clemson Basketball: Can Clemson Dance In March Consistently?

Can Clemson basketball dance in March consistently? Clemson is traditionally considered to be a football school, but that doesn’t mean other sports haven’t seen success, both historically and recently. Baseball has been popular and successful for decades, so much so that 2021’s losing season was a shock to the system.

The men’s soccer team just won a National Championship. The softball team won a regular season ACC championship in their second season and first full season overall. The fan support for the new program has already convinced the athletic department to expand McWhorter Stadium.

Clemson has found success in many sports, but basketball continues to struggle. The women have seen some early success under Coach Amanda Butler, and there is hope that she can continue to guide the team in the right direction. Many Clemson fans have lost that confidence in men’s team coach Brad Brownell. Coach Brownell just completed his twelfth season as the leader of the Tigers, and they were unable to reach the NCAA tournament for the ninth time in his tenure.

While the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it wasn’t likely that Clemson would qualify for the NCAA Tournament, and debatable whether they would have been selected to the NIT or another postseason tournament. Overall, Brownell has failed to reach postseason play in half of his seasons.

Many believe that the historic success, or lack thereof, of the men’s basketball team suggests that fans shouldn’t be overly harsh of a coach like Brownell. He has an overall winning record, only one losing season, and is the all-time leader in wins at Clemson. Their argument is that Clemson is not an easy job, and a program in their position should be satisfied with a hit rate on the NCAA tournament of once out of every four years, which is exactly what Brownell has achieved.

Looking at Clemson’s history indicates we shouldn’t be so quick to assume the program can’t qualify for the NCAA tournament with more consistency. This is a quick recap Clemson’s head coaches since the Tigers first qualified for the tournament.

Bill Foster 1975 – 1983, Tournament appearances: 1 (1979) – 11%, Postseason appearances: 4 – 44%

Cliff Ellis 1984 – 1993, Tournament appearances: 3 (1986, 1988, 1989) – 30%, Postseason appearances: 8 – 80%

Rick Barnes 1994 – 1997, Tournament appearances: 3 (1995, 1996, 1997) – 75%, Postseason appearances: 4 – 100%

Larry Shyatt 1998 – 2002, Tournament appearances: 0 – 0%, Postseason appearances: 1 – 20%

Oliver Purnell 2003 – 2009, Tournament appearances: 3 (2007, 2008, 2009) – 43%, Postseason appearances: 6 – 86%

Brad Brownell 2010 – Present, Tournament appearances: 3 (2010, 2017, 2020) – 25%, Postseason appearances: 6 – 50%

Bill Foster led Clemson to their first NCAA tournament in the 1980. The tournament featured 48 teams that year. Foster led the Tigers to the Elite Eight, the only time in Clemson’s history. After that, four separate Clemson head coaches led the Tigers to three NCAA tournament appearances each. Both Brownell and Cliff Ellis led the Tigers at various times during their tenures, with only one back-to-back appearance between them (Ellis in ’89 & ’90).

Rick Barnes and Oliver Purnell were able to lead the Tigers to three consecutive appearances each. Barnes failed to make the tournament in his first season but led them to the tournament every season after that during his tenure. Purnell needed more time to rebuild the program, qualifying for the tournament for the first time in his fifth season, but likewise was selected the next two seasons as well.

The success Barnes and Purnell found with the Tigers led both to leave Clemson for jobs at other schools, so we don’t know exactly how long they would have sustained that success before failing to qualify. What we do see from their records is that it is possible for the right coach to build the men’s team to the point where they are invited to the NCAA tournament and maintain them at that level for at least a few seasons, something Brownell has yet to achieve.

Most of Brownell’s supporters do point to the difficulties he has faced during his tenure, such as playing home games in Greenville while Littlejohn Coliseum was being renovated and the challenges presented by the new reality of the transfer portal.

It should also be noted that Brownell’s Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2018 ties him for the deepest run by a Clemson head coach since Foster. That includes Barnes, who only advanced out of the first round once. Purnell never won a game in the tournament during his career, even in his other opportunities at Dayton and Old Dominion.

There are also many fans who were frustrated by Barnes and Purnell leaving for other opportunities as soon as they found success. Those fans wanted a coach who would be loyal and stay with the Clemson program, even if it meant the team didn’t see consistent success year over year, which is exactly what Brownell has delivered.

Others counter that while successful coaches may leave for opportunities they value more, it is up to the athletic director to hire the right person to continue the program’s success. They failed in that regard with Shyatt, and the wisdom of the Brownell hire is in question.

After twelve seasons, the sting of Purnell’s exit has subsided for many. Many wouldn’t mind a coach that uses Clemson as a stepping stone if he were to bring a few years of sustained achievement to the program. Basketball may not be the first love of most Clemson fans, but their patience eventually wears thin.

If Brownell can’t point Clemson in the right direction to go dancing in the 2023 tournament, odds are that the Tigers will be looking for a new leader for their men’s basketball program.