Clemson baseball: The class act that is Monte Lee and his message to recruits

Clemson Athletic Director Graham Neff made a tough decision and Monte Lee shows why.

When news broke that Clemson baseball coach Monte Lee would not return for the 2023 season I thought it was the right decision.

Not an easy decision, but the right one.  The once proud program that regularly appeared in Omaha hasn’t seen Nebraska since 2010 and in recent years hasn’t made it out of regionals, whether in Clemson or on the road, had it’s first losing season in over 60 years, failed to make the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons and barely made the ACC Tournament this year.

The fall has been steep and alarming.

All that said, I was a supporter of Coach Lee’s hiring and was of his biggest fans and that hasn’t changed since the announcement.

If anything I’m a bigger fan now and wish him success in his next stop, wherever that may be.

A lifetime ago I was let go from a job that I didn’t particularly succeed at despite being handpicked for the position.  I did all right, but more was expected. It was framed as a reduction in force (RIF), but I knew the truth.  I hadn’t lived up to the expectations that were placed upon me on hiring.

I was aware of this, “read the room”, knew what was coming and dealt with it as a professional when it happened.  The VP even told a room of other executives that I had “dealt with this more professionally” than anyone in her career.

I didn’t bash anybody on the way out, be it other executives, my management or coworkers.  I politely thanked them for the opportunity, told everyone I would be fine and looked to learn from the experience.

It’s obvious Lee was in a similar frame of mind after his time at Clemson came to an end.

"“Everyone has been A-plus and it’s been a dream come true,” Lee said. “It’s a very, very tough day but it’s also a day of reflection and appreciation and one of gratitude for the opportunity I got here at Clemson.”"

Lee said it much more eloquently than I ever did, but the sentiment is the same.  Be self-aware, take responsibility, learn from your mistakes and move on.

"“I’m a 100% accountable guy. That’s the way I coach my team. I don’t place blame anywhere. You have to look at the man in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Did I do everything that I could do?’ If I fail doing the best job like I could do, I have to be able to live with it. I’m proud of the things I was able to do at Clemson. Certainly disappointed that we did not fulfill some of the expectations that we had.”"

There’s something else you should know about Monte Lee

As a Clemson fan there’s one other thing you should know about Monte Lee.

I’ve heard from someone I trust that Monte called all of the current Clemson commitments and encouraged them to stay committed to Clemson.

Whether they do or don’t is up to them, but nothing else needs to be said about the man Monte Lee is, the class act that represented Clemson for the last seven years.