Clemson basketball update: Brownell on Hunter injury, expanded March Madness thoughts |
Grayson Mann
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- Monday, March 03 2025
March is here.
Clemson has two games remaining on its ACC schedule before the conference tournament tips off on March 11th. Brad Brownell and the Tigers have secured one of the coveted double-byes, and have a chance to do more should Duke or Louisville drop a game this week. Brownell addressed the media in his ACC coaches call Monday morning, updating Chase Hunter’s injury status, what makes this defense click, and his thoughts on an expanded field for March Madness. *On Chase Hunter’s injury progression Brownell noted following a win over Notre Dame last week that Hunter was nursing a calf injury that he suffered in practice, and was able to provide a relatively positive update surrounding his All-ACC guard’s status. “It's better,” Brownell said. “I'll find out today where he is. He had treatment yesterday and I do think it's heading in the right direction. It certainly is just one of those things that is bothersome. We've got to monitor it a little bit. It wasn't anything super serious that he couldn't play, but it's something we got to keep an eye on. I'm optimistic he's going to be fine and playing our games this week, but again, I have not seen him today.” *On Del Jones impact off the bench With Hunter's injury mentioned above, the guard play has to shoulder more responsibility to close the regular season. In the win over the Fighting Irish, Jake Heidbreder totaled more minutes off the bench, and went 4-7 from beyond the arc in a decisive home victory. On Saturday’s victory over Virginia, it was Jones who made an impact. He added eight points in 20 minutes, flashing circus shots that make the former four-star an incredibly versatile piece that the Tigers can flash. Brownell alluded to his value on Monday morning, adding he plays with ferocity on the floor. “He's always been a guy that plays with ferocity and courage,” Brownell said. “I mean he doesn't play like a freshman who's afraid to make a mistake. He is getting more comfortable making all the different reads and understanding what it is that he's looking for when he has the ball in certain situations defensively. He's always been an aggressive guy, does a good job guarding the ball, and so it's all the other things, the off-ball defense and just learning the ways you handle different things. He's really grown as a player this year.” *On an expanded field for March Madness With the College Football Playoff continuing its expansion route, the idea has been floated of expanding the field of 68 to a larger number for the NCAA Tournament. Brownell provided his thoughts on that possibility, taking the mindset of a player who could accomplish a lifelong dream of playing in March Madness. “I would like to see it expand a little bit,” Brownell said. “I think it is what kids dream about and so many guys don't get to participate in March Madness. And the more I think that we can get that opportunity, I think it's one of the things guys who have talked about when they're 30, 40, and 50 with their kids and their kids are watching it and asking their Dad, did you get to do that? I don't like the answer being no for a lot of guys, and so I understand all the, that means more money and it's got to get divvied up, and all the things that go in it dilutes it. Everybody says, I understand that we've added more Division I teams. I think we could add a smaller amount and not take away from what is still a really special tournament.” *On what’s worked for Clemson amid a six-game winning streak It isn’t a secret that Clemson is rolling, and Brownell’s team has continued to win in different ways. He praised his team’s hunger and response following the triple overtime loss to Georgia Tech, adding that the diverse ways to secure victories has been a staple for this group. “Just the fact that they responded the way they have,” Brownell said. “We've had some really difficult games during that stretch, both at home and on the road. And our guys have just kind of played. We haven't really, it hasn't, doesn't matter where we play. I think our guys are playing to a good standard. We're an older group, so we seem hungry, committed, and excited and that part's been really fun and I don't know that there's anything particular. I think we've won different ways. That's why we're a good team. We scored a lot of balls inside against Virginia on Saturday. We've had games where we've made 13, 14 threes and won. We've won with our defense. So I think that's impressive about this year's team. We can win a bunch of different ways and have so this year.”
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