The State of the Clemson Tigers Basketball Program
If you don’t learn from the past you are doomed to repeat it. Clemson hasn’t learned from the past few years and the program will continue to be recognized by fast starts and March collapses. Since the players continue to change, but the results don’t, I will be focusing strictly on Oliver Purnell’s coaching and recruiting.
Oliver Purnell has his flaws, just like lots of other coaches. So why are other coaches able to win games in March and Oliver isn’t?
Flaw 1: Clemson doesn’t run an offense. They play street ball. When they are in their half court set they call it "motion". But if everybody just stands around and nobody sets a meaningful screen, you cannot call it motion with a straight face. Clemson doesn’t have elite athletes at every position (more on this later) or guys that can shoot the lights out. They need a disciplined offense to score consistently. I’d recommend some sort of wheel or flex cut offense interspersed with a legitimate motion offense. They should set hard screens with players coming off tight (shoulder to shoulder) cuts toward the basket in order to try to get as many easy baskets as possible. Clemson doesn’t have guys to break their opponents down off the dribble, so they should use screens to get to the basket.
Flaw 2: He also struggles as a game manager. Clemson’s players have come out of a timeout 2 games in a row down by 6 with under a minute to go, and did not foul right away. This is inexplicable. I’d love to know what they talk about in their timeouts.
Flaw 3: Where is the motivation and urgency from the players. Purnell has two players (Potter and T. Booker) who’s body language is so poor it comes across as if they don’t care. Clemson is notorious for coming out lethargic in games that are on the road or a neutral site. The coach has to find a way to get his guys fired up, or get new players in the game that do care. If you can’t get fired up to play in the NCAAT, you shouldn’t be playing basketball.
Flaw 4: Personnel. Clemson does well recruiting. But are they recruiting players that fit their system? I don’t believe so. If you just watched Clemson lose to Missouri you can see why. Clemson wants to play an uptempo game. They want to press you and create turnovers that lead to easy baskets. This is how they attempt to make up for their lack of a half court offense. In order to play this style you need to have elite athletes at all positions. Quick guards, athletic wings, and versatile big men are key. I’d say that Clemson has quick guards with Stitt and Young. I also believe they have versatile big men with both Bookers and Grant. The gaping hole is with their wings. Smith and Potter are below average athletes for playing the 2 and 3 positions in the ACC. And as much as I liked KC Rivers, he was not an elite athlete for a wing player in the ACC either. Until Clemson recruits ACC-caliber athletes at each position, they will struggle to play the up and down game they so desire.
This was evident against Missouri. Missouri loves to play a fast paced game and they have the athletes to do it. They turn other teams over more than any other team in the country. And what do they do with these turnovers? They convert them into easy points. Missouri didn’t beat Clemson with their half court offense. They beat them by turning them over and shooting layups.
These 4 flaws lead to an inconsistent team. Inconsistent teams will find ways to win games in October, but will also find ways to lose them in March. Clemson has gotten the program to the point where 1st round flameouts should no longer be accepted. Changes need to be made or else Clemson will find itself in more 7-10, 6-11 games in the NCAAT, and more 1st round exits.
These opinions are not necessarily those of the Proprietors of Shakin' The Southland.
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I'm Frustrated
I agree with everything that’s been posted. I’ll also say that I don’t believe OP and the staff are adept at developing the talent. In part, this can be attributed to OP’s inexplicable reluctance to pull Potter and Tanner out of the starting lineup. Sometimes I sit back and wonder if Potter and Tanner have something on OP and he’s being blackmailed into playing them. Milton Jennings and Noel Johnson both have a ton of talent, and it seems like neither guy has improved much this season. Milton’s problem is mental I think which is something that I expected OP and the staff to work on throughout the course of the season. The kid is a 5star Rivals guy and he plays scared. I wish I could have been on the couch in the living room when OP made his home visit to the kid. I’d like to know what OP is selling because I’m not convinced he knows what he’s selling.
OP has been a great upgrade from Shyatt and brought us back to relevance, but he’s no spring chicken and for someone to have 25 years of coaching experience and to have never won a single tourney game is mediocrity at best. We’re becoming the school that’s known as a team that always folds down the stretch and can’t play on the road. How much more time are we going to give him? Does anyone seriously think its going to be different in the next few years? OP will continue to recruit, represent the university well and lose in the first round. I’m sick of it and I wish we’d go out and get some up and coming young coach like a Josh Pastner or a Brad Stevens and move on.
The players have to (at least appear to) care a little bit about what is going on for this thing to work. Our excitement level is extremely disapointing.
Clemson Sports Analysis and Insight
www.shakinthesouthland.com
I do not blame the players at all.
When Clemson falters so greatly, so quickly, you have to blame the coach. Plain and simple. We had no leadership going into the 2nd half. None. No one stepped up to lead this team and get their head on straight.
Why would Oliver Purnell wait until the game is out of reach to start calling timeouts and coaching his team? Inexcusable. When you see your team start to falter and choke, you call them to the sidelines and you pull their head out of their collective asses. We will never win the ACC, nor will we ever reach the final 4 until we change the man that is coaching the team.
Our team was not prepared to face the enemy, plain and simple. When they are not prepared to face the enemy, what do you expect will happen?
That game today was a pain to watch. I’m so glad it’s over.
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
I would rather be awful... than mediocre
I can’t handle many more OP years. He’s winning games in the new watered down ACC where you dont have to play home/away with every team. We’re not awful, but is that really better ?
Larry Shyatt was SO bad.. you knew that change was coming.. he wasn’t meeting expectations. Sadly, i fear that the feedback OP will get from the administration is “job well done.. you went over 500 in the ACC and made it to the tourney.”
I live in Cincinnati, OH. Xavier won their 1st round game today with a rookie head coach (Chris Mack was Dino Gaudio’s assistant at Wake) XU lost 3 starters, Sean Miller leaves for Arizona.. and all they do is reload with another chance to get into the sweet 16. It takes Mack 1 year to accomplish something that OP may never do….. win when it matters. That what kills me.. there are YOUNG coaches out there that can pull us out of this fog of mediocrity.. and our genius A.D. sticks with a loser.
I would quit watching bball completely if we were as incompetent as we were under Shyatt
Those teams were unbearable to watch. I do agree that the administration MUST demand results. These demands can be made nicely by offering incentives and demanding that a baseline be met (or consequences are forthcoming).
Clemson Sports Analysis and Insight
www.shakinthesouthland.com
What i mean is....
If we were awful for 2-3 years… we would know that change was coming because we would all be able to agree that expectations were not being met. As fans, we expect this team to be ready to play when it counts.. and zero wins in March makes me want to shoot myself in the head. I think we all fear that our lovely AD (who hung on with Tommy B for quite a long time) may be thrilled with the results of the past 3 years.. and that scares the Ba jesus out of me.
I think it's funny how we (FSU) and you guys are having very similar conversations
by Randall W. Spetman on Mar 20, 2010 12:14 AM EDT reply actions
Both teams are very similar
Way too much talent to be losing to mediocre teams in the tourney. FSU probably has more talent, but it is poorly developed talent.
Not to say that it is just the tourney though.
Both these teams look inept at times throughout the season and lose to teams the should never lose to.
Basketball
Clemson has been to NCAA’s 3 straight yrs. Lot’s of teams can’t say that. Everybody has a right to want and expect more; but, there is something to be said for making it to the tournament. I like OP. To win at a higher level you need great players. How do you get them? Probably takes something that would get you in trouble. To get the lottery type player, someone probably has to bring the cash.
Well if it goes to 96 teams, there wont be anything to it anymore
I dont think people are being unreasonable to expect Clemson to be able to run some semblance of an offense. We have NEVER had a good half-court offense with OP. Sometimes its been passable but its never been good.
And I see high school teams that set screens better than Clemson does. If he cant teach them how to screen, I don’t know what he can do.
I dont think OP should be fired now. However if I see Clemson play lackadaisically next year and have no better mental toughness, I’ll turn against him too.
So, you're saying you have to cheat to win...
Funny.. there are 32 teams that won the last couple of days. They include —
Funny.. there are 32 teams that won the last couple of days. They include —Cornell, Ohio U, Murray st, Old Dominion, and St Marys. ALL of them played better teams than Mizzou.
Funny.. there are 32 teams that won the last couple of days. They include —Cornell, Ohio U, Murray st, Old Dominion, and St Marys. ALL of them played better teams than Mizzou.The fact is OP is a really nice guy that does coaches for cancer, works in the community, and will never step over the NCAA’s rules for recruting. He has always run clean programs.
Funny.. there are 32 teams that won the last couple of days. They include —Cornell, Ohio U, Murray st, Old Dominion, and St Marys. ALL of them played better teams than Mizzou.The fact is OP is a really nice guy that does coaches for cancer, works in the community, and will never step over the NCAA’s rules for recruting. He has always run clean programs.Sadly, he can’t coach. The players that he recruits have shown limited development over their 4 years. Look at David Potter.. he was the same kid in his last game.. and he was in his first.
Funny.. there are 32 teams that won the last couple of days. They include —Cornell, Ohio U, Murray st, Old Dominion, and St Marys. ALL of them played better teams than Mizzou.The fact is OP is a really nice guy that does coaches for cancer, works in the community, and will never step over the NCAA’s rules for recruting. He has always run clean programs.Sadly, he can’t coach. The players that he recruits have shown limited development over their 4 years. Look at David Potter.. he was the same kid in his last game.. and he was in his first.OP will NEVER get 5 star talent.. so in order to win.. he has to develop the kind of kids that he can recruit.. and he has shown ZERO ability to do so.
Funny.. there are 32 teams that won the last couple of days. They include —Cornell, Ohio U, Murray st, Old Dominion, and St Marys. ALL of them played better teams than Mizzou.The fact is OP is a really nice guy that does coaches for cancer, works in the community, and will never step over the NCAA’s rules for recruting. He has always run clean programs.Sadly, he can’t coach. The players that he recruits have shown limited development over their 4 years. Look at David Potter.. he was the same kid in his last game.. and he was in his first.OP will NEVER get 5 star talent.. so in order to win.. he has to develop the kind of kids that he can recruit.. and he has shown ZERO ability to do so.It doesnt take CASH.. it takes leadership and the ability to get the most out of the kids you’ve got to win in the big dance
ACC teams winning in the big dance since OP arrived in Clemson
Since OP got on campus, every single ACC team has won a game in the tourney EXCEPT clemson and FSU. That’s probably why those are the 2 groups of fans that are really pissed off right now. Here are the records of current ACC schools in the big dance since OP started.
nc 20-3
duke 11-6
ga tech 7-3
bc 5-5
Wake 4-4
nc st 4-3
maryland 3-2
uva 1-1
va tech 1-1
miami 1-1
fsu 0-1
clemson 0-3

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