By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

SUNSET — Brad Brownell is always excited to play golf, especially at The Reserve on Lake Keowee in Sunset, S.C. But as excited as Clemson’s third-year coach was to play golf as part of his annual media golf outing Wednesday, he was even more thrilled to talk about his 2012-’13 basketball team.

As Brownell described it, he has a “very young group” that is comprised of 12 freshmen and sophomores with only two seniors – forwards Milton Jennings and Devin Booker.

“I think our younger guys are very eager and excited,” Brownell said. “They have a lot of enthusiasm for the upcoming year, and I’m hopeful and optimistic that our older guys are going to have a big season.”

The Tigers, who finished last year 16-15 overall and 8-8 in the ACC, will need Jennings and Booker to play like seasoned veterans if the they hope to make it back to the NCAA Tournament after seeing a four-year streak in the Big Dance end last year.

“They have certainly paid their dues and kind of bided their time a little bit in going through the program in different levels,” Brownell said. “It is now their turn to be the primary focus of the team and I think they have prepared well for it.

“I’m excited to see them do well and have a good senior season.”

One of the areas Jennings and Booker will have to pick up their games is as scores. Clemson’s top two scorers from a year ago – Andre Young and Tanner Smith – have both moved on to play professional basketball in Europe, taking with them nearly 25 points and seven assists per game. Young was also the team’s best shooter the last two years as he led the Tigers in three-pointers as well as making 41.6 percent of his shots from the field.

Smith was Clemson’s best passer the last two seasons.

“It’s not something you wish for,” Brownell said. “You always wish you have a couple of returning scorers back. That is something we all worry about is scoring the basketball. Certainly, this has been the case in my tenure here that every year we are starting over a little bit with scoring and it is not going to be any different this year.

“It is a little different in nature. My first year, we had a perimeter player and a post player. We had really good balance and Jerai (Grant) emerged into that situation. Last year, we had Andre and Tanner. They were our two most experienced and confident players and now this year, it is two post players.

“But Milton and Book have really had to wait their turn at times,” Brownell continued. “They have gone through the full gamut of not starting to being reserves and then finally getting to start and being productive players. They have had some really good games at times, but might not have been consistent as we would’ve all liked. But I feel good about where they all are. I know they have had really good summers and a good start to the fall. I know how excited they are about their senior season and I hope it really goes well or them.”

Though Booker and Jennings are expected to pick up the slack in the frontcourt, Brownell will have to find someone to fill in for Smith and Young in the backcourt. Brownell was hoping Devin Coleman would be one of those guys, but he tore his tore achilles over the summer and is likely to have a medical redshirt this season.

That leaves Clemson with Rod Hall, K.J. McDaniels and T.J. Sapp as the most experienced players at the two guard spots. The three combined to score 11 points per game last year and then hit the proverbial freshman wall halfway through the season.

Brownell is also expecting freshmen Adonis Filer and Jordan Roper to come in and contribute as well as Brigham Young transfer Damarcus Harrison.

“I think it will be a little bit by committee in terms of the point guard spot,” Brownell said. “Really all three guys—Rob Hall, Adonis Filer and Jordan Roper—will give us great competition at that position. To be honest with you, probably all three will play at times.

“In the short time we have been together so far, I don’t know if either one has emerged as a guy who is head and shoulders above the other. I think they all bring different things. Rod understands what we are trying to do and has a little more college experience and has a college-ready body. Adonis is physically ready to play and is a very good on-ball defender and Jordan is better I think then the other two at making baskets. He is really clever and he is really thin and slight. He has done a good job to put on at least seven or eight pounds since he got here. But, he does find ways to make baskets at times.”

And that should make things a little more exciting than some will expect, especially if Clemson can find another scorer to take the pressure off Jennings and Booker in the post.