By Hale McGranahan.

Rod Hall was the fifth and final addition to Brad Brownell’s 2011 signing class. Three years later, he’s the only remaining piece.

T.J. Sapp was first to go. After one full season and part of a second, he took off for Murray State. Bernard Sullivan, the headliner of the class, transferred to Charlotte after two seasons at Clemson. Devin Coleman, who left midway through last year, will be eligible to play at Temple once this semester is over. K.J. McDaniels, of course, is preparing for his rookie campaign with the 76ers in the NBA.

Back in Clemson, Hall is entering his third season as the Tigers’ starting point guard. Coming out of Laney High School in Augusta, Georgia, Hall was a two-star prospect with offers from Nebraska, Coastal Carolina and Tennessee State.

In some regards, Hall was almost considered an afterthought when he signed with Clemson in the spring of his senior year. He’s been anything but during his first three seasons at Clemson. Over 98 career games (75 starts), Hall is averaging 6.6 points 2.9 assists. As a junior, he set career-high marks in scoring (9.7) and assists (3.9).

This summer, Hall received an invite to Chris Paul’s CP3 Elite Guard Camp.

“He did very well up there,” said Clemson assistant coach Steve Smith, “So I think he’s coming back with a boost of confidence in himself and I think he’s very confident in the team.”

The experience was worthwhile.

“(Paul) worked with us a lot. We did a lot of different drills with a couple of NBA coaches,” Hall said. “All the things we did, it was kind of new to me, but it was good. I worked at it and I got better at it.”

Hall hopes that his improvements will help drive Clemson to another postseason tournament.

“The NIT was very good. It didn’t finish how we wanted it to finish, but it was a good experience for us,” he said. “This being my last year, I’ve never been to the NCAA Tournament, so that’s what I’m trying to do.”

Hall added, “Last year, we talked about playing in March with the chance to advance and we did that. Even though it wasn’t the tournament we wanted to be in, we still met our goal.

“This year, we’re going to aim for the NCAA.”

Brownell and the Clemson staff will lean on Hall’s gritty play to make that push.

“Toughness is a skill and that’s something we try to identify in recruiting. How hard guys work, toughness, Rod has some toughness,” Smith said. “That’s his biggest thing. I think, just taking the next step and being more vocal. Guys respect him and guys follow him, but he’s got to be a little more vocal with those guys.”

Though Hall may not be the loudest guy in the locker room, he’s used to leading by example on the floor.

“Coach kind of put the ball in my hands in tough situations and I made plays, made things happen,” Hall said. “I think that’s going to give me a lot of momentum going into next year.”