Clemson No Longer a Football School, Brownell Getting an Extension
By: will-vandervort May 9, 2024

CLEMSON — In the last six years, only 24 schools in men’s college basketball have played in two Sweet 16s and an Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson is one of those 24 schools. Keep in mind, more than 350 schools play Division I men’s college basketball. Also, the Tigers are one of five ACC schools that reached such a status.

“I think somehow there is a narrative that needs to change a little bit with our program,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said.

What is that narrative?

The narrative is Clemson is a football school and cannot win in men’s college basketball. That is something that has been used against Brownell and the Clemson Basketball program for years, and he pointed out Wednesday that is not the case anymore.

Brownell described the commitment Clemson has made to his program and to him. So much so, Clemson athletic director Graham Neff and Brownell are in the middle of contract negotiations.

“We are currently in talks, and I am excited about that and hope to get something done quickly,” Brownell said. “There has been a lot going on, on both sides over the course of the last two months, maybe the last month.”

A new deal is well-deserved for Brownell.

Clemson became the first team this past year to win three games as an underdog in the NCAA Tournament since 1985. This year’s Elite 8 run is just the second in the program’s history.

For the first time in school history, Clemson beat four Associated Press Top 25 teams on the road in one season. The Tigers also set a single-season-record with 12 wins away from Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Tigers .625 ACC win percentage over the last two years is the best conference win percentage in the program’s history.

It does not end there, the Tigers’ 47 wins since the start of the 2022-’23 campaign is the most wins by the program in a two-year stretch. Clemson won 23 games in 2023, and then 24 games this past season.

“We have done well. We have talked about being top five in the league in wins over a seven-year period. We are winning consistently,” Brownell said. “We now have had some tournament success to go with it and so I do think that needs to be talked about a little bit more.”

A limited number of signed footballs from Clemson’s 2022 class are still available.  Get yours while supplies last!  Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!