Clemson is not known to recruit elite basketball talent. The Tigers’ run to the Elite Eight could change that.

Head coach Brad Brownell has coached this team for 14 years and built up the program to this point. There’s been criticism along the way, but building a team mixed with high school talent and veterans in the transfer portal, he’s managed to deliver a signature season.

Clemson landed the trio of Joseph Girard III, Jack Clark and Bas Leyte through the transfer portal. The latter’s season was ended by injury but the Tigers never have this run without the recruiting efforts of Brownell.

Brownell’s pride in the program is evident, and he wants recruits at any level to know that there’s nothing fake about the Clemson experience.

“There’s a lot of great salesmen in our business, a lot of guys that sell a lot of things that don’t end up being what they really are,” Brownell said. “I’m proud to say that what we talk about at Clemson is real and Joe Girard got to experience that. We just have tremendous people. We have great leadership. We have great administrative leadership. We have unbelievable athletic support. We have tremendous coaches.”

Following the Elite Eight loss to Alabama, Brownell went on to say how much Girard meant to the program. He averaged 15 points and evolved as a player on both ends. Brownell described him as “unbelievable to have” and that it’s a win-win relationship.

“I don’t know why you wouldn’t come here, to be honest with you. Like I always tell folks, at the end of the day, guys like Joe Girard, we’re doing them a favor because this place is special,” Brownell said.

While the portal is where Clemson made its big splash, high school recruiting is a constant battle, Brownell mentioned the 2017-18 renovations as a key moment and what’s happened since then?

The Tigers have put multiple players into the NBA while reaching a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight. At the center of this latest run was PJ Hall, a top-50 recruit on both ESPN and Rivals that decided to stay home.

He played at Dorman High School and became a household name at Clemson. Brownell got choked up talking about him and what he’s meant to the program.

“He’s obviously very special because he’s a top-50 kid that chose Clemson from our state. And we’ve tried on a bunch of other guys, and he’s one of the first ones to stay home,” Brownell said. “We’ve been selling this same thing to all these other guys. You can come to Clemson and have a chance to play in a Final Four. You’re going to get a great education. You can be a pro. You can be an all-conference player. You’re going to be around people that care about you.”

That list of Tigers to reach the NBA will grow with Hall being drafted and it could be the benchmark point in this program. Brownell and Clemson have proved this can be the home to great talent on the hardwood, and this momentum should show up on the recruiting trail.

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports