Clemson coach Brad Brownell knows he'll count on younger players this season and that could mean problems extending the Tigers string of four straight NCAA tournament appearances.
Many figured that would end a year ago when Brownell came from Wright State to take over Clemson. But led by guard Demontez Stitt and forward Jerai Grant, the Tigers finished fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and gained a school record fourth consecutive NCAA berth. Duke is the only other ACC school with a streak that long.
Stitt and Grant were Clemson's top two scorers last season, combining for 27 points a game - about 40 percent of the offense. Both are gone. The Tigers have six first-year players on the roster and Brownell sees some growing up ahead for his team, unlike last season when Clemson had just one newcomer to break in.
''I had a bunch of older players who weren't wide-eyed to the competition so when they went into ACC venues, they still expected to win,'' Brownell said. That helped them to a 22-12 record and a 9-7 mark in ACC play. Brownell's group won the school's first NCAA tournament game since 1997 - albeit it a ''First Four'' victory over UAB - and the coach earned a raise and a contract extension.
It might not be the same this time around as Brownell tries to work in his younger players. ''It's going to be different from the high school games,'' the coach said. Brownell hasn't lost all the core players from last year.
Andre Young and Tanner Smith return in the backcourt while Milton Jennings and Devin Booker will take the bulk of the minutes up front.
Young was the team's top three-point shooter, both with 80 baskets and with a .395 percentage. Smith played more minutes a game than everyone except Stitt and Young.
Jennings, a 6-foot-9 junior, was one of the mostly highly regarded recruits of former coach Oliver Purnell, but has been inconsistent his first two years with the Tigers. The same could be said of Booker, the 6-8 younger brother of Washington Wizards forward Trevor Booker.
Brownell said both forwards must step up their games if Clemson's going to play at last year's level in the ACC.
''We have to pick up the intensity,'' Booker said.
Brownell and his staff spent much of their early time teaching their systems - and the Tigers struggled to pick it up early. Three straight losses to Michigan, South Carolina and Florida State left the team at 5-4 and floundering with full-out ACC play approaching.
It was the older players, Brownell said, who worked to turn things around, not wanting to give up their legacy of NCAA bids. If Clemson's to succeed again this year, the older players will have to take more steps forward.
Young and Smith will see most of the time at the guard spots. The two are good friends and solid leaders, Brownell said, and ready for the spotlight. Jennings and Booker must show they can be counted on each game as double-figure scorers who also snare eight-to-10 rebounds per contest.
''If they can do that, then I think we've got a chance to finish in the top half of the league again and really be productive,'' Brownell said.
Brownell said his new guys must contribute, too - and fast. Defense is the most critical component and his young players have to adjust. Without that, ''I don't know that we have enough offensive fire power to compete with some teams in the league,'' Brownell said.
Brownell added five guards in Devin Coleman, Carson Fields, Rod Hall, K.J. McDaniels and T.J. Sapp, and forward Bernard Sullivan.
Sullivan is considered the strongest prospect. He was rated four stars by recruiting sites, Rivals.com and Scout.com. He had 17 points and 12 rebounds and was named MVP of the West team at the Jordan Brand Classic Regional all-star game in Charlotte last April.
Sullivan had attended basketball camp since he was in middle school and had grown close to Purnell and the program. Sullivan was as stunned as many of the Tigers when Purnell left, yet was impressed when he quickly heard from Brownell after reopening his recruitment. ''Just that showed me that this was the place to be,'' Sullivan said.
Brownell thinks the newcomers will fit in well and hopes they can build on Clemson's recent success, something the coach isn't ready to see end.
''There's an expectation at Clemson that we're going to make the NCAA tournament,'' Brownell said. ''We're pretty proud of that and we certainly want to try and make it five'' straight appearances.
