When it comes to the best ACC coaching jobs from last season, Clemson’s Brad Brownell was right up there among the best. Despite missing Clyde Trapp in the non-conference and replacing a ton of talent from the year before, Clemson still made history, including beating North Carolina on the road for the first time in forever and getting additional wins over top-10 Duke, Louisville, and Florida State.
The Tigers could be in store for a big upcoming season, assuming leading scorer, rebounder and passer Aamir Simms comes back from the NBA Draft process. The team’s other double-digit scorer Tevin Mack and Curran Scott are gone but they do get Fordham transfer Nick Honor off of a redshirt year, who averaged 15.3 ppg and 3.0 apg as a freshman. Starters John Newman III and Al-Amir Dawes will be back as well, along with a fully healthy Trapp.
The transfer of Trey Jemison paves the way for incoming four-star frontcourt commits PJ Hall and
Olivier-Maxence Prosper to have big roles as freshmen next season. The Tigers may only have one All-AC player on the roster (Simms) but has arguably the best depth outside of the top 3-4 teams in the conference that are filled with top-25 prospects. The quality defense should remain intact, with there still be areas to grow on offense and inside production overall.