Clemson’s goal is three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, and the journey begins Monday with the regular season opener against visiting New Hampshire.
The goal is a repeat for the Tigers, but coach Brad Brownell is loading 10 new faces onto the Clemson bus this season.
It has six freshmen and even the most experienced sailor would expect a steep learning curve for the players and coaching staff early in the season. The Tigers were picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference preseason media poll.
“We’re a little young, but I think we have good depth,” Brownell said. “There is no substitute for playing experience. The challenge for our coaching staff is to try to coalesce this team and find a style of play that fits and allows this team to be successful. We’re going to go up and down the court and probably spread our defense out more than we have. This could be a group where you play 10 guys with double-digit minutes. I think that’s the best way for this team to play.”
The key to Clemson’s level of success this season could be the play of 6-foot-10 forward Nick Davidson, who spent the first four seasons of his college career at Nevada. He averaged 15.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game for Nevada last season.
The Tigers will also lean heavily on senior forward RJ Godfrey and senior guard Dillon Hunter. Godfrey began his career at Clemson, but played for Georgia last season. Hunter will likely move from a reserve role to a starting role in the backcourt.
New Hampshire was picked ninth (last) in the America East preseason poll. The Wildcats have no seniors on their roster and have replaced all but four players from last year’s team. The returnees include junior forward Davide Poser, who started 25 games last season and led the team in 3-point shooting (40.3%). He made at least two 3-pointers in 17 games.
“I think it’s a versatile group,” New Hampshire coach Nathan Davis said. “I think there’s a lot of different ways to take advantage of matchups. I think we have a group that’s going to be exciting and going to compete at a high level.”
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