Good morning, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sports fans.
Both @TalkinACCSports and I have been pretty high on Clemson this year (see Jeff’s ranking rankings here). They are not having any of those moments that Brad Brownell is known for, like losing to Towson (which was a legit team – but Clemson could never lose to them and make the NCAA tournament). Clemson is playing extremely disciplined basketball this year.
And it helps when you have the top graduate transfer in the ACC (and one of the tops in the country) – and that’s Joe Girard III. Girard was a stud in high school – he started on his high school team’s varsity squad when he was in 8th grade!
Last year, he was on the Jerry West watch list for America’s best men’s college basketball shooting guard… and he’s taking that mojo into this year. Right now, Girard is fourth overall in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage and third in three-point field goals per game. Because an opposing team has to respect him wherever he is on the floor, really opens up a lot of offense for everyone else on Clemson’s men’s basketball team. While PJ Hall has always been pretty good for Clemson, I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that he gets better looks at the hoop with Girard on the floor.
Girard – as you can see from this story – saw a chance to return to March Madness with this very experienced Clemson squad. He’s working on a Master’s degree in athletic leadership, he gets a chance to improve his man-to-man defense, and plays in a free-flowing NBA style offense. This is also a win-win for Clemson – because they get his leadership as a fifth year player. Many people see Girard as a future college basketball coach – and he might also be a coach on the floor for Clemson.
This won’t be a Clemson Brad Brownell team of the past – because Joe Girard III is on the floor.
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