Three consecutive NCAA Tournament trips is the goal for Clemson, and the journey begins Monday with the first game of the regular season against visiting New Hampshire.
The goal is a repeat for the Tigers, but coach Brad Brownell is loading 10 new faces on the Clemson bus this season.
He has six freshmen and even the most season navigator would anticipate a steep learning curve for both the players and the 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 bit young, but I think we’ve got good depth,” Brownell said. “There’s nothing that takes the place of game experience. The challenge for our coaching staff is to try to blend this team together and find a style of play that fits and allows this team to be successful. We’re going to get up and down the floor and probably extend our defense more than we have. This could be a group where you play 10 guys double-figure minutes. I think that’s the best way for this team to play.”
The key to Clemson’s level of success this season may 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 rely 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 into a backcourt starter.
New Hampshire was picked ninth (last) in the America East preseason Poll. The Wildcats have no seniors on their roster and replaced all but four players from last year’s team. The returnees include junior forward Davide Poser, who started in 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 this is a versatile group,” New Hampshire coach Nathan Davis said. “I think there’s a lot of different ways we can take advantage of matchups. I think we have a group that’s going to be exciting and compete at a high level.”
