Tigers looking for Tarzan against Baylor

A former Brad Brownell assistant paid a visit to Clemson's locker room and left a message for the Tigers' upset bid versus Baylor.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Mar 24 07:00:03 GMT-04:00 2024

MEMPHIS – Will Tarzan show up to help Clemson on Sunday afternoon?

Sixth-seed Clemson advanced to the Round of 32 with a Friday victory over New Mexico, and the Tigers will play No. 3 seed Baylor later today at the FedExForum in Memphis with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line (6:10 EDT/TNT).

When Clemson arrived at the arena Saturday for practice, head coach Brad Brownell noticed a message written on the whiteboard in the Clemson locker room. Longwood assistant coach Marty McGillan – who coached with Brownell at UNC Wilmington – wrote the message and brought back memories for Brownell.

“I just walked into our locker room, and one of my former assistants from UNC Wilmington was on the Longwood staff,” Brownell said. “And he left a quote on our bulletin board on there. It said -- I've got to remember it – ‘it's a jungle out there, so you better know Tarzan.’

“And the quote is from a guy I coached by the name of Brett Blizzard, who was on that team. And we used to joke around a lot about it. He was a terrific player for us at UNC Wilmington. We probably used to think he was Tarzan for us.”

Blizzard hit 109 3-pointers during the 2003 season and led the Seahawks to a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament against No. 6 seed Maryland. With five seconds remaining, Aaron Coombs sank two free throws, giving the Seahawks a 73–72 lead and placing them in a position to pull off a tournament surprise for the second year in a row. Instead, Maryland won the game 75–73 by hitting a buzzer-beating three-point shot.

“That team was terrific. We lost on a last-second shot to Maryland,” Brownell said. “Hadn't thought about that, maybe, except for that quote today. So it's probably appropriate that you asked me the question. But that was a painful, painful loss. It was my first year in coaching, and we had a great team at Wilmington. Thought we could advance and do well in the tournament. Drew Nicholas made the one-foot runner from about 27 feet to beat us. Thanks for that memory.”

The Tigers might need Tarzan on Sunday. Baylor averages 80.9 points per game and is one of the country's best shooting teams.

How do the Tigers plan to stop the Bears?

“We can shoot it as well. And we just talk about having good balance,” Brownell said. “We want to have good balance on offense. We want to score in the paint, get free throws and we want to make some 3s. I think some of it depends on how we're being played. Some teams trap the post, some teams pack it in, some teams spread it out, some teams pressure. And different styles open up different things.

“If you're good, you can figure that out and adapt. And we'll have to adapt tomorrow. So it will be a little bit based on how they play. Certainly trying to defend their three will be part of the game plan.”

Guard Joe Girard says Clemson can’t afford to let Baylor get into a rhythm.

“I think the biggest thing is trying to make sure they're not really rhythm 3s, trying and keep them on the move a little bit,” Girard said. “Like Chase said, get open on screens and off the ball, just be head turning at all times, because they have three, four, sometimes five guys on the court who can shoot a 3.

“They've always had a great offense, and it's going to be a tough task for us, but I think like I said if we just stay locked in, focused where our guys are and knowing our own personnel we'll be all right.”

Center PJ Hall agreed, saying, “I think Joe hit it on the head. The rhythm 3 is a big key point, making sure whenever we are -- we're going to give up a couple 3s, that's how it's going to go that we know we're not giving up easy step-in rhythm 3s, basic thing, keep on rhythm and be more disruptive.”

It’s a quick turnaround – 48 hours after the win over New Mexico.

“I think that's a big change, right? Because there's such a quick turnaround. We had several days to practice for New Mexico, plenty of time to get our minds in a good place, get used to what they do, practice at full speed,” Brownell said. “Today, you really can't do that as much. And that's what's different about being in the tournament and not being in conference play. In conference play, we all know each other so well that when you get to the end of the season, that's probably not as important.

“This time of year, it's more challenging, and it is much more mental than it is physical because you're not going to be able to get out there and bang with your guys as much as you would like in a normal, maybe two-day prep.”