There are many issues with this basketball team,

Jan 19, 2017, 11:50 PM

but we still suffer from a lack of talent.

I said when Brownell was hired that his biggest challenge, and the one thing that would determine his success or failure more than any other thing, was recruiting. I stand by that. Purnell was able to recruit a certain type of player that played what basically amounted to a gimmick, albeit a gimmick that at times gave opponents fits and took us to a new level of post season success, but was ultimately decoded and figured out. It did not require highly talented basketball players, which Purnell felt he simply could not attract to Clemson, and he eventually maxed out. First-round of the NCAA, but that's it.

Improvement and progress after Purnell meant advancing past the first round of the NCAA tournament. Seven years later, and six years since our last trip to the dance, we find ourselves merely hoping to get asked back. So much for progress.

I've heard a lot about how much talent we have this year. I agree it's the most we've had in a while; certainly more depth and balance, but we are still far short of having the kind of talent that progress post-Purnell required. I would even agree that Brownell isn't getting the best out of this team, and that they are probably better than they showed tonight; but the bottom line is they just aren't that good, and they are indeed a 1-5 ACC team. And that is the problem, the limiting factor. It's what is holding us back. It's the main reason there has been zero progress under Brownell.

Do I expect us to go out and sign a top-10 class full of one-and-dones? Of course not, and I wouldn't want us to. Do I really think we can recruit head-to-head with UNC and Dook and Kentucky and Louisville? Absolutely not, at least probably not in my lifetime. But, do I really think we can do better than Purnell did here and occasionally advance past the first round of the dance? Without question. Am I crazy enough to believe that we can recruit at a higher level than Brownell has (and Purnell did)? Absolutely we can; in fact, we must! Setting the bar any lower than that is to accept total defeat and completely give up on basketball at "The University Of Clemson"

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Yeah, we don't block out, and our perimeter defense is non-existent, and our shot selection sucks, and on and on, but one thing has not changed, and that one thing has got to be the singular focus of the basketball program going forward.