Brownell adds the final piece to the 2017 recruiting class

Trapp smiles after committing to Clemson Wednesday

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Wed Nov 09 17:13:51 GMT-04:00 2016

Clyde Trapp, Jr. is the final piece to Brad Brownell's 2017 recruiting class - one that will go down as his best yet.

The 3-star Hopkins (SC) Lower Richland shooting guard joins 3-star Malik William and 4-stars Aamir Simms and A.J. Oliver in Brownell’s recruiting class, giving his verbal commitment and signing with Clemson during a ceremony at his school Wednesday afternoon.

Trapp said Clemson felt like home.

“It felt like a family. After talking it over with my parents and my coaches, everybody felt like it was a perfect fit for me,” Trapp said. “I really liked Clemson from the jump. They've been recruiting me for a while. A lot of people didn't understand the situation and a lot of people didn't think they had offered me. I didn't let that get to me. We have a great relationship. I can pick up the phone at any time and call the coach, and the players and coaches, really everything, we just bonded really well.”

It was Trapp’s relationship with Brownell that helped put Clemson over the top.

“I like his intensity. It's just unreal,” Trapp said. “He puts so much confidence in his players and they can just go out there and hoop. That's how I play. It's great to know he's a coach that would join me in the fire. It was definitely tough. I built relationships with each and every school in my top five list. It was hard telling them no, but I made my mind up Monday.”

Trapp’s AAU coach is former Clemson point guard Ed Scott, and Trapp said Scott was a valuable resource during the recruiting process.

“I talked to him a lot. He is a guy that has been through it so he knows,” Trapp said. “He didn't sway me one way or the other. He always just had good things to say and he kept uplifting me. It got hard, it really did. The phone calls started bugging me and he kept me strong and helped me along the way.”

Trapp chose Clemson over Charlotte, South Carolina, Rice and Georgia Tech.

Trapp averaged 13 points, six rebounds and two assists per game last season, and will be Brownell’s lone remaining backcourt target in the recruiting cycle.

“I was the only guard. They actually aren't taking any more guards,” Trapp said. “He (Brownell) came down said I have to have this guy. I was the only guard he was recruiting after the three he had already signed.”