Brownell adds second 6-10 post player to 2013 recruiting class

Photos courtesy of Djitte

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat May 11 14:48:59 GMT-04:00 2013

Clemson head coach Brad Brownell Brad Brownell
Head Coach
View Full Profile headed into the offseason knowing he needed to recruit big men to replace the losses to graduation of Devin Booker and Milton Jennings and the transfer of Bernard Sullivan.

On Saturday, Brownell completed a possible furious end to the 2013 recruiting cycle when 6-10 center Sidy Mohamed Djitte of Fayetteville (NC) Northwood Temple called Clemson’s head coach and told him he would send in his paperwork early next week.

The commitment is the second 6-10 post player Brownell has added in the past month – the Tigers added JUCO power forward Ibrahim Djambo in April. The two big men join Austin Ajukwa and Patrick Rooks, both shooting guards and November signees, in Clemson's 2013 class.

Djitte and Djambo will join group of post players that already includes 6-11 Landry Nnoko, 6-8 Josh Smith, and 6-7 Jaron Blossomgame.

Djitte’s father, Gregg Spradlin, told TigerNet the reasons why his son chose Clemson.

“He actually just went outside and called Coach Brownell,” Spradlin told TigerNet. “But I can tell you why he chose Clemson. It is in the ACC, and the coaching staff is great. They have been in with him since the beginning of last year. They were there with him last year even before he burst onto the scene as an unknown. They saw him and liked him from the start. They never wavered on him, even when he broke his ankle in the Queen City Tournament in Charlotte. They did everything they had to do and could do. They have been to home games and they visited with him.”

The native of Dakar, Senegal, earned Cape Fear area player of the year honors. He averaged 18 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks a game, and was a McDonald's All-America nominee.

Djitte chose Clemson over Cincinnati, after eliminating Memphis earlier in the week, and Spradlin said that Clemson was about more than just basketball for his son.

“We love Clemson, I will tell you that,” he said. “ Earl GrantEarl Grant
Assistant Coach
View Full Profile , Mike WinieckiMike Winiecki
Associate Head Coach
View Full Profile and Brad are all a good bunch of coaches. Brad has done a good job of developing those young men into quality young men and players. There is more than just teaching them to dribble and shoot. The official visit was great. We really just love everything about Clemson, and the engineering program there is great. We love the way they recruited him and everything was above board.”

Spradlin said the lure of the ACC was also too much to overcome.

“It is the ACC and it is the best basketball in the nation,” he said. “They are going to play a quality opponent every week. You are not going to win every game, but he likes that challenge. I think at the end of the day Clemson was the best fit for him.”