Monte Lee thankful for 'dream come true' opportunity at Clemson

One of the highlights of Monte Lee's last season was a rivalry series sweep of South Carolina.

by Brandon Rink - Staff Writer - Wed Jun 01 10:43:13 GMT-04:00 2022

Now former Clemson baseball coach Monte Lee doesn’t like having time on his hands. He wants to be around the baseball diamond, and he intends to be back there soon.

Lee gave an exit interview of sorts to SportsTalk on Tuesday, the same day that he was officially let go by Clemson athletic director Graham Neff after seven seasons with the Tigers.

“Today (Tuesday) has obviously been a very, very tough day,” Lee said. “I received the news earlier today from the athletic director Graham Neff and associate athletic director Kyle Young, who is my sports supervisor And in a very, very tough meeting, I couldn’t have been more grateful at the level of class in which they handled the meeting. The professional manner in which they both went about it.

“Got a chance to meet with the players and was very appreciative of that. That was a very emotional meeting, but honestly, as tough as it is to know I’ll know longer be the head baseball coach at Clemson – it’s been a lifelong dream and I’ve got a chance to live that dream for the last seven years and I can’t say how much I appreciate the opportunity that I’ve had here at Clemson. Just to be able to coach at such a fine institution and great academic school and great baseball program and tremendous fanbase. All the people involved and players I’ve gotten to coach – my coaching staff that I’ve gotten a chance to work with and the support staff here.

“Everyone has been A-plus and it’s been a dream come true. It’s a very, very tough day but it’s also a day of reflection and appreciation and one of gratitude for the opportunity I got here at Clemson.”

Lee was asked last week at the ACC Baseball Championship if he believed he would be back after an 18-6 loss to 1-seed Virginia Tech, and he said he thought he would be. Lee told SportsTalk on Tuesday that he wasn’t prepared to answer it in the moment and didn’t really know if he would return, but he was focused on moving the program forward for next season.

Clemson hosted three regionals in three years to start Lee’s tenure and won an ACC Baseball Championship in 2016, but it missed the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons for the program’s first time since 1986.

“This is a business. We’re in the business of winning games and the administration had thought we had not done enough in the last two years,” Lee said. “I understand that. I embraced the expectations when I got the job here. I’m a 100% accountable guy. That’s the way I coach my team. I don’t place blame anywhere. You have to look at the man in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘Did I do everything that I could do?’ If I fail doing the best job like I could do, I have to be able to live with it. I’m proud of the things I was able to do at Clemson. Certainly disappointed that we did not fulfill some of the expectations that we had.

“Of getting past that regional round, getting a super regional getting to Omaha (for the College World Series). Do those things. We understand what comes with this job when you don’t do that.”

Lee said his primary regret this season was not tinkering with the starting rotation earlier, which maintained the same weekend trio from the season beginning through a 2-9 ACC start by early April.

“Whoever gets this job, I’m going to support them however I can,” Lee said. “I’m not going to be a distraction or be in the way or anything like that. I want the next leader of the program to know that they’ve got a great group of kids coming back and they’ve got a great group of kids coming in. Nobody is going to want them to be more successful than I do. Because I love the players that are in the program and I want what’s best for them and want them to strive for big things. To win at a high level. And I hope that the next head coach can get a lot out of these guys.”

Lee isn’t sure what the immediate future holds, but he knows he wants to be around baseball again soon.

“Well, one thing I don’t do well with is time,” Lee said. “I’m not a big vacation guy. Take time off type guy. I like to be engaged and like to feel like I have something to wake up to in the morning that brings value to an organization and to a program. Look, I’ve been a coach all my life and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I certainly want to coach. I don’t know what that looks like. Whether it’s head coach or an assistant – look, I was an assistant coach for eight years.

“I feel like if anyone knows how it’s like to help a serve a head coach it’s me because I’ve been one for the last 14 years. I’m open to anything and everything right now.”