If no PJ, I think this could be an NIT team at best. That would require Chase Hunter and Hunter Tyson having career years, and at least one freshman being outstanding. I don't think we can make the NCAA Tournament this year without PJ.

Hall, Tyson, and Middlebrooks are all good rebounders. I don't think we will have a problem there. Having better height along the perimeter will help with rebounding too, especially on long rebounds.

No criticism taken. Very reasonable questions.

Basketball practice has started, so let's talk basketball. I know, it's football season and many of you want to ban basketball posts during football season. Well, get over it.

Several articles have been posted here predicting a horrible season for us. These "experts" state that even if things go right, we should expect to miss the postseason. So we might as well just skip the season and fire Brownell, right?

Not so fast. We have quietly assembled some key upgrades to our roster. The most notable are in the backcourt. Although we lost Al-Amir Dawes and Nick Honor to transfer, we brought in four star freshman PG Dillon Hunter who we flipped from Baylor, as well as super-super senior Brevin Galloway from Boston College. Let's not forget about Josh Beadle, who redshirted last year as a true freshman. This was done because we feel that he can be an all-conference player before it's all said and done. He could've played last year, but he trusted the process and redshirted to work on his game. I predict that it will pay dividends for us, starting this year.

Dillon Hunter handles the ball well and provides nice size (6'4") and uncommon decision making for a freshman. I predict he will see a lot of minutes this year. He takes care of the ball well. His shot isn't quite as consistent as the coaches would like, but it's coming around. His brother, Chase Hunter, really improved last year and will certainly get starter's minutes at one of the guard spots. He can also assist in ball handling.

Brevin Galloway battled injuries most of last year, but is finally healthy and hopes to regain the shooting form that allowed him to put up some outstanding numbers early in his college career. He will provide a nice spark for us. Beadle will surely provide some memorable moments as well. He is a scorer who can shoot from the outside and also get to the basket for highlight dunks. Let's not forget about senior Alex Hemenway either. I look for him to continue his good outside shooting this year.

Finally, true freshman Chauncey Gibson is a big guard (6'5") who can handle and shoot. He played against good competition in Dallas, TX and brings a lot of athleticism and versatility to our backcourt. He isn't projected to get as many minutes this year due to the players ahead of him, but he is a guy who can develop into an excellent player.

The net result in the backcourt is improved height and athleticism. This is huge, because Honor and Dawes were sometimes overmatched on both ends of the court.

At the wings, we lost David Collins. However, freshman RJ Godfrey (6'7," 225) provides excellent size and athleticism. He has been impressive so far, and looks to get valuable minutes this year. Hunter Tyson returns for his "super senior" season, which is a huge recruiting coup for our staff. He brings toughness, leadership, and good outside shooting. He is also an underrated rebounder. He will probably see most of his minutes at the 4, but he can possibly play the 3 if we want to go big, depending on matchups.

In addition to Tyson down low, we also have PJ Hall who will anchor our team on both ends of the court. He is an All-ACC caliber player but has battled injuries for much of his Clemson career. His most recent injury puts his return date up in the air, with projections being as soon as the start of the season to as late as January. The 6'10," 240 pound junior needs to be healthy this year, and the hope is that he is given time to fully recover. He hasn't really practiced consistently since he was a freshman. Last year, his foot injury was so bad that he was usually held out of practice so that he would be able to play in the games. If we get into a situation this year where he misses extended time, or is battling injuries off and on, we are going to have a long year.

Thankfully, we still have other good players down low. In addition to the aforementioned Hunter Tyson, we also have sophomore Ian Schieffelin (6'7," 225) who showed good athleticism and versatility last year as a true freshman. Ben Middlebrooks (6'10," 232) also got quality minutes last year as a true freshman and has nice upside. Finally, true freshman Chauncey Wiggins (6'9," 205) provides good size and athleticism off the bench.

This roster is one of the most talented Brownell has had. The two biggest questions in my mind are:

1. Can PJ Hall get (and stay) healthy?
2. Can the team develop good chemistry, especially with the new additions?

The answer to question #1 is certainly unknown, but again, my hope is that PJ is given time to fully heal and isn't rushed back before he's ready. Regarding #2, the timing of the trip to France this summer was perfect, as it allowed our team to form meaningful bonds. This will only help as we get into the season.

I like this team a lot. I know that they will play their tails off, as Brownell teams always do. I also believe that we have more players in the Brownell mold that are a better fit for what we are trying to do.

Leadership will be key this year, as it always is. Hunter Tyson is an excellent leader. PJ Hall is developing into more of a vocal leader. Hemenway is a leader too. I'll be interested to see how Galloway does as a veteran voice, but based on what I've seen from him he will also be a vocal leader. Their voices will be important given the fact that we have a lot of younger guys who are still learning.

My crystal ball isn't working today, but I can tell you that this team is poised to surprise people. Brownell teams almost always outperform preseason expectations, and this team will do the same. Don't listen to the haters who say that we are awful and can't have a great year. We can have a great year. Support this team. Be excited about what is happening. Clemson grit!

Go Tigers!

The possible exception is Dillon Hunter. He is 64th in the ESPN 100, so he fits your description of a talented freshman.

http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/238291/dillon-hunter

The players we will be relying heavily on have significant experience (Hall, Tyson, Chase Hunter). Those are our three best players and likely our three leading scorers.

We will also have other experienced players such as Galloway, Hemenway, etc.

The youth is with our depth. As long as we stay healthy, the young guys can develop on schedule rather than being forced into action before they are ready.