Purnell: New Deal Should Be Done 'Real Soon.' |
CLEMSON - Clemson head basketball coach Oliver Purnell confirmed Monday morning that he and the University are close to completing a contract extension. Reports over the weekend said that a deal was imminent, and could be for up to six years with a significant pay raise. The news comes as the Tigers were chosen as a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Bracket of the NCAA Tournament, their first tourney appearance since 1998. Monday morning, Purnell was a guest on Cruise Control with Dan Scott on 104.9 FM, The Drive - WCCP in Clemson. He said a deal doesn't appear to be too far away and, in fact, has been in the works for a while now. "I don't want to talk about it too much, but we've been working on it for quite some time," Purnell said. "It's (the negotiations) not news to Terry Don Phillips or me. I expect we will get something done real soon." Clemson will open the NCAA Tournament Friday night in Tampa vs. Villanova. Game time is set for approximately 9:50 p.m. The winner will play the winner of the Vanderbilt-Siena matchup.
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