Brownell not worried about missing out on Zion, excited about 2018 class
Spartanburg Day star Zion Williamson signed with Duke at the end of last week, officially ending the recruitment of perhaps the most sought-after basketball prospect in South Carolina history.
Williamson committed to the Blue Devils in January and was eligible to sign with Duke on April 11, but he waited until last week to do so.
The dunking sensation surprised many when he chose Duke over nearby Clemson. The Tigers appeared to be the favorite for Williamson for much of the process, and Williamson’s stepfather Lee Anderson said after Williamson committed that Clemson lost a “mile-and-a-half lead.”
Tigers coach Brad Brownell spoke at a Prowl and Growl event Monday in Greenwood. He was asked whether he felt Clemson did everything it possibly could in recruiting Williamson.
“Yeah, I don’t worry about the guys we didn’t get. I worry about the guys we got. Those are the guys we’re going to focus on, and certainly I think our recruiting is really in an uptick right now,” Brownell said. “We’re doing a lot of good things. We’ve got a lot of good, young players in our program, and I love the guys we signed.”
The class Clemson has signed thus far includes shooting guard John Newman, center Trey Jemison and small forward Hunter Tyson.
Newman is rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 154 player in the country, according to the 247Sports composite rankings. He chose the Tigers over offers from Boston College, Georgia Tech, Virginia and others.
“John Newman, I think, is a terrific wing, just a really good athlete, winner, guy who has won three state championships,” Brownell said. “He plays a couple of different positions for us, is very versatile.”
Jemison is rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 199 overall player in the country. He is also the top-rated prospect from Alabama. The big man chose the Tigers over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and others.
“Trey Jemison is a guy that is just big and strong, the No. 1 player in Alabama, 6-foot-10.5. He’s a 240-pound freshman,” Brownell said. “He’s had some knee issues, so he’s going to have to get a little bit of a surgery this summer, but I think he’s going to be fine. Really just provides a kind of size and strength and rebounding and physicality you need in the post to play in the ACC.”
Tyson is rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 240 player in the country. He chose Clemson over offers from Tennessee, Wake Forest, DePaul and others.
“Hunter Tyson is a big wing, forward, power forward, whatever you want him to be, really. He can shoot the ball with really good range,” Brownell said. “He needs to get a little bit stronger, but has really good hands. He’s going to be a good rebounder when he gets older. This is a guy we’re really excited about in terms of deep shooting. … We really love those three guys and feel like they’re going to be really good players.”
Clemson also recently landed a commitment from Jonathan Baehre of UNC Asheville. Baehre will have to sit out this upcoming season and then will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Brownell added that the Tigers could sign another couple of pieces to this class.
“We have a couple of spots still. We’re actively looking at some transfers, still keeping in touch with a few high school kids,” Brownell said. “Just kind of playing it by ear here for the next couple of weeks.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Brownell not worried about missing out on Zion, excited about 2018 class."