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When PJ Hall opted to return to Clemson basketball for a fourth and final season last spring, coach Brad Brownell knew that much would be expected out of his 6-foot-10 center as well as his team.
That was confirmed Thursday during the ACC’s annual media day in Charlotte as Hall was named preseason First Team All-ACC and the Tigers were tabbed to finish fifth.
That’s the highest preseason projection for a Brownell-coached Clemson team, which will tip off Brownell’s 14th season by hosting in-state rival Winthrop on Nov. 6 (7 p.m.). The Tigers have an exhibition game on Wednesday (7 p.m.) against Newberry.
“We’ve added some good pieces in the transfer portal and obviously having guys like PJ Hall and Chase Hunter back – two high level players – and having some younger guys who gained valuable experience last year, we have a chance to have a really good team,” said Brownell.
Hall was good enough at the NBA’s G League Elite Camp in May to earn a spot at the NBA Combine, but decided to return to the Tigers.
Brownell refers to Hall as “probably the best recruit we’ve had at Clemson.”
“PJ loves Clemson and wants to leave a legacy,” Brownell said. “I knew that unless he felt really strongly that he might be like a first-round pick or something like that that he’d want to come back.”
Hall, who was a third-team All-ACC pick last season, led the Tigers in scoring at 15.3 points per game. He shot 53.5% from the floor, 39.8% from 3-point range and averaged 5.7 rebounds.
The Dorman High product out of Spartanburg was a big reason the Tigers went 23-11 last season and finished tied for third in the ACC standings after being projected to finish 11th in the preseason poll.
Clemson has made the NCAA Tournament three times in 13 seasons under Brownell, but the Tigers last appearance was in 2017-18.
Hall collected the third-highest vote total in balloting by a media panel, trailing only Preseason Player of the Year Kyle Filipowski of Duke and North Carolina’s Armando…
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Author : Greenville News
Publish date : 2023-10-27 12:21:13
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