Brad Brownell doesn't mess around.
When the transfer portal is attacked, the head coach of the Clemson men's basketball team fights back.
Since the Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, guard Josh Beadle and forward RJ Godfrey have entered their names into the transfer portal. Beadle has since decided to attend Boston University, but Godfrey is still going through the recruiting process.
As both players entered their names into the portal, Clemson fans were especially outraged by the Godfrey news. Some people criticized Brownell, but it was ridiculous.
But Brownell and his staff weren't intimidated by the news and went to work on behalf of the two players. Technically, they're still looking for another post player to replace Godfrey.
But last week, Brownell secured a contract from former Cincinnati big man Victor Raquin. The 6-foot-11, 240-pound graduate student committed to Clemson last Wednesday.
Rakin, a native of Anapa, Russia, started 24 games and played in 29 games for the Bearcats last year, averaging 9.2 points, six rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He shot 49.8 percent from the field and had 23 total blocked shots.
Rackin will likely replace first-team All-ACC center P.J. Hall.
As for Beadle's replacement, the Tigers traded to Boston College to acquire talented guard Jayden Zachary from the Eagles. Zachary, a three-year starter at BC, averaged 11.3 points and 4.2 assists per game last season.
Clemson fans should be well aware of Zachary's accomplishments, as he devoured the Tigers twice last season. Clemson won on January 13 at Littlejohn Coliseum, but he scored 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and dished out six assists.
Zachary and BC avenged their earlier loss to the Tigers by dropping 22 points and dishing out three assists in the ACC Tournament loss to Clemson.
Brownell was apparently acquired in a trade for former assistant coach Earl Grant, considering Beadle was a backup player his first two years at Clemson.
But Brownell has been winning in the transfer portal for a while now. Even before it was called a transfer portal.
Remember Shelton Mitchell, Marquise Reed, and Elijah Thomas from Clemson's 2018 Sweet 16 team?
They were all transfers, and all three played big roles in the Tigers' 25-10 season that year.
Remember Jonah Behr?
The big man helped the Tigers advance to the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Brevin Galloway transferred from BC to Clemson in 2023, and the homegrown product led the Tigers to a 23-11 record and a third-place finish in the ACC.
And of course, last season we had Joe Girard (Syracuse) and Jack Clark (North Carolina State). Both played key roles in the Tigers advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament and achieving a 24-12 record.
With the help of NIL's major support for Clemson Basketball, Brownell has shown he is not afraid to utilize the transfer portal to help the team.
He hasn't used the transfer portal to build his team. Instead, Brownell will use the portal to help fill out some key pieces on the roster. And if past experience tells us anything, it's that Clemson's coaches are using it the right way to turn Clemson into a solid contender in the men's basketball world. Thing.
Think of it this way. It's April 21st and we're still talking about Clemson basketball.
When did that happen?
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