Girard, Hall Have Message for Brownell Haters
By: Staff Report March 25, 2024

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Following their 72-64 win over No. 3 seed Baylor in the NCAA Tournament’s second round, Clemson stars Joe Girard and PJ Hall called out those fans who have been calling for head coach Brad Brownell to be fired.

With Sunday’s win in the West Regional at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, the Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 Round of the NCAA Tournament. The milestone marked the second time Brownell has led a Clemson team to the Sweet 16, the only coach in the program’s history to do it.

“I don’t like really doing this, but all those fire Brownell guys can, you know, kiss it,” Girard said after the game to WYFF’s Marc Wideman. “He has done an unbelievable job here. He has built this program for 14 years. He has been in the league for so long. You don’t get that every day. You don’t get that everywhere.

“Brownell is an unbelievable coach. Obviously, he has a lot of strategy and techniques he likes to do and that is why he is so successful.  Shoutout to Coach for making history. It is unbelievable.”

Brownell now has a 5-3 record in the NCAA Tournament. His five wins rank number one in the program’s history, as does his four appearances in the Big Dance. He also holds the school record for overall wins and ACC wins.

“For four years I have had to listen to people hating on that man and they do not understand how incredible he is behind closed doors and how much of genius he is,” Hall said. “He is a blessing to be at Clemson.

“There are people that support him thick and through and we love that, but everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson in terms of Xs and Os and we are trying to prove that right now.”

Clemson, the No. 6 seed, will play No. 2 Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Thursday (7 p.m., CBS) in Los Angeles.

–photo by John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

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