Graham Neff’s Vision for Clemson Basketball

Clemson Athletics Director, Graham Neff sent out a letter to all season ticket holders for Clemson basketball regarding his expectations for the program under his watch. It is as follows.

Dear Clemson Family:

As we approach the beginning of “March Madness” and the most exciting part of the collegiate basketball season, I want to take a moment and share with you my views on basketball at Clemson.

First and foremost, thank you for your support all season long. There were some memorable moments in Littlejohn Coliseum, and we are grateful for all you do to create an incredible atmosphere. We should all be proud of the effort, commitment and resilience of our student-athletes – they never wavered in the face of challenges throughout the season.

Clemson Athletics has high expectations for all twenty-one of our varsity sports programs, and we do not – and will not – shy away from our pursuit of the highest levels of excellence and championships.

This year’s Men’s Basketball season did not meet our expectations nor those of Head Coach Brad Brownell and student-athletes. There were a number of reasons for the results, but we realize this is a bottom-line game. In the days following the ACC Tournament, Coach Brownell and I met several times to discuss the state of the program, potential off-season changes and plans for next year that would return us to the NCAA Tournament. 

I have an ambitious vision for Clemson Basketball – both the men’s and women’s programs – and what we can accomplish in the Atlantic Coast Conference and nationally. This is Clemson, and basketball is very important for our university and athletics department. Aggressive investment must be present to achieve such intentions. And importantly, while we are willing to push in many areas, as Clemson’s Director of Athletics, I am adamant that academic success and integrity in all of our programs are absolute non-negotiables. 

I am working with our senior athletics staff to focus further investment in our basketball programs, which I believe will pay dividends next season and beyond. While we’ve continued to make strides relative to our peers in support areas, facilities and resources, we have room to do more. We must ensure we provide the necessary support staff, an exceptional student-athlete experience, strategy for evolving Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) resources and the recruiting investment to not only be competitive—but to be excellent. 

Our success also would not be possible without the support of Clemson fans to pack Littlejohn on a regular basis to create an unparalleled gameday atmosphere and get behind our student-athletes, who consistently display their effort, grit and dedication to winning. Our staffs and student-athletes are already hard at work at doing what it takes to work toward a successful 2022-23 season.

Clemson is stronger when basketball is thriving. We are committed to winning basketball, and we will provide the resources needed to excel!

Go Tigers! 

Graham Neff

While communication is a great thing through troubled times, actually saying something substantive would even be more appreciated. Oh well, nobody expected any other outcome and this letter proves there are actually less expectations for Brad Brownell’s squad going forward. Sadly, They are but hollow, well intended words. Falling on hopeful but realistic ears. Maybe next year.