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 Bacot. Hall received two votes for Player of the Year.
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Duke was picked to win the ACC title for the eighth time in 11 seasons. Miami was second, followed by North Carolina, Virginia, Clemson and Wake Forest.
2023-24 ACC basketball preseason poll predictions
- Duke (44), 757
- Miami (5), 693
- North Carolina (1), 670
- Virginia (1), 593
- Clemson, 570
- Wake Forest, 440
- NC State, 420
- Virginia Tech, 390
- Pitt, 380
- Syracuse, 321
- Florida State, 294
- Boston College, 227
- Georgia Tech, 157
- Louisville, 108
- Notre Dame, 100
First-place votes in parentheses51 total voters
Preseason All-ACC Teams
First TeamKyle Filipowski, Duke, 51Armando Bacot, North Carolina, 50PJ Hall, Clemson, 48Reece Beekman, Virginia, 44Norchad Omier, Miami, 42
Second TeamJudah Mintz, Syracuse, 39Nijel Pack, Miami, 34Blake Hinson, Pitt, 33Tyrese Proctor, Duke, 24Quinten Post, Boston College, 23
ACC Preseason Player of the Year
Kyle Filipowski, Duke, 35 votesArmando Bacot, North Carolina, 13PJ Hall, Clemson, 2Tyrese Proctor, Duke, 1
ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year
Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina, 40 votesJared McCain, Duke, 6Caleb Foster, Duke, 3Donald Hand Jr., Boston College, 1Carlton Carrington, Pitt, 1
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer