Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell Addresses Indiana Rumors Before ACC Tournament

The Clemson Tigers are going to be in the March Madness field when the teams are revealed on Selection Sunday, so a good showing during the ACC Tournament won’t necessarily do anything for them when it comes to the Big Dance, but it would still be incredible to lift the trophy.

Brad Brownell has done a great job the past two years, taking Clemson to their first Elite Eight since 1980 last season before following that up this year with the most successful regular season the program has ever seen.

But it hasn’t all been roses for the head coach since he left Wright State and took over this program ahead of the 2010-11 campaign.

He made the NCAA Tournament during his first year on the job, but after that, it felt like he was perennially on the hot seat with just one postseason appearance during the next five years, an NIT invitation in 2014.

Brownell has hit his stride now, though.

Clemson has won 23-plus games for three seasons in a row, and they’ll be in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since that was done from 2009-11.

This great stretch is putting him in the spotlight for open jobs around the country, and the one he has been linked to is Indiana University.

As a native of Evansville, Indiana, he played college basketball at Division III in-state program DePauw before taking an assistant job upon graduation at his home city’s university. After one year there, he took a job at Indianapolis, a Division II program which was the final job he held in his home state.

Could he be eyeing a return back to take over a blueblood program like Indiana?

He addressed those rumors ahead of their ACC Tournament journey getting underway.

“I’m not going to talk about potential jobs, I have a great job. I’m 100 percent focused on this team and what we’ve got ahead of us, trying to do everything I can to help us continue to win the next game,” he said per Austin Hannon of 247Sports. “I’ve never been a self-promoter, that’s partly because of how much I really like Clemson. I sent both daughters here, been here 15 years. I think this place is really special, and I’m proud of what we’ve built.”

That wasn’t the strong denial some fans might have been looking for, but those have also proven to not mean anything based on what has occurred with other coaches in the past so it really doesn’t matter one way or another.

Brownell could very well take the Indiana job.

It will come down to finances and commitment of resources that every coach is looking for from an athletic department.

If he feels like he’ll get more support from the Hoosiers, then there’s a chance he returns home if that’s what his family wants to do.

But it’s also clear from his statement that he has enjoyed, and is enjoying, his time at Clemson.

And with a chance to cement his legacy by putting together another deep run in March, he is focused on that at this point in time instead of other potential coaching opportunities.