Brad Brownell speaks about value of Joe Girard following homecoming vs. Syracuse

As a kid from New York who spent four seasons at an institution in his home state, Saturday’s game back at Syracuse for the first time as a member of Clemson was a challenge for Joe Girard. Even so, Brad Brownell felt as though his graduate guard handled the moment well considering all things.

Brownell spoke highly of Girard in his postgame press conference after he helped the Tigers win 77-68 at Syracuse on Saturday. He started by revisiting their decision to add Girard in the portal this offseason and discussing the ways in which that recruitment has paid off over his 23 games with the program.

“Joe has been terrific. We thought he would. We recruited him pretty hard in the transfer portal, got to know him through that process. Just really knew that he had something about him that was different. He’s a winner, he’s a mature guy,” said Brownell. “Poise, right? That’s part of the reason that I wanted another guard like that. I thought we had a chance to have a really good team but I wanted another guy that environments like this? At North Carolina, at Duke? He wasn’t going to flinch.”

“He has helped our team tremendously, not only as a player. He’s obviously a very good player. But just his maturity, his approach, the way that he goes about his business? A team guy, everybody gets along with him,” Brownell said. “I think it has been really good for him.”

Brownell also thinks Girard’s decision to come to Clemson has benefitted him as much as it has them considering all the ways that he has developed in his short time there so far.

“I think he has really grown through the process,” Brownell said. “Moving away, being a little more out on his own? Having to figure some things out, adjusting to a little bit of a different lifestyle down here at Clemson? Certainly adjusting to a new coach, a different style of play? Those are all things that are going to help him moving forward. That’s part of why he made the decision.”

This weekend’s matchup with the Orange was tough on Girard on a personal level after spending four years with the team as an in-state product. He appeared in 125 games at Syracuse with all but two being starts. In that time, he averaged 13.2 points, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals. However, after the retirement of Jim Boeheim, he elected to transfer and ended up at Clemson out of the portal.

In his return on Saturday, Girard led the Tigers in scoring with 18 points on 5-6 (83.3%) shooting to go with six assists, a pair of boards, and a steal in the nine-point road win. A pair of those 18 points pushed him over the mark of 2,000 for his collegiate career.

Girard likely became a villain to some who support the Orange upon his departure, especially with him back for the first time this past weekend. Brownell hopes they all don’t see him that way, though, considering how much he stills loves the place where he started out.

“Obviously, today was not easy for him. Very emotional. We talked a couple of times during the week. I think he handled it very well,” Brownell said. “Folks need to know that he loves this place tremendously. He has never said anything otherwise down at our place. Obviously, he loves Coach Boeheim, the coaching staff, and all the players that he has played with. This place will always have a special place in his heart.”

“This was not an easy trip back for him,” said Brownell. “I certainly hope that the Syracuse people feel special about Joe Girard because I know that he feels that way about them.

Had Boeheim never retired, Girard may have decided to remain and finish his career at Syracuse. That just wasn’t the case in the end and, in the modern day, it led to a decision that has shifted a lot of things for both Girard and for Clemson.

“College athletics is different right now. There was a change here and he wanted to try something different,” said Brownell. “We’re obviously very thankful that he did.”