Joseph Girard explains decision to remain in ACC, transfer to Clemson

It didn’t take Syracuse guard Joseph Girard long to start hearing from schools after he put his name into the transfer portal. Girard spoke with Chris Spatola on SiriusXM and revealed that within two or three minutes, programs were reaching out.

“I put my name in there and within two or three minutes started getting some calls. And from there it kind of took off,” Girard said. “But I didn’t really have any agenda on where I wanted to go or where I wanted to be. I just kind of went into it with an open mind and found the best spot for me.”

At first, the sharpshooter thought that leaving the ACC might make the most sense.

Girard had proven what he could do in the ACC, averaging 16.4 points per game and shooting better than 38 percent from 3 this past season. Going to another conference seemed like it might be the best move for Girard, in his mind.

“To be honest, at first, it was a little nerve-racking for me. I didn’t know if I really wanted to [transfer to an ACC school], because with the experience and everything, you kind of want to see if you can play in a different environment, see if you can play a different style with all the other leagues that they offer,” Joseph Girard said.

“But in terms of the questions I would ask during the recruiting process, it was like, ‘I’ve played four years already in this league and all these teams kind of know me and know what I can do. Maybe it’ll hinder me if I come back, because they already know what I can do.'”

Clemson coach Brad Brownell and other coaches in the ACC convinced Girard that staying in the conference had benefits, too.

Ultimately, Girard narrowed his choice to a final two of LSU and Clemson, before choosing to stay in the ACC and play for the Clemson Tigers.

“A lot of coaches with a few of the schools that recruited me, they would say, ‘Well, you don’t think they’re going to know you if you go to the PAC-12 or the SEC?” Girard recalled. “I mean they kind of put it in a good perspective and it made sense.”

Girard was already familiar with the Clemson program and got to know PJ Hall and other future teammates even better during the recruiting process as a transfer. With Hall, Girard, Chase Hunter and others, the Clemson roster has a lot of talent heading into the 2023-24 season.

“looking at it, there are a lot of pros to it,” Girard said of staying in the ACC. “You’re familiar with all the teams, you’re familiar with all the arenas, you’re familiar with all the environments and you’ve been through it for four years. So it wasn’t important to me, and going into the portal, I really didn’t know what to expect, to be honest with you.”