While talking with a friend on the phone today, I made the statement that "Oliver Purnell is the most important coach currently at Clemson". My friend paused for a second and then told me he thought I might be right.
There is no denying that Clemson is and will always be, for the foreseeable future, a football school. I am a Tommy Bowden fan, but the football program at Clemson would continue on without him. Trying to find the next head football coach at Clemson will not be a problem for Terry Don Phillips. The baseball program under Jack Leggett has been as rock solid as any program anywhere in the nation. You don't just have 14 consecutive seasons with 39 or more wins, receive 14 straight NCAA tournament bids, and finish ranked in the top 25 12 of the past 14 seasons without doing it right. But again, should Jack retire tomorrow, there are those waiting in the wings to continue the success at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.
Now I understand that the Clemson men's basketball program hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament yet under Oliver's direction, but you must admit every year with OP at the helm has been better than the last. Which brings me to the question, "If Coach Purnell were to leave Clemson, who would do a better job?". My answer is no one! Oliver Purnell is the perfect fit for Clemson basketball. Ask coaches around the league and the country about Coach Purnell and they will all tell you about his coaching, recruiting, and public relations abilities. More than that they will tell you he knows how to build, run, and establish a winning program.
The pecking order among Clemson fans is:
1) Football
2) Baseball
3) Spring Football
4) Men's Basketball
Attendance figures and demand for tickets will tell you that, yet Oliver Purnell never complains about where he falls in the pecking order. He just works everyday to make the program better. Back in March of 1998 when Rick Barnes left for the Texas job, he did so because he thought it was a better job. He thought he could win more. He thought he could have a shot at a national championship. Oliver Purnell believes those things can be done here at Clemson. Oliver believes in Clemson and I just wish Clemson nation would believe more in Oliver Purnell.
