The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage from Los Angeles with an interview of Clemson basketball parents Jerome & Melanie Hall about their son PJ.
Your son PJ was born/raised in Spartanburg, SC, and was a top-50 recruit coming out of high school: what made him choose Clemson? While most people say Spartanburg we live in the suburb Moore, SC. It later turned out that it was always “Clemson to beat” but he kept his cards close to his chest. He saw his siblings’ own college journeys so we did not interfere: if we saw a red flag then we would raise it…but I never saw a single 1 at Clemson. They are by the book and if they cannot do something then they will just say so. It is well-run, palms-up, what you see is what you get: from the president to the athletic director down to Coach Brownell. We appreciated the transparency: nobody at Clemson ever made promises they should not have, such as that he would start. It felt right to us, and he had an immediate bond with some of the other players from the 1st day he visited, especially Hunter Tyson. Coach Brownell is like a dad-away-from-home and fosters a tremendous culture, 1 that PJ flourishes in.
Jerome: you work at the RD Anderson Applied Technology Center teaching carpentry to high school students: how much of an influence have you had on your son to balance his work on the court with his work in the classroom? PJ took 1 of my carpentry classes back in the day. Coach Brownell is a very detail-oriented guy who schedules his day hour-by-hour…just like me! PJ is a fun-loving free spirit, so he brings a different vibe to us about relaxing. When it is time for discipline, he is all over it: the competitive spirit is there.
Jerome: you used to work as a college basketball official: any thoughts on the state of officiating in 2024? Everybody is human but it is the hardest game to referee due to the athleticism/speed of the game. Rough play is illegal and sometimes it gets overlooked. I do not miss trying to stay prepped on the floor but I do miss the camaraderie with the other refs. Hopefully the NCAA will massage the review process to make it quicker, but also more accessible so that they get the call right. My referee buddies will call me about certain plays that come up during a game. PJ had dinner with us after the Sweet 16: he had a team meeting, but Coach let him slip out to join us (he still made the meeting: Coach was just being understanding by letting him leave the property). We try to put things in perspective because he gives it during games as well as takes it…although I do not think that he has flattened anyone’s face before!
Your family friend David Renwick (whose daughter Anna is PJ’s girlfriend and whose son Jack was PJ’s high school baseball/basketball teammate) passed away around Thanksgiving of 2022: how has your family’s faith helped you overcome that terrible loss? Both my father and my wife’s father were ministers so faith was ingrained in us from a young age. David asked me if I wanted to coach little league: Anna was 1 of their teammates as well! We would talk every couple of days for decades and go to lunch after church every Sunday. We did everything with David, and we miss him every day. Melanie: our faith assures us of reuniting 1 day, which helps ease some of the sting. There is still longing for the physical presence but knowing that his family will reunite with him 1 day is a wonderful feeling to lean on…especially during this time of year (Good Friday/Easter/etc.). He was an amazing father/friend/role model. So many people leave with unfinished business, but boy did he have a lot wrapped up when he left.
Last spring PJ declared for the NBA draft and earned an invitation to the draft combine but ultimately chose to return to school: how close did he come to going pro, and do you think that he made the right decision? We always think he makes the right decision with everything he does. We are here for support and advice is asked, but ultimately these are his own prayerful decisions to make. He knew that he had some deficiencies and questions about his position at the next level (whether he would play the 3/4/5). He wanted to get that feedback from someone in the league, which was eye-opening to him. I know how much he loves Clemson: I always joke with him that now is the time for him to run for mayor. Everyone loves him…except for 1 woman who would not let him give a treat to her dog! There was a daily discussion with Coach Brownell and others, but the greatest component was having a healthy body and showing the scouts how well he can play when he is healthy. He can jump, has quick feet without holding back, and if he had made a big impact then there was the possibility of staying in the draft. He decided that he had unfinished business and wanted to come back to school and have a greater impact. He has been vocal about wanting to leave a legacy: not just a personal 1 but for recruiting purposes after seeing what the program has done over the past few years. That was his goal, rather than to have his jersey hanging in the rafters someday.
He has undergone multiple surgeries during his college career: what was it like as a parent watching him go through rehab multiple times? Our daughter had hip labrum surgery and had to be off her feet for several weeks. We were watching the Louisville game and he got hurt about 90 seconds into it after landing funny (although he broke the bone in his foot in a game against Drake). Thayer was sitting in a booth with her leg up and we were just bawling at the restaurant table: it was very hard. He texted me from the training room to tell us that he was okay. I go back to our faith: in our hardest times every step in our journey prepares us for our next 1, whether it is a peak or valley. Having that belief helps us navigate those tough times and helps the result feel more positive because we will come out better on the end of it. He believes that wholeheartedly and knows that God has got this and just figures out what action he needs to take.
He turned 21 last month: what did you all do for his big day? He played Georgia Tech. Mom fixed him a lemon poppy seed cake, which is his favorite. I asked him if I should slice it up for the flight home…but he said no because he was not going to share it! I told my father Paul about it, and he told PJ that it was very wise on his part.
Jerome played basketball at Wofford, Melanie played basketball/volleyball at Charleston, your daughter Thayer played volleyball at Florida, and your son Chris Ross played college basketball at Anderson University: who is the best athlete in the family? We kind of think Thayer…whose husband Ryan Weathers plays baseball for the Marlins! They get their “chill” from their mother and their competitive drive from their father. Melanie was quite good and rarely left the court, but did not have the crazy/ferocious drive that some people possess. Jerome always had that animalistic drive and coached PJ in travel ball: it was the same. I would have friends text me about Coach Brownell getting in PJ’s face on the sideline and people would wonder how he could take it: PJ loved Brownell and said he had nothing on Jerome! Everything in life prepares you for later. In their primes, Christopher was probably the most athletic. Thayer is the most decorated/competitive and cannot stand to lose or watch someone cheat. PJ might be the most “complete” athlete: he can withdraw himself from the competitiveness and just remain a fun-loving kid while guarding a 7’1” center. Chris plays in an adult league in Greenville and nothing has changed: he is in it for blood despite THREE ACL surgeries! Chris had a long journey, then really changed his body when he got to college…which set the tone for PJ/Thayer after seeing how hard he worked because it did not come easy for him. Chris is 10 years older than PJ but they were very much alike and PJ has always looked up to him while seeing him scratch/claw/succeed. After COVID hit everyone moved home: as bad as it was for other families, it solidified/changed ours in ways I could never have dreamed of. They moved together as a pack, and it was so amazing to watch that: it was awesome.
In the 2nd round of the ACC tourney PJ scored 21 PTS in a 21-PT loss to BC: what was his mood like after the game, and how did the Tigers turn things around since then? We walked back to the hotel to meet him after the game and had to find a secluded corner for him to show some emotion because his heart was very heavy. He was bewildered and just searching for the answer to what happened. He takes his leadership role so seriously: we were right behind the bench and heard him trying to motivate his teammates to turn the ship around. He put that on his shoulders even though everyone was trying. PJ has big dreams and wants to change the face of Clemson basketball. It is icing/gravy from here on out because nobody thought they would make it this far. It feels like the start of the season when they were 11-1 and nobody cared who got the most PTS/REB. I do not think there is a player/parent connected to this team who does not subscribe to that. PJ is emotional about Brownell and only tells us a fraction about what goes on in the locker room, but we saw what Coach had to deal with. There was a terrible narrative on message boards about him being a bad coach/terrible guy, but nothing could be further from the truth. In a perfect world winning the ACC tourney would have been his dream but seeing him go from that low point in DC to the high point this weekend shows how he has come full circle. He gets horrible messages on social media and some idiot hacked his Twitter, so he shut it down and has not reopened it, which has been good for him.
Any predictions for the game vs. Alabama tonight? I am not an analyst, but I have heard that it is a good matchup for the Tigers, and PJ feels the same. I feel bad for UNC: I met some of their players the other day including RJ Davis/Armando Bacot and they were so nice. When they played against Clemson earlier this season Harrison Ingram cramped up and fell to the floor: everyone else kept playing but PJ bent down to ask if he was okay.
I think the 2 programs have a similar culture/mutual respect and it would have been fun to match up with them…but we like our chances. Alabama has been on a run and we will try to slow them down. We are a little more physical inside, but they shoot better from the outside. It will come down to who handles the pressure better and can shoot the ball. We are hoping for a few calls to go our way as well: anything 50-50 needs to be orange!