Give him time

Clemson has lost four games by mid-December, and it sounds kind of strange to say that's an extraordinary occurrence around these parts.

Oliver Purnell made a habit of running up gaudy records in November and December, fattening up on weaklings while also picking up a sprinkling of important wins.

From a win-loss perspective, this is the worst it's been this early since Purnell's first season in 2003-04, when the Tigers started 4-4 with losses to Purdue, South Carolina, Georgia and Cincinnati.

You can talk about the NCAA Tournament failures all you want, but it's a credit to Purnell that he elevated the standards here to the point that the current struggles are such a jolt. The four straight 20-win seasons and the three straight winning ACC records basically conditioned everyone to forget about this program's history and the limitations that have been so confining for so long.

No one expected this year's team to light it up, but most people probably anticipated it would be better than this. The Tigers were viewed as underachievers when they found a way to lose to N.C. State last year in the ACC Tournament's first round, then lost to Missouri in another early NCAA Tournament exit.

Now, it's almost a surprise to see them with a chance to win late in road games against South Carolina and Florida State.

That's a rapid change, and it's probably not easy for most Clemson fans to accept that this is a long-term rebuilding process under Brownell.

But give the man time.

During a disappointing regular season, Dabo Swinney told fans he needed just a little bit of patience from a fan base that expected better in 2010. Brownell needs a lot of patience as he tries to turn this thing around.

The issue does not appear to be coaching. Last night presented a strong indicator that this team is progressing in the difficult transition from one philosophical extreme to the other. The fact that the Tigers were in position to win at Florida State and South Carolina is a credit to the job Brownell and his staff have done.

The big issue is talent and skill, and the Tigers don't have enough of either. Catalin Baciu was viewed as a big fish by Purnell's staff several years ago, and that evaluation hasn't come close to materializing. The recruiting haul from two years ago was viewed as the best class in Clemson history, but two of those four players (Noel Johnson and Donte Hill) are no longer on campus. And the two remaining players (Milton Jennings and Devin Booker) are not reliable.

That's a big hit.

From the beginning, Brownell had no illusions about the size of his task here. Just a few weeks into his tenure, we had a lengthy sit-down with him in his office. He was stunningly candid when he informed us that he inherited a group that could not shoot nearly well enough for his tastes.

Brownell and his staff did a remarkable job during the offseason of convincing a number of players to remain instead of transferring. Those players included Johnson, Jennings, Booker, Hill, even Stitt.

Maybe the staff could've done a better job of anticipating the possibility that Johnson and Hill would jump ship eventually. Surely Brownell would've approached recruiting differently if he knew then what he knows now.

Even before the attrition, Brownell knew this team would have major trouble filling the void left by Trevor Booker. You don't lose a player like that and avoid a big dip. Not at Clemson.

No one in that basketball office is giving up on this season, but it's going to be a difficult year. Losing the only player who can create his own shot (Stitt) for a matter of weeks makes a bleak situation considerably worse. And though we've seen some impressive drive and determination from these players the past two games in the face of adverse circumstances, you wonder how long they'll be able to maintain it if they don't start seeing rewards in the form of victories.

This program needs more players right now. It needs more talent and skill. Brownell's biggest task is less X's and O's and more bringing in the type of talent and skill that can make those X's and O's work on a more consistent basis.

He needs more time and patience than a lot of us might've anticipated when he took over, but he deserves that time and patience.

LW