Brad Brownell has his backcourt of the future all sewn up.
Al-Amir Dawes, a top-150 guard from New Jersey, committed to Brownell and Clemson on Thursday to give the Tigers a replacement for its graduating backcourt.
Dawes joins three-star, fellow top-150 guard Chase Hunter as the second member of Brownell’s 2019 class.
“They are losing their entire backcourt and they have Chase Hunter coming in now, too. With Al and him, and alongside quality wings that they have returning, they should be really good,” Dawes’ guardian Ayton Branch told Rivals. “They have shooters and depth at every position.
“The style of play and how Brad runs a lot of ball screens was big, as well.”
It’s a GREAT day to be a Clemson Tiger 🐅! #ClemsonGRIT #tigerpride
— Coach Brad Brownell (@Coach_Brownell) October 11, 2018
Dawes, a 6-foot-2 prospect that can play both backcourt positions, chose Clemson over the likes of Connecticut, St. Joe’s, TCU and Wichita State.
Clemson, which went 25-10 and made the Sweet 16 last season, will be losing its starting backcourt of Shelton Mitchell and Marquise Reed after the 2018-19 campaign, making finding reinforcements a priority for Brownell and his staff. Dawes averaged 15.5 points, 4.3 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals in EYBL action last summer.