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USA Today
23-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell details why the Indiana job 'didn't feel right' for him
Clemson WR coach Tyler Grisham says the Tigers have a 'room full of starters' in 2025 Brad Brownell admits the Indiana head coaching job has always held a special place in his heart. A native of Evansville, Indiana, and lifelong Hoosiers fan, Brownell spoke with IU during its latest search. But in the end, he stayed where he felt most at home — Clemson. 'The Indiana job was 'the job,'' Brownell said Tuesday. 'I spoke with them, but I was never 'the guy.' It didn't feel right at that time.' Now entering his 16th season with the Tigers, Brownell is fresh off agreeing to a new six-year deal worth $27.5 million. The contract, signed in April, also includes a clause allowing him to step into a special assistant role to the athletic director if he ever steps away from coaching — a unique offering that further cemented his decision to stay. 'It's something we talked about when the Indiana thing was going on,' he said. 'That was something that I knew Clemson could offer me that another school could not.' Despite the allure of IU, Brownell and his family have embraced life in Clemson. The warm weather, lake living, and community connection all factored in — as did his growing legacy with the program. He's Clemson's all-time winningest coach with 292 victories, and he's led the Tigers to five NCAA Tournaments, including the 2024 Elite Eight and 2018 Sweet 16. 'There's a million reasons to stay here,' Brownell said with a grin. 'The warm weather and the lake, those aren't bad.' Clemson is riding a wave of historic success under Brownell, winning a school-record 27 games in 2024-25, finishing 18-2 in the ACC, and posting four wins over Top 25 opponents, including Kentucky and Duke. The Tigers also went 9-1 on the road in league play — the best mark in school history. Over the last three seasons, Clemson has amassed 74 wins, more than any other stretch in program history, and posted a .717 winning percentage in ACC play. Since 2017-18, the Tigers rank fourth in the conference in total wins and league victories. Brownell emphasized that the timing of the Indiana discussions came during a critical point in the Tigers' season. While he was honored by the interest, he ultimately trusted his instincts. 'You talk about it with your family — where do you see yourself, what do you want to do?' he said. 'And we just felt really at home here.' With a long-term plan now in place and his roots firmly planted, Brownell remains focused on building Clemson into a consistent national contender. 'I've poured my heart and soul into this place for 15 years,' he said. 'Tremendous highs, difficult lows, but unbelievable experiences. And we're not done yet.' Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
16-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former USC men's basketball star Drew Peterson signs with Charlotte Hornets
Former USC men's basketball star Drew Peterson has a new home. On Monday night, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Peterson has agreed to a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets. Peterson spent the past two seasons on a two-way deal with the Boston Celtics. In 2024, he won an NBA championship with the team. This past year, Peterson appeared in 25 games, averaging in 2.3 points and 1.5 rebounds per contest. After starting his college career at Rice, Peterson played at USC from 2020-2023. In each of his final two seasons in Cardinal and Gold, Peterson was named first-team All-Pac-12. During his USC tenure, the Trojans made it to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2021. Peterson was not selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. After a brief stint with the Miami Heat's G-League affiliate in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, he signed a two-way contract with the Celtics in December of 2023. Peterson had a lot of great moments during his time in Cardinal and Gold. USC fans will certainly be continuing to cheer him on at the next level.
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dick Vitale says Florida Gators 'owned' transfer portal
The times, they are a-changin'. But college basketball's favorite elder statesman, Dick Vitale, isn't rolling eyes at the new age of the sport he's made a career coaching and commenting on. Vitale is instead embracing the age of the transfer portal and the way it has "reshaped the title chase overnight." With the bulk of the transfer pool now decided on their future homes, Vitale is taking stock of which teams made the most impact in the portal. While Florida didn't nab any of the five Prime-Time Players (PTPs) Vitale singled out, the Gators still check in at No. 4 among the teams that "owned the portal." "Reigning champs didn't need quantity, just quality," Vitale said. "Enter Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee, a backcourt quicker than an airline Wi-Fi drop. Todd Golden's chomp stays ferocious." Golden has already proven himself a maestro of the portal market. Every member of his backcourt Big 3 a season ago came to Florida, and there's a good chance Walter Clayton Jr. finds himself on the program's Mt. Rushmore if such a thing were to ever truly exist. It took Clayton and Will Richard more than a season to play their best ball, though. Alijah Martin hit the ground running as a senior, which is the hope for Lee, who was among the Ivy League's best a year ago. Fland already has SEC experience, but his freshman season was limited due to injury. Still, Vitale is right in that they are two big-name transfers for a team coming off a national championship. With most of the frontcourt rotation returning, there's a decent chance to repeat in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Boston Globe
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
‘I needed to escape my coach': A second Boston University women's soccer coach faced complaints, then resigned
Four days later, Shayla Brown went further, sharing details with the team's sports psychologist. The coach, she said, was acting inappropriately toward one of BU's key players, focusing excessively on her and trying to manipulate her in ways that were distressing to the player and her teammates. Related : This was not a case of a coach coddling a prized player, Shayla Brown said. Her teammate was 'being groomed,' she told the psychologist. The next day, Shayla Brown and 17 other BU women's soccer players reported similar allegations to BU's Equal Opportunity Office. Before long, their teammate who was allegedly targeted shared her experience with school officials, as well. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Casey Brown, in a statement to the Globe, strongly denied the allegations. Advertisement The key player told the university then — and the Globe recently — that her coach fawned over her for more than two years in ways that felt relentless and wrong. She recalled navigating a stream of awkward texts, unsettling invitations, and unwanted attention. The player, who remains on the team, asked not to be identified. She said she is concerned about retaliation and her emotional health. Casey Brown, 37, was placed on leave midseason. A former BU star, Brown had played and served as an assistant coach under Nancy Feldman, who resigned in 2022 after guiding the Terriers to 14 NCAA Tournaments in 27 years at the helm. Advertisement Earlier this month, a popular podcaster, Alex Cooper, Casey Brown officially resigned in December after BU commissioned an investigation into complaints from the soccer players. The allegations and inquiry have not been previously reported. Both BU and Casey Brown said the investigation, by former federal civil rights attorney Philip Catanzano, found no misconduct by the coach. 'At the conclusion of the investigation, there were no BU policy violations and no evidence of sexual harassment,' BU said in a statement. 'Nevertheless, BU and Brown parted ways, and Brown is no longer the head coach.' Brown, who previously served as the head coach at Penn and Holy Cross, declined to be interviewed. Her statement said, 'I got into coaching to help student-athletes become the best version of themselves, on and off the field.' Brown said she has been committed in every way to helping her players and teams thrive. Related : 'I firmly object to the attack on my character and the way my conduct has been portrayed,' she said. 'The examples used against me are selective, out of context, and open to interpretation, yet they're being presented as fact. I reject that and I question why, despite a clear investigative outcome, these claims are still being amplified. 'I stand by my record and the values that shape my work as a coach.' Brown declined through her attorney, Christine Brown, of Christine Brown & Partners, to elaborate on why she resigned. Advertisement Investigative findings not shared BU, a private institution, said the investigative report will not be shared with the public. Members of the 2024 team said athletic director Drew Marrochello indicated the university negotiated the terms of Brown's resignation, but did not share the investigative findings, citing privacy laws. Now Feldman and Brown are both back in the news, along with questions about BU's handling of the complaints. Cooper said she never heard from the university again after she formally alleged sexual harassment to the administration. BU issued a statement about Cooper's allegation, saying the university 'has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment.' 'We have a robust system of resources, support, and staff dedicated to student well-being and a thorough reporting process through our Equal Opportunity Office,' the statement said. 'We remain committed to fostering a safe and secure campus environment for all.' 'Casey, help me,' Cooper recalled pleading to Brown in Feldman's office. Brown turned away, Cooper said, 'and did nothing about it.' Brown said in a statement to the Globe that she had 'no recollection' of the incident. 'But let me be absolutely clear: I would never ignore, dismiss or turn away from anyone — a player, a teammate, a friend, a family member — who sought my help in any capacity,' Brown stated. 'The suggestion that I would do otherwise is completely false.' Brown's declaration rang hollow to many of her former players. Four of the nearly 20 members of the 2024 team who registered complaints with BU about Brown's behavior told the Globe that she caused them or their teammates to seek mental health care. Related : Advertisement Nearly a decade after BU stood by Feldman amid Cooper's allegations, Brown's former players asserted that the university effectively protected Brown by permitting her to resign without notifying the public about the circumstances surrounding her departure. Brown has not coached since leaving BU. Brown's expressions of admiration or fondness for the player appeared evident among hundreds of text messages between the coach and player reviewed by the Globe. 'Love you always!' Brown texted. 'My dawgggg . . . Appreciate you always,' Brown said in another text. When the player pushed back over various issues, Brown tried to appease her, once texting, 'I feel like ur annoyed w me in general [sad face emoji] . . . sorry if I pissed you off.' 'I felt deeply uncomfortable and sexualized' When BU hired Brown in 2022, she seemed like a natural fit, given her experience as a four-time all-conference player for the Terriers from 2006-09 and as an assistant coach under Feldman. A former star at Natick High, Brown guided BU in her first year at the helm to an 11-8-1 record. One of the freshmen on her team would become the alleged object of her attention. Brown's focus on the player allegedly intensified in 2023. Three of her teammates said they had grown accustomed to coaches at all levels favoring certain players, but some said they were disturbed by what they described as Brown's persistent focus on this one team member. The player became increasingly isolated, they said, and team chemistry suffered. Camryn O'Connor, a senior from Easton and a close friend of the player, was among those who formally complained. O'Connor, who played three years for BU before stepping away after multiple concussions, recalled watching her friend's emotional health spiral downward. Advertisement 'Initially, she shared details about the troubling situation but then retreated into silence, her demeanor changing, as well,' O'Connor said. 'The once-sociable young woman became withdrawn from her relationships with friends and teammates.' The young woman said she was especially troubled by an incident in which Brown sent her a video clip of her competing in a game. The video featured her passing, moving, and shooting — 'nothing out of the ordinary,' she said — with Brown narrating over the footage. To her shock, she said, Brown made moaning sounds during her commentary. 'I felt deeply uncomfortable and sexualized,' she said. The player said she felt compelled at times to lie to Brown to avoid her. 'The truth was, I needed to escape my coach,' she wrote to the Globe. 'But saying 'no' felt impossible, as she held authority over every aspect of my life — soccer, academics, scholarship, housing, meal plans, even an opportunity to play [overseas].' As suspicions escalated about the coach's relationship with the player, a schism widened among teammates. 'Unconsciously, I began to distance myself from my teammates, and they, in turn, distanced themselves from me,' the player said. 'I later realized they feared I might report their frustrations or criticisms to our head coach. This dynamic created an atmosphere of tension and distrust, further isolating me from the people I relied on most.' In October, Brown was placed on leave. In December, BU posted a three-paragraph notice on its athletics website that Brown 'will be stepping down from her position.' Advertisement The notice made no mention of the complaints, instead listing Brown's accomplishments at BU. A separate message from Marrochello to BU's women's soccer alumni struck a more upbeat tone. He wrote, 'We wish Casey the best in her future endeavors.' Outrage ensued among members of the team. Players accused BU of caring more about its reputation than protecting student-athletes. 'In my opinion, the athletic department is as culpable as Casey Brown; they are the origin point of her abuse at Boston University and gave her the platform to do so by hiring her,' said Natalie Godoy, a senior forward from Connecticut. 'They then continued their negligence by failing to handle the situation efficiently and effectively.' University administration called 'cowardly' In a 45-minute meeting with Marrochello on the day Brown resigned, players lashed out, asserting that BU enabled Brown by allowing her to depart with her reputation intact, according to multiple participants. Players said they asked Marrochello if he believed he did everything he could to prevent Brown from repeating her alleged behavior at another school. 'This team deserves justice, which at minimum would be for the true narrative to be told,' Shayla Brown told the Globe. One player at the meeting called the administration's handling of the matter 'cowardly.' Another told Marrochello, 'Casey Brown is looking for a new job as you're looking for a new coach. That should make you sick to your stomach.' Marrochello acknowledged during the meeting that team members endured a 'tumultuous' and 'brutally tough year,' participants said. He told them the university handled the matter as well as possible and was constrained by privacy laws from saying more. 'I would not say I'm protecting her,' he was quoted as saying. He also expressed his commitment to student safety. BU said in its statement for this story: 'In recent weeks, the BU Equal Opportunity Office has reached out to every BU athlete to review resources, support, and reporting processes. While we have received some questions and comments from this outreach, we have no current reports of concerns to address or investigate.' It turned out that the Terriers fared well after Brown was placed on leave. They started the season 2-7-4 under her leadership, then went unbeaten in six straight games, capturing the Patriot League title and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. In January, Brown was officially replaced by one of her assistants, Megan Burke, who had coached the Terriers after Brown was placed on leave. A team that once seemed fractured now seems unified. Bob Hohler can be reached at
20-06-2025
- Business
Coastal Carolina all in on keeping baseball program a national power in new era of college sports
OMAHA, Neb. -- Though many athletic programs outside the power four conferences are expected to drop off competitively when scholarship limits are removed and revenue sharing begins July 1, College World Series finalist Coastal Carolina is committed to continue playing with the big boys in baseball. Rosters will be capped at 34 in Division I baseball going forward, and first-year athletic director Chance Miller told The Associated Press all 34 at Coastal Carolina would receive full scholarships and be in line for direct rev-share payments. Miller said he also believes the Chanticleers' opportunities for name, image and likeness earnings will compare favorably with those for power conference baseball teams within two years. Baseball is Coastal Carolina's flagship sport. The Chanticleers have played in 21 NCAA Tournaments since 1991, won the 2016 CWS for their first national championship in any sport, and they'll take a 26-game win streak into the best-of-three finals against LSU starting Saturday night. Coach Kevin Schnall said the athletic administration's support 'at the highest level' is a big reason the Chanticleers are back in Omaha. 'What I mean by that is they enabled us to hire an elite coaching staff that would rival any coaching staff in the entire country,' Schnall said. 'They give us the resources to put our players in the best position to become the best players that they can be. And it's an absolute team effort.' Miller said the budget has been restructured to allocate more money for scholarships without asking for additional institutional support. He said a significant portion of the revenue sharing for 2025-26 comes from donors, including a 'transformational gift' from one who wished to remain anonymous. A fundraising dinner in Omaha last week brought in $1 million, he said. Coastal Carolina's baseball players are earning about $200,000 combined in third-party NIL deals this year; retired coach Gary Gilmore noted, 'LSU has that much in just one guy.' Miller said NIL numbers for the next year will be inflated at a lot of power four schools. That's because many NIL deals were paid up front rather than having payments spread out. Athletes and their agents wanted to avoid having to get those valued at $600-plus vetted by the NIL clearinghouse, as required after June 6 when the House settlement was approved. 'We talked to one of the collectives from a power four school I know very well, and right now they're spending $2.5 million on the (baseball) team and next year they're going to spend $3 million because they frontloaded a lot of NIL money from their collective," Miller said. "The year after that, they're going to drop down to $500,000. So that's a drastic drop.' Miller's charge, like his predecessor's, is to keep Coastal Carolina in the top tier of college baseball. 'The mentality of our program — all the way back to Coach Gilmore's early days in the late 90s — was geared to reach Omaha," said Matt Hogue, who retired as athletic director last year to become director of Coastal Carolina's Center for Sports Broadcasting. 'The way we financially invested, how we scheduled, infrastructure. We always viewed the CWS as the expectation, not a novelty.' LSU coach Jay Johnson said if there's one non-power conference baseball program able to keep competing for trips to Omaha in the new era of college athletics, it's Coastal Carolina. 'Gonzaga basketball, Boise State football. The ones sustainable for decades, that's who they are,' he said. 'This is no surprise to me we're playing them. As long as coach Schnall's there, they're not going anywhere for a long time.'
