CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson University men’s basketball Head Coach Brad Brownell announced the hiring of Preston Greene as the director of basketball strength and conditioning. Greene is one of the most respected thinkers and practitioners in his field and has been instrumental in raising the bar at every stop.
Greene, who possesses nearly 30 years of experience, returns to Clemson after working with Florida and Miami (Fla.) men’s basketball over the last 14 seasons.
“It’s great to have Preston back in Tigertown. He’s one of the most respected strength coaches in our business,” said Brownell. “This is an extremely important position because of the impact strength coaches have on the development of our players. He’s had lots of success training high-level athletes and he’ll be instrumental in helping our players reach their potential.”
“Clemson is such a special place,” said Greene. “It’s where I got my start and went to school, so it’s very special to me and a place that I value. I’m excited to be able to return and work for Coach Brownell again. I can’t wait to get going with the guys this summer and help our players achieve big things in their careers.”
While at Miami (Fla.), Greene spent one season aiding the Hurricanes basketball program and helped lead them to a Final Four appearance in 2022-23.
Over Greene’s 11 seasons in Gainesville, the Gators went 249-127 and averaged 22 wins per season. Florida made the NCAA Tournament seven times, and advanced to four Elite Eights in a six-year span. That stretch included a Final Four appearance in 2014 during a 36-3 (18-0 SEC) campaign.
Greene was instrumental with multiple future NBA players while at Florida, including Bradley Beal, a three-time All-Star, and Dorian Finney-Smith.
Greene, a 1999 Clemson graduate, served on Brad Brownell’s staff for one season and spent two years overall (2009-11) at Clemson. The Tigers turned in a pair of 20-win seasons and earned two NCAA Tournament bids.
In 2008-09, Greene was the head men’s basketball performance coach at Stanford for Head Coach Johnny Dawkins.
Prior to his lone season in Palo Alto, Greene served as the Director of Strength & Conditioning for Charlotte from 2003-08. He worked primarily with the men’s basketball team under coach Bobby Lutz and also worked closely with the men’s golf team. Greene was an Assistant Strength, Speed & Conditioning Coach at the University of Arizona for two years prior to his time with the 49ers program. At Arizona, he assisted with the implementation of strength, speed and conditioning for the football team, while serving as the Head Strength Coach for the women’s basketball and women’s soccer programs. He also directed the department’s nutrition and supplementation program.
The Peachtree City, Ga. native worked as a student and graduate assistant under Joey Batson from 1995-99. He was in charge of strength & conditioning for golf, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, and volleyball. He also assisted with football during his time at Clemson.
Greene earned a bachelor’s degree in health science from Clemson in 1999, with a minor in sport management. He received a master’s degree in 2000 from the University of Minnesota in applied kinesiology and sports management. Greene holds numerous certifications and memberships, including the National Strength & Conditioning Association (NSCA). He also recently earned certification as a performance enhancement specialist by the National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM).
He is the co-founder of the Eleiko Strength Summit, first held on May 8, 2010, at the Poliquin Strength Institute in Greenwich, R.I. The Eleiko Strength Summit is an invite-only event that attracts the elite level strength & conditioning coaches in the United States.
Greene has contributed to multiple publications, including Digger Phelps’ third edition of “Basketball for Dummies” and Stanford’s “The Effects of Sleep Extension on the Athletic Performance of Collegiate Basketball Players” study. In addition, his first-year work with the Gators was featured on the cover of Bigger, Faster, Stronger magazine, while his 2019 efforts were profiled on ESPN’s “Gymratts” show.
