Purnell And Clemson Agree To Contract Extension

Dec. 1, 2004

Head men’s basketball coach Oliver Purnell has agreed to a two-year contract extension, Director of Athletics Terry Don Phillips announced Wednesday. Purnell’s contract now runs through the 2010-11 basketball season.

“One of the major factors in rebuilding a program is stability,” said Purnell. “This contract extension is a testament to Clemson’s commitment to the men’s basketball program. On a personal level, I am very pleased that Clemson has reiterated that they would like me to be the person to serve as the Tigers’ head coach for several years to come.”

“It goes without saying that we are very pleased with Coach Purnell and the direction of the basketball program,” said Phillips. “Along with his wife, Vicki, he is a significant part of our community and we look forward to building Tiger basketball into an outstanding program.”

In his first season with the Tigers, Purnell led Clemson to wins over NCAA Tournament teams Boston College, East Tennessee State, North Carolina and NC State. His first Clemson team ranked second in the ACC in rebound margin, recording two of the top 10 rebound margin games in school history. His team defended aggressively, especially on the perimeter, a reason only one team shot over 50 percent from the field all season.

Clemson played the most difficult schedule in the nation according to Basketball Times Magazine and the second toughest according to collegerpi.com. Twenty-three of the last 25 opponents, including each of the last 18, advanced to postseason play. Clemson played 16 games against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, the most in Clemson history.