CLEMSON -- The social-media announcement by P.J. Hall hammered home the precise reason it'd have been such a blow to see him leave:
"I came to Clemson for a reason, and I ain't done yet."
BECOME A SUBSCRIBER AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!
Yes, of course there's the talent and the experience. Of course those are vital factors when you're trying to assess the importance of a player to a program that has rarely boasted players of this caliber.
But there's just something more to this kid, and that was apparent to most of us toward the end of his sophomore season when he started to become a force of nature.
ALSO SEE: Thursday Insider Notes | Midweek Recruiting Insider | Wednesday Insider Notes | As the ACC turns | Four-star receiver set to visit next week | Untenable situation?
Even back then, even when he was carrying the team on not just his broad shoulders but a fractured foot, you knew he was going to be special.
A player who's wired to be the pulse of a team, who loves grabbing the PA microphone on his home court after games to speak to the fans.
A player who marinates in the college experience, and more particularly the Clemson experience.
A franchise-type presence who, combined with the addition of scorer Joe Girard from Syracuse, makes high achievement realistic for a team that ended last season in disappointment.
When Hall first announced his plans to declare for the draft without signing with an agent, it barely registered with us because we assumed his return was inevitable.
Turns out his decision was harder than everyone believed initially, as we've reported over the past two weeks.
It was the result of his eye-opening showing at the NBA G League Elite Camp, which propelled him to an invite to last week's NBA Combine in Chicago.
For most of the last two weeks, the word we got from those in the know was that the odds still favored Hall returning.
But the chances weren't strong enough to eliminate some serious nervousness around Clemson's basketball offices.
In hindsight you can more clearly understand how Hall made such a good representation for himself in front of the NBA folks. After missing the entirety of last offseason recovering from not just the foot surgery but also a knee surgery last summer, and after a full return to health was almost impossible during a grueling season, he's finally back to being himself of late.
And it came at an ideal time when he went off to perform for pro personnel.
Don't misunderstand: We're not saying Hall would've been selected in the two-round draft. The more likely scenario of his departure had him being signed to a two-way contract, which allows developing players to simultaneously fill a roster spot on both an NBA team and its G-league affiliate.
Join Tigerillustrated.com subscribers on The West Zone message board!
But there was a realistic notion of Hall choosing to call it a Clemson career, and that thought probably made Brad Brownell want to vomit.
Of course the longtime coach would've been happy for his player. But boy it'd have been a devastating blow to the 2023-24 team's chances, given that every key personnel decision made in the months after the season was made with Hall's return presumed.
Now the Tigers have the ACC's top two returning scorers from conference play last season.
Hunter Tyson was a major piece that's no longer there, and Brevin Galloway is gone as well.
But this provides such a monster lift to a program and a team that was so close to high achievement last year.
Hall will be well compensated for his final year in college; we're told his NIL deal is likely to be sweetened to the point of nearing $500,000 which is about what he'd have made had he signed a two-way contract in the NBA.
Hall had until June 12 to make a decision, but he chose May 25 to announce a one-way trip back to Clemson.
So much would've felt incomplete had he left.
BECOME A SUBSCRIBER AT TIGERILLUSTRATED.com!
It feels like Clemson deserves one more year of this transformative force, but Hall would probably say he deserves one more year of Clemson.
The player and the place are a perfect match, really.
He and Clemson aren't done yet.
SHOP NOW: Every Clemson collectible and a lot of autographed memorabilia at The Tiger Fan Shop HERE!
