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GLENS FALLS – lens Falls High School graduate Joseph Girard III recently decided to transfer to Clemson University for a graduate season of men’s basketball. This comes after playing four years for Syracuse and Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim.
During his time at Syracuse, The 6-foot-1 Girard was a four-year starter who averaged 13.1 points (16.4 this past season), 4.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He is New York State’s all-time leading scorer as a high school student with 4,763 points.
Girard’s final two choices for transferring were LSU and Clemson.
Sports reporter Will Springstead spoke with Girard recently for a question-and-answer interview.
Question: Once coach Boeheim retired, did that set the wheels in motion to either go into the NBA Draft or transfer for a fifth year?
Answer: Yeah, it was. Nobody really knew he was retiring until after that last game against Wake Forest. It kind of just got sprung onto us when we got back to the hotel. I didn’t know what to feel. Obviously, it took a few days to really process what had happened, and it still doesn’t make sense that coach Boeheim isn’t coaching Syracuse basketball anymore, but it kind of just changes your mindset. Obviously it plays a part in it — I went to Syracuse to play for him, and with him being gone, it just kind of made sense to explore all the other options I had.
Q: How did you weigh the two things concurrently, going in the NBA Draft or taking a fifth year? Were you just trying to get as much information about what your level of draftability was?
A: 100%. I think I was going into it, my main focus was keeping all the options open. I went into it with an open mind and not really knowing what was going to be the best option. By doing that, it allowed me to kind of weigh both sides. Once I added my name to the portal, it was, like, two or three minutes later I was already getting calls from other colleges. It kind of all spiraled. I did have an NCAA-certified agent, so he knew about my eligibility and took me through the draft process. With being a highly touted transfer recruit, it kind of — not that it hinders your ability to get a pro look, but they kind of understand where your process is at. I was just doing both to weigh both options.
Q: I remember the tweet that teased ‘Which Tiger will I be?’ There were other schools, but did you just want to wait until it was a list where you knew you’d want to be?
A: It kind of got a little hectic at one point. I had about 11-12 schools coming to my house in Glens Falls, their coaches, all that kind of stuff. I had fit that into a two-week period, and after that I set up some visits, and was trying to set up others, but the way it all unfolded, I was comfortable with those two [LSU and Clemson] after taking those visits, and was just ready to decide between them. It was getting a little hectic, not frustrating, but every day there was someone at the house, still getting calls from new schools, so I just wanted to narrow it down and figure out where I was going to go next year.
Q: So what was it that made you like both and ultimately decide on Clemson?
A: Both are great programs. Coach [Matt] McMahon is known for getting a lot of guards to be professionals. He’s had some success at Murray State, and now he’s got some guys at LSU that are his type of guys. I was pretty intrigued by it. And the LSU brand, all the kind of stuff it brings, with being able to play on a national stage. But I ultimately loved Clemson. I was very familiar with them from, obviously, playing against them for four years. Coach [Brad] Brownell’s a great coach, been there a while, had a lot of success. The guys on the team I was familiar with; they’re great guys, great players. I’m not just saying this because I’m going there, but last year they should have made the tournament. They came in third in the ACC and beat multiple NCAA Tournament teams multiple times. They’ve got a good team, and with only having one year left, I wanted to go somewhere I’m giving myself the best chance to make the NCAA Tournament again. I haven’t been there in a few years and want to do that again, so Clemson gives me the best chance for that, gives me the best chance to have a similar role like I’ve had for four years, and it’s a good opportunity to experience something new. I’ve been in New York for 22 years. It’s time to go experience something else and live a little bit different lifestyle, but at the same time focus on basketball and get a master’s degree.
Q: What’s your undergraduate degree in, and is that what you’ll be getting a master’s in?
A: At first, I started in communications at the Newhouse School. Then I [switched] to sport management, and got a sport management degree with a minor in coaching. The master’s program at Clemson is called athletic leadership, so it’s perfect if I want to become a coach one day. I can skip all the grad assistant levels and get right into an assistant coaching job. So it’s perfect for what I want to do in the future. So that was a key thing that helped a lot.
Q: I know you hate to lose, and you didn’t do much of it in high school. Obviously that might not have gone as well at Syracuse. How has that changed you?
A: It takes a toll on you mentally. I hadn’t experienced it much, so it was an adjustment for me to figure out how to deal with it, and it still isn’t easy for me to do. I’ve been vividly frustrated there at times. I mean, my four years have been great; I can’t say one bad thing about it. But when you’re losing, especially in games where you’re winning the whole time and all of a sudden at the end of the game you lose by a point or two, that’s just frustrating. But it’s a part of being a college athlete at the Division I level. I knew it was going to come with it, but I’ve never been able to adapt to it. I never want to be able to be OK with losing. I’m looking forward to getting with Clemson. They’ve got a great team, great guys, should be a lot of wins.
Q: They appear to have a really good list of transfers coming in besides you. That’s a good list, isn’t it?
A: Yeah, they’ve got a guy from Air Force, a guy I played against at NC State, another guy who’s from the Netherlands. But there’s also a good group of guys returning from last year. It’s going to be a good mesh and a really good team, a fun team to watch.
Q: You mentioned coach Brownell thinks you fit into his style. You became a guard who’s comfortable inside and out. Is that how he’ll use you?
A: It’s a different style of basketball than we played at Syracuse, obviously. In terms of myself, still a similar role — going to handle the ball, going to score, do all that kind of stuff — but it will be a different system. I’m looking forward to it. I played against them for four years, so I know what they’re about and looking for, so it’ll be good.
Q: When you say different style, you mean man-to-man defense?
A: (Laughs) Yeah. Coach Brownell is known to be one of the best defensive coaches in the ACC every year. That was another thing for me. I’m looking forward to playing man-to-man, I’ve done it my whole life. I didn’t go to Syracuse because they play a 2-3 zone, I went to Syracuse for all the other factors I wanted to go there for. But I’m looking forward to playing man to man. It’s something I know I want to do — want to show everybody and show myself that I’m not as unathletic as people think. It’s something I can do and I’m looking forward to doing it. With Coach Brownell and the staff they have there, it’ll be easier for me to adapt to it.
Q: When do you leave for Clemson?
A: I’m going June 1, then I have to do physicals and all that stuff. Then I want to say team workouts start June 5.
Q: Is the NBA still the ultimate goal, and if not, maybe professionally overseas?
A: Yeah, 100%. I’m playing basketball for as long as I can, and I hope that’s another double-digit amount of years no matter where it is, what it is. Basketball is all I’ve ever known, and it’s all I’m going to know. I’m looking forward to winning a lot of games this year. People like winners, so try to get on a winning team and contribute. And then after that I’ll be playing basketball for a long time.
Contact Will Springstead at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @WLSpringstead.
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