New WBB coach Shawn Poppie believes Clemson can capitalize on excitement for the sport
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
There’s no better time for Clemson to show its support for women’s basketball than right now, Shawn Poppie says.
“This sport in on the rise,” the Tigers’ new head coach said Tuesday. “There is also an excitement. My 3-year old can’t go anywhere around town without saying: ‘Daddy, look! There is your picture!’ It has been an exciting time for the welcome and I do think there is a buzz right now in our community for women’s basketball and I think there is no better time than now to capitalize on that.”
Poppie, 38, was officially hired last week and replaced Amanda Butler, who was fired March 13 after six seasons. Poppie signed a six-year contract worth $3.375 million in total with an annual average pay of $562,500, according to his contract approved March 26.
With the NCAA Tournament Final Four just days away, Poppie tried to capitalize on the buzz surrounding the sport during his introductory press conference Tuesday at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum. The Southern Conference Coach of the Year believes he can bring the same level of excitement at Clemson for women’s basketball that he witnessed while coaching at Chattanooga and Virginia Tech.
“The reality is, there are three hundred and something teams in the country. Everybody wants to win a conference tournament or national championship, so if we walk in there and that’s the goal, then we have the same goal as everybody else,” he said. “I think for us, I call it the ‘it factor.’ When you come watch us or are around our program, you will feel ‘it’?
“How are we loving each other? What’s our energy level? How are we competing? Are we doing the things that it takes to win games? The results will take care of themselves. I think when you focus on the little things every single day and do things the right way, I have full confidence of who we are as coaches and what we are going to do that the wins will come.”
Poppie was 48-18 in his two seasons leading Chattanooga and directed the Mocs to consecutive Southern Conference Tournament championships and NCAA appearances.
As for getting Clemson fans excited about women’s basketball again, Poppie said it’s a two-way street. He was asking fans for their support while acknowledging how he has to show those in the Clemson community how much he cares about them.
“We have to get ourselves out in the community. We have to get ourselves on campus. We have to be open,” he said. “I think the minute I stepped foot on campus, I feel like I have been on a parade. It has been an unbelievable welcome and I do think there is an excitement.”
Women’s basketball communications director Austin Christensen asked Poppie if wanted to turn down any media requests for interviews. “No,” Poppie said.
“We are an open book. Come on in, be a part of us,” he said. “I think with how we represent ourselves in a way that makes our fan base proud is also another way to invite. We have to capitalize. Women’s basketball is at the forefront of national attention.
“I think the Sweet 16 games were the second-most watched in the history of the sport. At one point, early on, they sold more Final Four tickets on the women’s side than the men’s side. ... We are getting national coverage for the first time. We are in every home. I think it is a wonderful time to capitalize on that movement.”
Clemson WBB coaching history
Annie Tribble, 1982-87, 90-85 (.514)
Jim Davis, 1988-2005, 355-197 (.643)
Cristy McKinney, 2006-10, 59-93 (.388)
Itoro Umoh, 2011-13, 25-63 (.284)
Audra Smith, 2014-18, 52-101 (.340)
Amanda Butler, 2019-24, 81-106 (.433)
Shawn Poppie, 2024-
