Brownell says he's thankful Devin Booker, Milton Jennings stuck around for Tigers

Change is difficult, especially for young players still looking to make their marks.

Brad Brownell knows that Devin Booker and Milt Jennings had options when Oliver Purnell unexpectedly left Clemson for DePaul.

"First of all, I'm really appreciative of the two kids staying," said Brownell when asked about the Tigers' two seniors during the ACC coaches' teleconference on Monday. "I think when you're a sophomore like they were, rising sophomores, at end of your freshmen year, it's kind of a tough time for new kids. You haven't really been at the place long enough to have your roots established.

"Really both those guys as freshmen weren't established as players, so it would have been very easy for them to go somewhere else. I'm obviously very happy they didn't, that they stayed with us."

Brownell said that in their own way, both Booker and Jennings "have had nice careers."

"I think Devin is having an all ACC type year in terms of what he's been able to do night in, night out, averaging 14 or 15 points a game in league play with eight, nine rebounds," Brownell said. "He does a lot of blue collar heavy lifting, as I like to call it, things that you need to get done that doesn't always get noticed that helps you win games, whether it's playing in the post, rebounding, setting screens, doing all the little things that big guys have to do.

"I think he's really improved throughout the course of his time here from a guy who really wasn't very comfortable at times playing with the ball to being able to make moves around the basket, make a high post shot. He's having a good senior year, and has been very consistent."

Jennings, meanwhile, has struggled with the weight of high expectations.

"Milt has had a tough career in some ways that expectations have been extremely high on him, and at times he probably hasn't met what our fans would like out of him," Brownell said. "But in all honesty, he's really played pretty well for us in a lot of games for us over the last two years.

"He's been very consistent here, especially defensive rebounding and pretty consistent, reasonably consistent, scoring wise, getting us anywhere from 10 to 12 points a game.

"He's a guy who has really matured over the course of the last three years since I've been here and is completely different now than he was when I first got here the beginning of his sophomore year."

Both Jennings and Booker will be honored tonight before the Tigers' 7 p.m. game against Boston College.