LOS ANGELES — Only inches, maybe centimeters, separated Clemson coach Brad Brownell's face from PJ Hall's.
It was early in the second half of the Tigers' second-round contest with Baylor, but Brownell was boiling over. For a second game in a row, Hall wasn't able to stay on the floor because of foul trouble. He wasn't where Brownell needed him to be, doing exactly what Brownell needed him to do, in that very moment, and Hall could read the intensity on his coach's face.
A verbal barrage ended and Hall answered, simply, "Yes, sir."
"We're both very competitive people," Hall said. "He is a way more intense person. I'm a little bit more of a loosey-goosey. But we're both wildly competitive. So he knows I can take that."
In the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, No. 6-seeded Clemson proved it could prevail even with Hall on the bench for half of the 80 minutes played. The backcourt of Chase Hunter and Joe Girard III hit shots, and forwards Ian Schieffelin and RJ Godfrey picked up slack as Hall was sidelined.
If the Tigers can finally keep Hall on the floor for the majority of a Sweet 16 matchup with No. 2 Arizona, maybe they can reach their upper limit.
"I love PJ Hall. He's one of my all-time favorites," Brownell said. "To be honest with you, I was too hard on him (versus Baylor). And I didn't help him play as well as he can play."
It's a difficult balance for a coach, picking and choosing their words depending on the person and the situation.
In the Baylor win, Hall may have taken his coach's feedback and tried just a little too hard.
The 6-foot-10 senior misfired on layups and crashed into opponents for fouls, finishing just 4-of-11 from the field before he inevitably fouled out.
Touching down in Los Angeles, Hall and Brownell earn a fresh start. The first-team All-ACC forward, a national player of the year candidate, will find himself pitted against a 7-foot, 260-pound senior center, Oumar Ballo, who averages 12.9 points and 10 rebounds per game.
The Wildcats also feature a familiar foe, former North Carolina guard Caleb Love.
"They play with pace. They certainly have an inside presence," Brownell said. "They go right to Ballo on the high-low right away on almost every single possession."
Hall still produced 25 points in 37 minutes in the Tigers' first two NCAA tournament wins, but he can produce more if he stays on the floor. And Clemson will need all the help it can get to overcome the Wildcats.
For Hall, that just means playing smarter.
"As corny as it sounds, sticking to your fundamentals. Not using your hands, using your elbows and forearms and stuff and make sure you're not grabbing," Hall said. All the stupid stuff that gets you those dumb fouls, try to stay away from that."
Hall doesn't worry as much about Brownell's coaching style.
While he profiles as a gentle giant because of well-worn stories about the treats that sit in his car for strangers' dogs, and the time he jumped a car battery for a Duke beat reporter stranded in the Littlejohn Coliseum parking lot, Hall recalls being coached by his father, Jerome, a college basketball referee, during little league baseball games.
"My mom had to teach me how to not look in the dugout when I was pitching," Hall said. "As tough as it was with that, having someone get on you like that, pushes you harder and puts you in a mindset to go out there and compete."
Hall trusts Brownell to push his buttons.
"It's incredible playing for that man. If you're wondering, there's nothing wrong with us," Hall said, smiling. "He just knows how to push me and get me how to play a little bit harder."
Hall is quick to express his admiration for Brownell, who convinced the Spartanburg native to stay home. He just as quickly acknowledges his desire to win for Brownell, who has his detractors in the Clemson fan base because of struggles to win in March.
Now, the Tigers are winning, and what's transpired could have ramifications beyond this final stretch of Hall's college career.
Schieffelin, a junior, has posted 13.5 points and nine rebounds a game in the NCAA tournament, while the sophomore Godfrey has posted seven points and five boards per contest.
Godfrey, just under 60 percent from the free throw line this season, went 4-of-4 in the final moments as the Tigers' iced a win over Baylor.
"Seeing that gives him confidence, not just for the rest of the tournament but the rest of his career," Hall said. "This is an eye-opening, incredible boost for him. It's amazing to watch evolve."
Hall wasn't able to carry the weight of Clemson's team on his shoulders in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. But after the Tigers' first-round win over New Mexico, Hall embraced another heavy lift.
He raised a 60-pound boombox above his head amid a locker-room celebration, dubbed "DJ Hall" by Clemson athletic director Graham Neff. The track was "Murder on the Dance Floor," by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, appropriate given the NCAA tournament's "Big Dance" nickname.
"I'll tell you what, I won't pick that thing up again," Hall said, "because it's about 60 pounds. My arms were dying."
Hall has a chance to do a different kind of lifting Thursday, boosting the Tigers to their first Elite Eight since 1980.
"I feel fine, ready to go out there," Hall said. "It's a big opportunity."
