Monte Lee says he’s staying at Clemson

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CLEMSON, S.C. (WOLO) — Clemson coach Monte Lee, a former Gamecock assistant under longtime USC baseball coach Ray Tanner, made it clear where he stood on South Carolina’s baseball opening.

“I’m happy at Clemson,” said Lee Friday afternoon in the upstate. “If Clemson’s going to have me as their head coach, this is where I want to be.”

Lee’s close ties with Tanner (the Gamecocks’ athletics director) have prompted some to speculate the Gamecocks’ void could be filled by Lee, the second-year head coach at Clemson. Lee spent six seasons as an assistant under Tanner at USC.

But Lee denied any talks between he and Tanner regarding USC’s opening.

“He (Tanner) has not reached out to me about the South Carolina job.”

Lee has spent two years at Clemson, after coaching at the College of Charleston for five seasons, where he led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournaments.

His success at “The College” was noticed by most athletics directors, including Clemson’s Dan Radakovich, who hired Lee on June 18, 2015 as the Tigers’ newest baseball coach, replacing longtime head man Jack Leggett. Lee has had tremendous success at Clemson, leading the Tigers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and an ACC Tournament title in 2016.

“I’m sure [USC] is going to find the right guy, whoever that is,” Lee echoed Friday.

Public statements like Lee’s are common in the coaching business, but, sometimes, don’t necessarily translate to honesty. Lee could very well be making the public statement until a contract is written, but for now, Lee’s answer is “no.”

The search moves on now, with three potential coaching candidates in the College World Series this weekend. Florida’s Kevin O’Sullivan, TCU’s Jim Schlossnagle and Louisville’s Dan McDonnell are all viable to receive the call from Tanner.