Monday 01/14/2002
Jan. 14, 2002
Game 18: Clemson vs. N.C. State Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2002 7:00 PM (EST) Littlejohn Coliseum (11,020) Clemson, SC
TV: Fox Sports Net South/SunshinePlay By Play: Mike Hogewood* Color Analyst: Dan Bonner
Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports PropertiesPlay By Play: Jim Phillips* Color Analyst: Tim Bourret
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Clemson vs. N.C. State Series Clemson has won five of the last seven, and 13 of the last 18 meetings with N.C. State. However, the Wolfpack won the last meeting, 85-51 in Raleigh last Feb. 14, 2001. Clemson has had the upper hand, but eight of the last 14 have been decided by five points or less. Clemson has won five of those eight close games, including last year at Littlejohn Coliseum 72-69.
Clemson has had more success against the Pack than any other ACC team since the 1992-93 season. The Tigers swept N.C. State two years ago, winning 59-42 at Clemson and 66-63 at N.C. State. It was Clemson’s first sweep of N.C. State since the 1994-95 season, Larry Shyatt’s first year (assistant) at Clemson.
Clemson and N.C. State split their season series five of the last six years. Although the home team won last year in both games, it has not been a series dominated by the home team. In fact, in five of the last 12 games the visiting team has had the upper hand.
In 1995-96 and 1997-98 the road team won each game, a “road-win split.” Clemson had just three road-win-split season series with ACC teams in the 1990s and two of the three were against N.C. State. Both teams won on the road in 1995-96, splitting a pair of games decided by five points or less. Then in 1997-98, N.C. State won a thriller at Clemson, 82-80 in overtime, on a last second play by C.C. Harrison that sent the game into overtime. The Tigers responded with a 77-72 win in Raleigh in a game that clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament for the Tigers.
N.C. State has an 87-40 record against the Tigers overall. The Pack has a 26-25 lead in games at Clemson, but the Tigers have an 19-12 advantage in Littlejohn Coliseum, including victories in seven of the last nine games. N.C. State has a 42-10 lead in games at Raleigh and a 19-5 lead in games on neutral sites. The teams have split two games at the Entertainment and Activities Center.
Shyatt Has Had Success vs. N.C. State Larry Shyatt’s is 4-2 against N.C. State in his head coaching career. That is his best record against any ACC team. Clemson was 4-2 against the Pack in his three years as an assistant at Clemson under Rick Barnes. Shyatt has defeated the Pack all three previous meetings between the two teams at Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson gained victory his first year, 80-72, in the 1999-00 season by a 59-42 score, and last year, 72-69. N.C. State was ranked in the top 25 of both polls heading into the game at Clemson in 1999-00.
Shyatt and Sendek Coached Together This will be the seventh meeting between Larry Shyatt’s and Herb Sendek as head coaches. Larry Shyatt’s holds a 4-2 advantage in the six games played so far. The two mentors were assistant coaches together under Rick Barnes on Providence’s 1988-89 staff. That team finished with an 18-11 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
Both coaches have had important wins against the other school. In Herb Sendek’s first year at N.C. State, he gained his first ACC win against a seventh-ranked Clemson team in Raleigh, 58-54. N.C. State was 0-7 in the league heading into that game. Rick Barnes was Clemson’s head coach, and Larry Shyatt’s was in his last year as an assistant.
Shyatt earned his first ACC win as Clemson head coach against Sendek, an 80-72 victory at Clemson. Two years ago, Clemson got its first ACC win against the 21st ranked Pack, 59-42 at Clemson. Last year, Clemson again got its first ACC win against the Pack, 72-69 at Clemson. Thus, each of his first three years as Clemson coach, Larry Shyatt earned his first ACC win against Sendek.
Last Year vs. N.C. State Clemson 72, N.C. State 69 Jan. 13, 2001, at Littlejohn Coliseum Will Solomon scored 29 points, including 25 in the second half and all seven of Clemson’s points in the final 2:41, leading the Tigers to a 72-69 win over N.C. State on Jan. 13. The victory was the first of the season in conference play for the Tigers. The win was the 10th of the year for the Tigers, equaling the win total of the previous season.
Clemson improved dramatically on defense in its win over N.C. State. The Tigers had given up 219 points in their first two ACC games and had allowed 54 percent shooting. But, Clemson held the Pack to 29.9 percent shooting, tying for the best field goal percentage defense of the year, and best in an ACC game since February of 1998 when Florida State shot just 26.8 percent against the Tigers in Tallahassee.
Solomon scored 25 of Clemson’s 43 second-half points, but he did have significant support from his teammates. Freshman forward Chris Hobbs had a double-double, accumulating 10 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. Ray Henderson, who started at center in place of the injured Adam Allenspach, had 10 rebounds and eight points in 26 minutes. Edward Scott had 10 points and just two turnovers in 38 minutes running the point. Dwon Clifton had nine points on 4-6 shooting in 22 minutes.
Scott was a key on defense, holding Anthony Grundy, N.C. State’s top scorer and a 49 percent field goal shooter, to 6-27 shooting. Damien Wilkins shot just 1-10 against the Clemson defense. Kenny Inge led the Pack with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Pack made just 20-67 shots from the field, 8-32 on three-point goals. They entered the game shooting 42.5 percent on three-pointers. State played without Archie Miller, who was leading the nation in three-point percentage (.620) entering the contest.
The game was close throughout with few scoring runs. Over the first 35 minutes of the game the largest lead for either team was six points. The Pack had a 42-36 lead at the 16:05 mark when Kenny Inge made a conventional three-point play. The Tigers then went on a 20-8 run to take a 56-50 lead with 7:34 to play. Clemson expanded the lead to 60-52 at 5:53 when the Pack called timeout. Clemson’s largest lead was 65-56 with 3:22 to go.
But, N.C. State went on a 9-2 run, highlighted by a pair of three-point goals by Scooter Sherrill. Clemson led 71-69 with 16 seconds left, but Grundy was called for traveling with five seconds left. Solomon made one free throw and Clifford Crawford’s 40-foot three-point attempt missed at the buzzer.
N.C. State 85, Clemson 51 Feb. 14, 2001, at Raleigh, NC N.C. State used a 17-2 run to end the first half and went on to an 85-51 win over Clemson on Valentine’s Day. Clemson was led by Chris Hobbs, who had 15 points and nine rebounds in addition to 5-8 field goal shooting. Tony Stockman added 10 points off the bench, while Will Solomon, who played a season low 26 minutes, scored just seven points and saw his consecutive double figure scoring streak ended at 52 games.
Adam Allenspach played 10 minutes off the bench and had two points. It was his first action since January 17 and just the fourth ACC game he played in during 2000-01. Clemson shot just 19-53 from the field and 3-12 on three-point shots. State hit 44 percent from the field and won the rebound battle, 45-31.
Clemson was within 29-26 with five minutes left in the half, then hit a shooting drought. The Pack went on the 17-2 run to close the half with an 18-point lead. State then put the game away with a 21-8 run to open the second half.
Damien Wilkins, who had been 5-24 from the field in three games against Clemson previously, hit 7-11 and scored 22 points to lead the Pack. He also had seven assists. Trey Guidry added 13.
Clemson lost this game by 35 points, then came back to beat #1 North Carolina in its next game. Last year Clemson lost by 41 points at Duke, then defeated N.C. State, 72-69 in the very next contest.
Tigers From North Carolina Four Clemson players, including starting post players Chris Hobbs and Ray Henderson, are natives of the state of North Carolina. Playing games against teams from the Tar Heel state are usually special to them. Key reserve Dwon Clifton and original walk-on now on scholarship Walker Holt are also from North Carolina.
Hobbs is from Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill High, while Henderson is from Charlotte and East Mecklenberg High School. Holt is from Grimsley High in Greensboro, while Clifton attended Westchester Academy and is a native of High Point.
This is the second largest contingent of players from the Tar Heel state on the Clemson roster. Last year six Tigers from North Carolina were on the 14-man roster. This year it is four of 15. One of Clemson’s signees for next year, Shawan Robinson, is from Raleigh, NC and Leesville Road High School.
Clemson Veterans vs. N.C. State Clemson has eight veterans on its roster who have played against N.C. State in their careers. Chris Hobbs had 25 points and 20 rebounds in two games against the Pack last year. Hobbs had a double-double against N.C. State in the win at Clemson last year, then had 15 points and nine rebounds in the loss in Raleigh.
Edward Scott has a 16/7 assist/turnover ratio against N.C. State in his career, but is shooting just 9-28 from the field against the N.C. State defense. He has played tough defense against N.C. State’s Anthony Grundy. Last year, Grundy shot 6-27 from the field against Clemson and in the previous year he was 4-10, meaning he his 10-37 from the field against Scott in Littlejohn Coliseum. Dwon Clifton is 5-9 in his career against N.C. State, while Ray Henderson is 7-14.
Wake Forest Downs Clemson Wake Forest used a 17-0 run in the first half to take command of the game and went on to a 96-55 victory over Clemson on January12 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. It was Clemson’s 12th consecutive loss in that facility. The Tigers have not won at Wake Forest since the 1989-90 season when the Tigers had Dale Davis and Elden Campbell. Wake Forest had five players in double figures, led by Antwan Scott, who scored 17. The Deacs made 9-20 three-point shots and shot 48 percent overall. Wake Forest won the battle of the boards, 56-48. It was just the second time this year Clemson had been out-rebounded in a game.
Clemson shot 12-37 from the field in both halves to end the game with a 32 percent field goal mark. Clemson had 21 turnovers on offense, shot just 3-12 on three-point goals and 4-18 from the foul line. It was Clemson’s worst free throw shooting percentage since the Tigers shot 1-8 from the line against Alabama (.125) in the finals of the November of 1989 San Juan Shootout.
Jamar McKnight led the Tigers with 13 points. He scored 11 of Clemson’s first 21 points. Freshman Sharrod Ford scored a season high 11 points and also pulled in seven rebounds, including four offensive. Ray Henderson had eight points on 4-6 shooting and had 10 rebounds. Clemson’s starting guards of Edward Scott were a combined 2-17 from the field.
It was a 16-14 game seven minutes into the contest when Wake Forest went on its 17-0 run, the longest run by a Clemson opponent since Duke had a n 18-0 run on the way to a 41-point victory in Durham last year. The Deacs expanded the lead to 26 points by halftime, 53-27. Clemson could not get the margin under 20 points the remainder of the game.
Scott Second in Nation in Assists Clemson guard Edward Scott was second in the nation in assists through games of Jan. 7. A new ranking is issued every Tuesday afternoon. Scott had a 7.7 average through games of Jan. 7, second only to Texas guard T.J. Ford, who had a 9.0 average. Grayson Marshall is the only Clemson player to rank in the top 25 in the nation in assists over the course of a season. Marshall was 20th as a freshman, 13th as a sophomore and 16th as a junior (1984-85 through 1986-87).
Scott has a 7.47 average through 17 games, or heading into the N.C. State contest. That would be the second best average over the course of a season in Clemson history if the season ended today. Grayson Marshall had a 7.71 average in 1985-86. The only other season in which a Clemson player has had more than seven assists per game is Marshall’s 7.37 in 1986-87.
Scott leads the ACC in assists per game, just ahead of Steve Blake of Maryland. No Clemson player has ever led the ACC in assists over the course of the season.
National Leaders in Assists(Through games of Jan. 7, 2002)Rk Player School GP Ast Avg1. T.J. Ford Texas 13 117 9.02. Edward Scott Clemson 15 116 7.73. Delvon Arrington Florida St. 13 97 7.54. Matt Montague BYU 13 94 7.25. Reggie Kohn South Florida 13 93 7.26. Steve Blake Maryland 13 92 7.17. Corey Santee TCU 15 106 7.18. Imari Sawyer DePaul 10 68 6.8
Scott Moves Over 300 Assist Mark Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had 11 assists in the Yale game, giving him 301 for his career. He became the 11th player in Clemson history to reach 300 assists in a career. Scott now has 323 assists in 71 games, an average of 4.55 per contest. That ranks fifth best in school history on a per game basis.
Scott has five games of double figures in assists and eight with nine or more. That includes the win at Georgia Tech when he had 11 assists to go with 12 points. In his first two years he never had more than seven assists in a single game. He had a career-high 14 assists against Charleston Southern on Dec. 22, the most assists by a Tiger since Chris Whitney had 14 against Liberty on Dec. 5, 1992.
Scott has been improved in a number of areas this year, including scoring. He has averaged 9.6 points a game this year and has had a pair of 20-point scoring nights, the first two of his career. Scott had 25 points on 8-12 shooting in the win over LaSalle in The Virgin Islands in the second game of the year, and had 21 points and 11 assists in a victory over Elon. That was the first time since the 1998-99 season that any Clemson player had 20 points and double figures in assists in the same game. He had 17 against Virginia on January 8, his career high against an ACC opponent.
Scott averages 7.6 points per game over his career, but has the 9.6 average this year. He has averaged 4.5 assists per game for his career, but stands at 7.47 assists per game this year. That is near a record pace. Grayson Marshall holds the Clemson record for a season at 7.71 in 1985-86.
And, Scott’s rebound average of 4.9 this year is ahead of his career 3.7 figure. In fact, his 4.9 rebounds per game is the best for a Clemson point guard since Doug Hoffman had a 6.0 average as the point guard in 1957-58. Scott had 10 rebounds in the loss to Yale, his career high. He had an unusual double-double in that game with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but just one point.
Clemson Career Leaders in Assists/GameRk Name Yrs Years Ast GP A/G1. Grayson Marshall 4 1984-88 857 122 7.022. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 354 58 6.103. Marion Cash 2 1988-90 335 64 5.234. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 577 126 4.585. Edward Scott 3 1999-02 323 71 4.556. Derrick Johnson 4 1975-79 476 111 4.297. Lou Richie 2 1992-94 239 57 4.198. Chris Dodds 3 1979-82 325 83 3.929. Mike Eppley 4 1980-84 268 69 3.8810. David Young 4 1988-92 330 97 3.40
Clemson Looks to Reach Last Year’s win Total Clemson will be looking to equal its victory total of all of last year with a triumph over N.C. State. Clemson has beaten the Pack in Littlejohn Coliseum three consecutive years. Clemson has an 11-6 record and the Tigers won just 12 games all of last season. Clemson did not win its 12th game last year until the ACC Tournament, a victory over Florida State. Clemson has already equaled its regular season victory total from last year. Clemson had two conference wins in the regular season last year, then won two of its first three this season.
Clemson Has Avoided Consecutive Losses Clemson has done a good job of making comebacks from losses this year. Clemson is 5-0 this season coming off a loss. Clemson has not suffered consecutive losses 17 games into the season. This is the longest Clemson has gone without suffering consecutive losses within a season since 1996-97 when Clemson opened 16-1 and did not suffer consecutive losses until games 17 and 18.
This is just the fourth season in the last 25 years that Clemson has gone 17 games into the season without suffering consecutive losses. The other years are the aforementioned 1996-97, 1989-90 when the Tigers opened 15-3, and 1986-87 when Clemson opened with a record 17-0.
Only three Clemson teams in history that have played at least 10 games in a season have gone an entire season without suffering back-to-back losses. All three of those seasons came in the 1930s (1937-38, 1935-36, 1934-35).
Clemson Downs Fifth Ranked Virginia Edward Scott combined for 42 points, including 26 in the second half, to lead Clemson to a 68-52 victory over fifth ranked (USA Today) Virginia on Jan. 8 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was Clemson’s first win over the Cavaliers since the 1998-99 season, Larry Shyatt’s first year as Clemson head coach. It was also the highest ranked Virginia team Clemson has defeated in history.
McKnight scored a career-high 25 points in the contest. He scored nine field goals for the second straight game, including three three-point shots. The only senior on the Clemson team had 18 points in the second half, including six of Clemson’s final 10 points. It was his second consecutive 20-point scoring game.
Scott scored 17 points, his high total in an ACC game in his career. He scored 7-13 from the field, including 3-4 on three-point shots. All three of the three-point goals were near the 25-foot range. Ray Henderson had eight points and nine rebounds. Clemson shot 42.1 percent from the three-point arc and is now 5-0 this season when shooting at least 40 percent from long range. The Tigers employed a matchup zone the entire game and Virginia made just 2-25 three-point shots against that defense. Virginia came into the game shooting 38.8 percent on three-point shots, best in the ACC.
Roger Mason, Jr. was the only Cavalier to score in double figures as he contributed 19 points. Travis Watson, who came into the game averaging a double-double, had just six points and six rebounds. Both teams struggled offensively at the outset. The Tigers made just 1 for their kst 12 shots from the field, while Virginia was just 6 for their first 18. Clemson held a seven-point lead at 19-12 at the 9:35 mark on a three-point goal by Stockman. Virginia came back to tie the contest at 25 on a free throw by Keith Jennifer at the 1:20 mark. Clemson led at intermission, 27-25 on a field goal by Scott with 1:05 left.
Everyone expected Virginia to finally start hitting some outside shots early in the second half, but it never happened. In fact, Mason scored four of the six Virginia field goals over the first nine minutes of the half. Clemson had a 44-38 lead with 11 minutes left. But, Clemson then went on a 14-3 run from the 10:35 mark to the 6:53 mark and had a 58-41 lead on a three-point goal by McKnight. Virginia never got closer than 15 points the remainder of the night.
Clemson Has Beaten a Ranked Team 16 Straight Years Clemson’s victory over fifth-ranked Virginia continued the school’s streak of consecutive years with at least one win over a top-25 team. Clemson has beaten at least one top-25 team every year since 1986-87, a streak of 16 consecutive years.
The victory over fifth-ranked Virginia was the highest ranked Cavalier team Clemson has beaten in history. It was the first Clemson win over a top-20 Virginia team since Jan. 19, 1980 when Clemson defeated the Cavs 88-68. Virginia was led by Ralph Sampson and Jeff Lamp that year. This was just the sixth time Clemson has beaten a top-25 Virginia team, its low total among ACC teams.
The win over Virginia was the 16th top-five victory in Clemson history, but just the fifth in the last 20 years. Larry Shyatt’s has now coached two of Clemson’s five top five wins since the 1981-82 season. The others are a win over #4 Duke to win the ACC regular season championship in 1990, a win over second-ranked North Carolina in 1994, Cliff Ellis’s final season, and a win over #3 Kentucky in Indianapolis to open the 1996-97 season. Larry Shyatt’s had a hand in that game also, as he was Rick Barnes’s associate head coach that year.
Clemson has a chance for another win over a top-25 team Saturday when it travels to Winston-Salem to face Wake Forest. Clemson has not beaten a ranked team in consecutive games since the 1987-88 season when it closed the regular season with home wins over ninth-ranked Duke (79-77) and 13th-ranked Georgia Tech (97-94 in double overtime).
Shyatt Has Five Top 10 Wins Larry Shyatt’s now has four wins over top 25 teams since he has been at Clemson, and three of those are top 10 wins. He defeated a ninth-ranked North Carolina team in his first year, 78-63, a 21st-ranked N.C. State team in his second year, 59-42, and a number-one ranked North Carolina team, 75-65 last year. Combined with the 16-point win over Virginia, all of Shyatt’s top-25 wins have been by double digits and the average margin has been 14.5 points. Shyatt had two wins over top-10 teams when he was the had coach at Wyoming, victories over New Mexico and eventual national finalist Utah. That means Shyatt now has five top-10 wins in his five years as a head coach.
Clemson Has Balanced Team Clemson has a much more balanced team offensively than it has had in each of the last two years. The previous two seasons Will Solomon averaged around 20 points per game. The Tigers had just one other double figure scorer in each of those seasons. A year ago Solomon scored 26 percent of Clemson’s points. In 1999-00, he scored 32 percent.Clemson Has Beaten a Ranked Team 16 Straight Years Clemson’s victory over fifth-ranked Virginia continued the school’s streak of consecutive years with at least one win over a top-25 team. Clemson has beaten at least one top-25 team every year since 1986-87, a streak of 16 consecutive years.
Clemson has five players averaging over 9.5 points per game this year. Clemson has had five different players lead the team in scoring over the last six games. No Clemson team has had four players average in double figures over the course of the season since 1965-66. The balance has continued in ACC play as three players have scored in double figures on a per game basis in the conference games and two others are at 7.8 or better. McKnight leads the way in league games, while Hobbs is at 14.5.
Tigers Won Consecutive ACC Games Clemson won consecutive ACC games against Georgia Tech (83-76) and Virginia (68-52) in January. This was the first time since the 1998-99 season that Clemson won consecutive ACC contests. Clemson defeated Florida State (78-45) and Virginia (88-65) in consecutive games Feb. 14-17 that year.
In case you were wondering, the Clemson record for consecutive wins over ACC teams is seven, set in 1966-67 season. The Tigers won seven straight against ACC teams from Feb. 4, 1967 through Feb. 25, 1967. Virginia broke the streak on Feb. 27 in a “Senior Night” game at Fike Fieldhouse, 73-71. Clemson finished with a 17-8 record that year, but was not invited to postseason play. In those days only the ACC Tournament champion could go to the NCAA Tournament.
Clemson on the ACC Road Clemson returns to the ACC road this weekend when it travels to Maryland for a game with a top-five Maryland team. Clemson has not defeated a ranked team on its home floor since January 15, 1997 when the Tigers won at 11th-ranked Maryland 67-63.
Overall, Clemson has just 10 road wins over a ranked opponent in history and three of the 10 were the first ACC road game for the Clemson head coach. The first took place on Jan. 17, 1976, an 86-81 victory over fifth-ranked Wake Forest. That was Bill Foster’s first ACC road game as head coach of the Tigers. The second win on the road over a ranked team took place the very next game, at a second-ranked Maryland by a 82-77 score on Jan. 21, 1976.
Foster owns five of the 10 previous wins over ranked teams on the road. Cliff Ellis had two, including his first ACC road game in history, a 90-81 win over eighth-ranked Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Rick Barnes also had one in his first career ACC road game, a 75-70 win over ninth ranked Duke in 1994-95. Barnes had three of the 10 Clemson wins over ranked teams on the road.
Overall, Clemson has had just 58 ACC road wins in the 49 years of the league. Clemson is now 58-260 in its history in ACC road games, a winning percentage of 18 percent. That includes the win at Georgia Tech in early January. Clemson has won two or less ACC road games in 10 of the last 11 years and 42 of the previous 48 seasons. Clemson has had a winning record on the road in the ACC just twice in history, 1976-77, when Clemson was 4-2 with center Tree Rollins, and 1986-87 when Clemson was 5-2 with center Horace Grant.
Clemson Wins on the Road…in January Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech was a landmark victory for the Tigers. The 83-76 victory was Clemson’s second ACC road win in the last four years, the first since winning at N.C. State by a 66-63 score on Feb. 27, 2000.
It was the first Clemson ACC road win in the month of January since Jan. 15, 1997 when Clemson at 11th-ranked Maryland by a 67-63 score. That was Clemson’s third straight ACC road win that year, the last time Clemson has won three straight ACC road games. Clemson has struggled on the road historically, but especially in the month of January in recent years. Clemson had lost 16 straight January ACC road games prior to the Georgia Tech game. Clemson had been 6-44 in ACC road games in January dating to the 1987-88 season.
Each of the last two years Clemson has won an ACC road game in January it has gone on to win two. Clemson was 2-1 in ACC January road games in 1996-97, and 2-2 in 1994-95, Larry Shyatt’s first year with the program (as an assistant under Rick Barnes). Clemson had been shutout when it comes to ACC January road games nine of the last 11 years.
Clemson Downs Georgia Tech Jan.5, 2002 at Atlanta, GA Chris Hobbs scored 25 points and Jamar McKnight added 22 to lead Clemson to an 83-76 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 5, 2002. It was Clemson’s third win in Atlanta since the 1987-88 season (15 seasons) and broke a streak of nine consecutive ACC road losses for the Tigers.
Hobbs had a double-double as he added 10 rebounds to his point total. The 25 points tied his season high and his 10 rebounds tied a season high. He connected on 9-15 field goals in the contest. His only disappointing stat line was free throws, where he made just 7-13. McKnight was a perfect 5-5 on field goal attempts in the second half on the way to the second highest point total of his career. He also added a career-high eight rebounds in his productive 32 minutes. Edward Scott added his second straight double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. He also added six rebounds as he continues to grab over five rebounds per game. Tony Stockman scored 11 points and added five assists. Clemson starters scored 79 of the 83 points. Tony Akins led Tech with 20 points, while Marvin Lewis scored 19. Lewis made just 4-13 shots from the field.
Clemson shot 51 percent from the field and won the rebound battle, 43-35. Clemson also outscored Tech on fast break points 18-6, and won the second-chance points by a 15-8 margin.
The two teams went back and forth over the first half. Clemson had a 29-23 lead on a steal and dunk by freshman Olu Babalola. But, Tech went on a 9-0 run and held a 32-29 lead with 1:13 left on a jumper by Robert Brooks. The score was tied at 34 when Edward Scott hit a 25-foot three-pointer with four seconds left in the half, giving Clemson a 37-34 lead at intermission. His longest career made field goal ended a 0-18 slump from the field for Scott over three games. Scott’s shot seemed to give the Tigers momentum as it went into the locker room. Clemson went on a 14-6 run to open the second half to extend the advantage to double figures, 51-40 with 15:21 left. The margin grew to 14 points at 57-43 on a layup inside by Hobbs, who scored nine points in the first eight minutes of the second half. Tech closed the margin to three points at 70-67 with five minutes left, but that was as close as the Yellow Jackets could get. A three-point goal by Scott with 3:10 left gave Clemson a seven-point lead and the margin grew back to 10 points with 40 seconds left on a free throw by Ray Henderson. Tony Akins hit a three-point goal at the buzzer to bring the margin back to seven points.
Clemson Wins at Tech in Football and Basketball Clemson recorded victories at Georgia Tech in football and men’s basketball this academic year. This is the first time since 1986-87 and just the second year in history that Clemson has won in Atlanta in the those two high profile sports in the same year. In 1986-87, Clemson won the football game by a 27-3 score, then won the basketball game behind Horace Grant and a late shot by Michael Tait, 67-66.
Earlier this year Clemson defeated Georgia Tech on the gridiron at Grant Field, 47-44 in overtime. At the end of the first half of that game, Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler scored on a 38-yard run on the last play of the half, giving Clemson momentum going into the locker room. Edward Scott recorded the basketball version of that play when he made a 25-foot three-point shot to end the first half of the basketball game on Jan. 5. Clemson went on to win the basketball game by a touchdown, 83-76.
Bruise Brothers Leading Inside Game Clemson frontcourt players Chris Hobbs are becoming quite a duo on the inside this year. Hobbs ranks first on the team in scoring with a 12.5 average, while Henderson is fifth on the team with a 9.5 average. They are the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson has a 9.2 rebounding average and Hobbs is at 5.9 per game.
Both had a strong impact on Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech. Hobbs had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Henderson added nine points and six rebounds. Collectively, they shot 13-21 from the field and pulled in 16 rebounds to go with 34 points.
Both have double-double potential. Henderson already has six double-doubles this year, more than he had all of last year. Hobbs has two double-doubles, including the win over Georgia Tech and the win at Penn State. Henderson and Hobbs, both from the state of North Carolina, are the major reason Clemson is out-rebounding the opposition by 8.0 rebounds per game.
With both players at roughly the same size, 6-7 and 255 pounds, Coach Larry Shyatt’s has begun to call them the “Bruise Brothers” when he refers to Hobbs and Henderson in interviews. They are reminding some of a powerful frontcourt duo that led the Tigers to the ACC regular season championship in 1989-90.
That year, Elden Campbell and Dale Davis both were named first-team All-ACC, the only year in school history Clemson has had two first-team selections. Campbell and Davis combined for 30.7 points and 19.3 rebounds per game on Clemson’s 24-8 squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
Campbell and Davis were known as the “Duo of Doom” as the 6-11 frontcourt players struck fear in opposing players who drove the lane against them. Both are still in the NBA 12 years later. Campbell is the starting center for the Charlotte Hornets, while Davis is the starting center for the Portland Trailblazers.
Below is a comparison between Davis-Campbell and Hobbs-Henderson. It looks at the year 1988-89 for Campbell and Davis, the year they were juniors and sophomores, respectively, the same class and level of experience for Henderson and Hobbs. Campbell and Davis scored at a higher rate, but Hobbs and Henderson are holding their own in terms of rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, despite playing fewer minutes.
Bruise Brothers vs. Duo of DoomCategory 1988-89 2001-02 Campbell-Davis Hobbs-HendersonPoints/Game 30.8 22.0Rebounds/Game 16.6 15.1Field Goal % .594 .569Free Throw % .666 .650Minutes/Game 51.7 48.1
Clemson Has Won Four Games Despite Poor 3-Pt Shooting Clemson beat Wofford, Penn State, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State in the first month of the season even though it was outscored 114-27 on three-pointers.
The Tigers made just three of 20 attempts from beyond the three-point arc against Appalachian State. That was after making six threes at Duke on Dec. 2, the most since the Tigers connected to make eight in the second game of the year.
Clemson made just six three pointers against Wofford, Penn State and Coastal Carolina, but claimed victory in each of the contests, including the first two of those in come-from-behind fashion. In those three games, the Tigers were outscored 87-18 by opponents from outside.
Clemson made just 2-15 three-point shots in its victory over Wofford, including an 0-5 performance in the second half. The Terriers shot lights out, hitting 15-32, or 46.9 percent. Wofford’s total tied for the third most three-point goals in Clemson history against the Tigers. Only Duke with 17 in the 2000 ACC Tournament, and Georgia Tech with 17 at Clemson last year, are higher figures.
Clemson followed that with a 1-10 three-point shooting performance at Penn State. That one three-point goal was a big one, however. Dwon Clifton nailed a three on the first Clemson possession of the second half to cut the 10-point margin to seven. The Tigers took that momentum from there.
Against Coastal Carolina, the Tigers were 3-17 from long distance getting three-pointers from Dwon Clifton, Jermel Douglas and Tony Stockman.
A victory for the Tigers with a three-point goal percentage less than 20 percent is a rarity. In fact, the Tigers had lost 12 straight games when failing to hit at least 20 percent from three-point range prior to the Wofford game. Clemson won four in a row this year when failing to shoot 20 percent on three-point shooting this year (Wofford, Penn State, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State). The Tigers were 0-11 under Larry Shyatt’s when failing to hit 20 percent from behind the arc prior to this year. Clemson was 2-21 between 1993-94 and 2000-01 when it failed to connect on at least 20 percent of its three-point shots.
For the season, Clemson has outscored the opposition by 91 points. But, Clemson has been outscored on three-point goals by 108 points. Opponents have made 127 threes, to just 91 made by the Tigers. That was not the case in the win over fifth-ranked Virginia. Clemson made eight threes to just two for Virginia in the 16-point win. Clemson is now 5-0 this year when it makes more three point goals than its opponents.
This could be a key to the N.C. State game. Clemson is a -108 on three-point goal points, while N.C. State is a +135 points on three-point scoring.
McKnight Stats Much Improved Jamar McKnight, Clemson’s only senior, is following a tradition of second-year improvement by Tiger junior college players. This season, McKnight has scored12.0 points a game and averaged 4.3 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 49 percent from the field and a team best 43 percent from three-point range.
Last year, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds all year in 20 games. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest. Thus, McKnight has tripled his scoring average and rebound average between his junior and senior seasons.
McKnight might have played his best game as a Tiger when Clemson defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 5. The native of Zachery, LA who was playing in front of family and friends who had made the trip from Louisiana, had 22 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes of play. He made his last five shots from the field and shot 9-12 overall.
He added to his growing fan base with a 25-point performance against fifth-ranked Virginia. McKnight made 9-20 shots from the field, 3-7 on three-pointers and scored 18 points in the second half. He scored six of Clemson’s final 10 points down the stretch. He did not have a turnover in his 33 minutes of work and added seven rebounds, one off his career high. He led Clemson in scoring against Wake Forest. Most junior college transfers make improvement from year one to year two. But, McKnight is doing it at a near record pace. Billy Williams holds the Clemson standard for scoring average improvement for a junior college transfer from his first year to his second. Williams average went from 5.6 a game in 1977-78 to 13.2 in 1978-79, a 7.6 points per game improvement. He went on to average 17.6 a game and earn first-team All-ACC honors in 1979-80. McKnight stands at a 8.6 points per game improvement this year over last season, so he is ahead of Williams improvement rate.
The overall Clemson record for improvement in scoring from one season to another is held by Will Solomon, who improved by 14.9 points a game from his freshman year to his sophomore year. That is an ACC record.
Jamar McKnight Improvement Chart Category 2000-01 2001-02 Points/Game 3.4 12.0 Rebounds/Game 1.3 4.3 Field goal % .429 .486 3Pt FGs/Game 0.45 1.73 3pt Goal % .391 .433 Minutes/Game 9.4 22.2
Stockman Second in Three-Point Goals/Game Clemson sophomore Tony Stockman had six three-point goals against Yale to move him over the 100 mark in his short Clemson career. It took him just 43 games to reach 100 three-point goals, second fastest in Clemson history behind Chris Whitney. Of course, Whitney was a junior college transfer, so Stockman is the first to reach 100 as a sophomore just 43 games into his career.
Stockman now has 111 three-point goals in just 46 games, an average of 2.41 per game. That is second best in Clemson history on a per-game average, behind Whitney’s 2.88 per game achieved between 1991-93. Whitney had 167 threes in 58 career games. He is now a starting guard with Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. Stockman is making threes at a higher rate than former teammate and Will Solomon, Terrell McIntrye.
As far as overall three-point goals are concerned, his 110 rank eighth in school history. His three three-point goals at Georgia Tech moved him from 10th to eighth in school history, as he moved ahead of Tony Christie and Andre Bovain. Next on the list is Merl Code, who had 125. Current Clemson assistant AD for basketball operations, Bruce Martin, is sixth with 129.
Clemson Career Leaders in Three-Point Goals/GameRk Name Yrs Years Md GP 3G/G1. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 167 58 2.882. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 111 46 2.413. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 214 94 2.284. Michael Tait 2 1985-87 70 31 2.265. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 259 126 2.066. Marc Campbell 4 1980-84 37 19 1.957. Anthony Jenkins 4 1982-87 91 47 1.948. Jeff Brown 2 1992-94 82 55 1.499. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 129 88 1.4610. David Young 4 1988-92 138 97 1.42
Clemson Career Leaders in Total Three-Point Goals Rk Name Yrs Years GP Att 3Gls 1. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 696 259 2. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 94 585 214 3. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 404 167 4. Andrius Jurkunas 4 1995-00 115 414 146 5. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 138 6. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 88 336 129 7. Merl Code 4 1993-97 97 371 125 8. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 46 303 111 9. Andre Bovain 4 1990-94 108 326 107 10. Tony Christie 4 1995-99 115 315 106
Clemson Playing Better on the Road Littlejohn Coliseum is usually regarded as a strong home-court advantage for Clemson. However, so far this year it appears Clemson has played just as well on the road as compared to at home. Clemson is 6-3 at home and 5-3 away from home so far this season. Clemson played well in the win over Virginia, but Clemson still has a better scoring average, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and rebound margin on the road as oppose to home this season.
Individually there are differences. Leading scorer Chris Hobbs averages just 10.7 points a game at home, but scores at a 16.0 rate away from home. Edward Scott both score higher on the road.
What is really strange is the freshmen. You would think freshmen would perform better at home than on the road. But, so far this year, Clemson’s five freshmen have shot just 39.8 percent from the field at home (35-88), but are hitting at a 53 percent rate (37-70) away from home. Sharrod Ford shoots 65 percent on the road and 56.5 percent at home. Chey Christie is shooting 28.6 percent in Littlejohn Coliseum, but 50 percent away from home.
Clemson has already won five games away from home this year, more than they won away from home in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Clemson won three games away from Littlejohn Coliseum each of those seasons. Clemson won six games away from home Larry Shyatt’s first year, 1998-99.
The Clemson single season record for wins away from home in a year is 11 set in the 1996-97 season, Clemson’s last Sweet 16 season in the NCAA tournament. Larry Shyatt’s was associate head coach of that Clemson team.
Clemson Stats Comparison by SiteCategory Home AwayRecord 6-3 5-3Points Per Game 74.1 73.9Field Goal % 44.0 43.73-Point FG % 27.5 33.1Reb. Margin +6.6 +9.5Opponent 3-Point FG % 32.7 33.1
Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum This is the 34th season of basketball in Littlejohn Coliseum. The facility opened in 1968-69 with a 76-72 win over Georgia Tech. Clemson has struggled at home this year, relative to its rate of success in previous years. Clemson is 6-3 at home so far this season and 5-3 away from home.
Clemson has played 496 games at Littlejohn Coliseum in history. Clemson has a record of 362-134 at home over the years, a 72.8 winning percentage. Clemson is 124-106 in ACC games in the facility, a .539 winning percentage, and 238-28 in non-conference games, an 89.5 winning percentage. Clemson has had a winning home record in 31 of the previous 33 seasons.
The 500th game in the history of the coliseum will be played on February 6 against Georgia Tech.
Clemson Rebounding at Record Pace Clemson has been strong on the glass this year. The Tigers have been out-rebounded just twice in 17 games this season. Clemson has a +8.0 rebound margin over the first 17 games, a figure that would be second best in school history if the season ended today.
The Clemson record for rebound margin over the course of a season is +8.2 per game, a mark established by Larry Shyatt’s first Clemson team (1998-99). That team ranked eighth in the nation in rebound margin. Harold Jamison led that club with a 9.9 figure, 18th best in the country.
Ray Henderson has done his best to impersonate Jamison on this Clemson team. The junior from Charlotte has averaged 9.2 rebounds per game, third best in the ACC. He is a big reason Clemson is among the ACC leaders in rebounding. Henderson’s rebound stat is impressive considering he plays just 23 minutes per game. Jamison played 29 minutes a game when he averaged 9.9 rebounds per contest in 1998-99. The only teams to beat Clemson on the boards over the first 17 games are South Carolina, who had a 46-37 advantage in rebounding and Wake Forest, who had a 56-48 advantage. Clemson has had a double-digit rebound margin advantage in eight of its 17 games so far this year.
Clemson’s top Rebound Margin Seasons Year Mar 1998-99 +8.2 2001-02 +8.0 1975-76 +5.8 1985-86 +4.9 1984-85 +4.9 1974-75 +4.9 1989-90 +4.5 1996-97 +4.5
Consecutive Wins by 30 Points Clemson had consecutive wins by 30 points or more heading into the Yale game. The Tigers were coming off an 82-45 win over Charleston Southern and a 78-48 win over Hartford. It marked the first time since the 1998-99 season that Clemson had consecutive wins by at least 30 points. That year, Larry Shyatt’s first at Clemson as head coach, Clemson defeated Kansas State by a 79-45 count, then defeated Radford 70-37 the very next game.
Since 1990, the only other time Clemson has had consecutive wins of 30 points or more took place in 1995-96 when Clemson defeated its first two opponents that year, UNC-Asheville and Appalachian State, by 42 and 36 points, respectively.
The last time Clemson won three in a row by 30 points or more was in the 1989-90 season. Clemson’s only ACC regular season championship team defeated Georgia State (117-59), Western Carolina (97-61) and Hofstra (91-58) in consecutive contests.
Clemson’s January Schedule Clemson opened its January schedule against Yale with a 68-65 loss. Since then, the Tigers have come back with two wins, triumphs over Georgia Tech and Virginia. This is the first time Clemson has won two wins in January since the 1997-98 season.
January has been a difficult month for Clemson recently and over the years in general. Clemson has just a 7-29 record in the month of January over the last five years, including a 2-6 mark in the month in 1997-98, the last year the Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament. Larry Shyatt’s first Clemson team won 20 games, but was just 1-7 in January.
Clemson won its first game of the month at Georgia Tech on Jan. 5, ending a 16-game Clemson losing streak in January ACC road games. The winning continued with the triumph over Virginia.
There are only four dates in the month over the years that have seen Clemson record a winning record. By comparison, the month of February has nine days in which Clemson has had a winning record. Clemson has had a winning record in January just one of the last 11 years.
Clemson 9-4 in Non-Conference Clemson concluded its non-conference portion of the schedule with a 9-4 record. Clemson began the season with a 2-1 record at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands, victories over Morris Brown and La Salle and a two-point loss to Miami (FL). The Hurricanes are still undefeated (14-0) and Clemson gave them their closest game, 67-65. The Tigers had possession underneath their own hoop with four seconds left and a chance to tie, but the shot missed.
Another highlight of the non-conference schedule was a 79-66 win at Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Clemson is now 2-1 in that event. Chris Hobbs led five Tigers in double figures. Clemson won the game without the services of Tony Stockman and Jamar McKnight, who were both nursing knee injuries. Clemson had a 46-22 rebound margin in that game, second best on school history on an opponent’s home court.
Clemson plays five of its first seven games away from home this year and already has won five of the first seven with the only losses coming at Duke and to Miami in the Virgin Islands. Clemson also must play five of its first seven ACC games on the road, the only school in the ACC that must do that this year. Clemson will have six of eight conference games at home between Jan. 27 and Feb. 23. The only two road games in that near month time period will be at Virginia (Feb. 10) and at N.C. State (Feb. 16).
Clemson Played Well at #1 Duke Chris Hobbs scored 25 points and freshman guard Chey Christie added 21 to lead the Tiger offense in a 96-80 defeat at Duke Dec. 2. The Tigers, which shot 43 percent, out-rebounded the Blue Devils 42-29. Edward Scott added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds in another fine all-around performance. He had eight points, nine assists and seven rebounds at the win over Penn State on Nov. 28. Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He was 6-9 from the floor and was 11-15 from the free throw line. Five other Blue Devils scored in double figures.
Chey Christie Named ACC Rookie of the Week Clemson’s Chey Christie was tabbed as the ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 3) after averaging 15.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in the Tigers’ three games the previous week. The Hartford, CT, freshman scored a career-high 21 points at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the 96-80 loss at top-ranked Duke on Dec. 2. Earlier in the week, Christie was Clemson’s second-leading scorer with 16 points in the win over Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30, Christie tallied nine points with three assists and three steals.
Tigers Comeback for Road Win at Penn State Chris Hobbs had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Clemson to a 79-66 victory over Penn State Nov. 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in State College, PA.
The Tigers came back from a 10-point halftime deficit thanks to 59.1 percent shooting in the second half and a 20-7 run in the final 10 minutes of the game. Clemson held Penn State to just 22.7 percent shooting in the second half as the Nittany Lions made only 5 of 22 shots.
The first half was much different as Penn State erupted to an early 23-9 lead. The Nittany Lions made their first 10 shots from the floor and finished the first half shooting 61.5 percent from the field compared to Clemson’s 38.2 percent.
Coupled with Clemson’s comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit vs. Wofford on Nov. 24, the comeback from the 10-point halftime deficit to Penn State marked the first time in school history that Clemson has overcome double-digit halftime deficits to win in consecutive games.
The double-double by Hobbs was his first of the season and the seventh of his career. Freshman Chey Christie had 16 points and three steals and two rebounds in 34 minutes. Clemson had a total of five players in double figures and all eight Tigers who played finished with at least one field goal, one free throw, two rebounds and one steal. Junior captain Edward Scott finished with eight points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals after playing all 40 minutes. Clemson out-rebounded Penn State 46-22 and had 22 offensive rebounds. The rebound margin of +24 was the largest by Clemson under head coach Larry Shyatt’s, who is in his fourth season. The Tigers shot 1-10 from the three-point arc while Penn State hit 8-23.
Clemson Overcomes Double-Digit Halftime Deficit Clemson overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to gain victory to beat both Wofford and Penn State. That was the first time in school history that Clemson had done that in consecutive games. Clemson overcame a 14-point first half deficit and an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Wofford on Nov. 24, 85-82. It marked just the second time since 1990 that Clemson had overcome a double-digit deficit at intermission to gain victory. It marked just the fifth time since 1990 that Clemson had overcome a deficit of at least 14 points at any juncture of the game to gain victory.
Clemson followed that up with a just as impressive comeback at Penn State. Clemson trailed by 14 points in the first half, 26-12, and trailed 44-34 at halftime. The Tigers won the second half 45-22 to claim a 79-66 win. That marked just the third time in school history that Clemson has overcome a double-digit halftime deficit to win a road game. The others took place at Coastal Carolina last year and at Furman in 1973-74, Tree Rollins’s freshman season. Clemson overcame a 13-point deficit in that game.
Clemson's Largest Halftime Deficits Overcome to Gain VictoryDate Half Site Opponent Final Mar3-17-1990 27-43 N LaSalle 79-75 -162-28-1970 43-56 H Wake Forest 105-95 -1312-29-1973 31-44 A Furman 73-67 -1312-30-2000 28-41 A Co. Carolina 81-68 -132-1-1977 18-30 H N.C. State 60-59 -1212-29-1978 28-40 N Texas Tech 58-57 -1211-24-2001 34-45 H Wofford 85-82 -1111-28-2001 34-44 A Penn State 79-66 -10
Tony Stockman Rebounds in One Week After Surgery Clemson sophomore guard Tony Stockman, the top returning scorer from last year’s Tiger squad, missed just one week of action after a knee injury. The native of Medina, OH had arthroscopic surgery to repair of damaged cartilage on Nov. 23 and returned Nov. 30 against Coastal Carolina. It is believed to be the quickest comeback from a meniscus surgery by a Clemson football or men’s basketball player.
Stockman suffered the injury in the first half of the La Salle game in Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands Nov. 19. He played just 13 minutes in that contest, an 81-69 Tiger victory. He started in the championship game against Miami (FL), but was only able to play 17 minutes in Clemson’s two-point loss.
Stockman had an MRI on the morning of Friday, Nov. 23, and the exam revealed that he had a'”Bucket Handle Tear of his medial meniscus in his right knee,” said Clemson basketball trainer””Raz” Razayeski. The surgery was performed by Clemson team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bowman at the Oconee Memorial Hospital in Seneca.
Stockman tied a career high with 23 points in the season opener against Morris Brown. He hit a career-high seven three-point goals in that game, just one off the Clemson single game record. He also had six assists and three steals. He added eight points on 3-4 shooting in the first half against LaSalle.
For the three games in The Virgin Islands, Stockman scored 11.3 points a game and shot 50 percent on three-point goals, hitting 10-20 from long range. He also had eight assists and just two turnovers.
In Memoriam… Clemson junior forward Tomas Nagys has marked the initials “VK” onto the outside of both of his shoes in the memory of Valdas Kiesus (pronounced: Val-dass Key-a-sus), a friend of his from Lithuania. Kiesus was kidnapped about a year ago. His body was found in mid-November. The two played basketball together before Nagys came to the United States. Nagys attended Montgomery (AL) Catholic for one year after playing two years of high school basketball in Lithuania.
Clemson Finishes Second in Virgin Islands Clemson opened with a 70-57 win over Morris Brown thanks to 23 points by Tony Stockman, who hit seven three pointers. Stockman was 7-13 from three-point range and 8-15 overall. He had six assists and had three steals with just one turnover in 32 minutes. Ray Henderson added 14 points.
Edward Scott and Jamar McKnight combined for 38 points and both registered career highs in leading Clemson to an 81-69 victory over La Salle in the second round. Scott scored 25 points on the night, seven more than his previous high of 18 set against Penn State during his freshman year. McKnight added 13 points on 5-9 shooting, one higher than his previous high of 12 set last season against Western Carolina. Ray Henderson was also in double figures with 10 points and he was the team’s leading rebounder with eight.
McKnight and Chris Hobbs both scored 19 points, but it was not enough as Miami (FL) defeated Clemson 67-65 in the championship game. Clemson had possession of the ball with 4.5 seconds left, down two. But, two shots fell off the rim and the Hurricanes came away with their first ever win over the Tigers. McKnight had 17 of his career-high 19 points in the first half. It was his second straight double-figure scoring game.
Hobbs Named to All-Tournament Team Sophomore forward Chris Hobbs was named to the all-tournament team of the Paradise Jam after averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the three games in the Virgin Islands. He had 19 points and nine rebounds in the championship game, a two-point loss, against Miami.
Paradise Jam All-Tourney Team Ricky Cottrill, Eastern Michigan Eric Bush, UAB Rasual Butler, La Salle Darius Rice, Miami (FL) Chris Hobbs, Clemson MVP: John Salmons, Miami (FL)
Robinson, Akingbala Sign with Clemson Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt’s has announced the signing of his first two members of his 2002 freshman class. On Nov. 14, the first day of the early signing period, 6-2 guard Shawan Robinson and 6-9 forward Akin Akingbala each signed a national letter of intent. Robinson attends Leesville Road High School in Raleigh and is considered one of the top players in North Carolina and a top-100 player nationally. He averaged 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game last year.
Robinson is ranked in the top 100 in the nation by All-Star Sports and by Hoop Scoop. A first-team all-conference player the last two years, he combined with current Florida State freshman Anthony Richardson to lead Leesville Road to the state championship game last year. His father, Darryl Robinson, is the Leesville Road High School head coach.
“Shawan will be a tremendous asset to Clemson University and our basketball program,” said Shyatt. “He comes to us from a wonderful family and is an excellent student. You can tell he is the son of a coach. He is an excellent combo guard who will help us immediately as a primary ball handler and deep shooter.”
Akingbala, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, is a senior at The Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT. He averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots per game a year ago. He had a high of 11 blocked shots in a game and shot 68 percent from the field.
Akingbala led his team to a 19-6 record last year and a runner-up finish in the New England Prep School Championships. The Brunswick School won the New England Championship his sophomore year. Akingbala was ranked among the top 100 rising seniors for 2001-02 by Hoop Scoop this past summer.
“Akin is an athletic and enthusiastic leaper,” said Shyatt. “He has excellent desire, especially on the defensive end where he is an intimidating shot blocker. His athletic ability on the soccer field and in basketball is eye-catching. He too fits exactly what we are looking for in our program. He has excellent academic credentials.”
Clifton Cleared to Play Clemson sophomore forward Dwon Clifton has been cleared to return to practice and play for the Tigers this year, Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt announced Oct. 26.
Initial tests indicated that Clifton, a sophomore from Greensboro, NC, had a heart abnormality called Long QT Syndrome, a problem that inhibits the repolarization process in the heart, a condition that would have prevented Clifton from playing competitive basketball. But further tests conducted during a two-week period showed that Clifton does not have Long QT Syndrome. A fainting spell earlier this fall was the result of extreme fatigue. Clifton had a final battery of tests at Emory Hospital in Atlanta on Oct. 25.
Doctors at Emory gave him the green light to return to practice immediately.
“The tests revealed that Dwon does not have any structural cardiac abnormalities,” said Clemson basketball physician Dr. Len Reeves. “He had a different battery of tests at Emory that showed he does not have Long QT Syndrome. He has Vaso-Vagal Sycope, which is a common problem that can lead to fainting spells, as the result of relative dehydration and extreme fatigue. We will continue to monitor Dwon. He is not on any medication.”
Clifton was pleasantly surprised at the result of the tests. “I was shocked because I had prepared myself for the worst,” said Clifton. “I was prepared to be told that I could not play. This experience has made my beliefs in God even stronger. I received all kinds of e-mails and calls from Clemson fans who said they were praying for me. I want to thank them. This is a blessing.”
Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt’s, who went to Emory on Thursday to be with Clifton during the medical testing was excited with the news.””Of course we are very happy for Dwon and his family. It is reassuring that the Clemson University medical staff took the safe approach the last three weeks. There were tears of joy at Emory Hospital.”
Clifton started 17 of Clemson’s 31 games last year. He and classmate Tony Stockman were the only Tigers to play in every game last year as freshmen. The 6-5 native of High Point, NC averaged 3.9 points and 2.6 assists per game a year ago. His top game was a 10-point, seven-rebound outing at North Carolina late in the year. He had a season high 12 rebounds against Washington in a tournament in Puerto Rico.
Tigers Tied for 10th in Producing NBA Talent Clemson has seven of its former players on NBA rosters this year, tied for the 10th highest total in the nation. This also ties for the most NBA players Clemson has had in a single season.
North Carolina leads the way nationally with 12 former players, while ACC rival Duke is second with 11. A third ACC school, Georgia Tech, is tied with Arizona and Kentucky for third with 10 former players apiece. Michigan State has nine, while Georgetown, Michigan and UCLA are tied with eight players apiece.
Clemson, Cincinnati, UConn, UNLV and St. John’s all have seven, while Kansas and Maryland have six apiece. California and Villanova round out the top 18 schools with five apiece.
Horace Grant is the veteran of the former Tigers in the NBA. The 1987 ACC MVP, the only Clemson player to win that honor, is now in his 14th year in the NBA. He has won four NBA World Championship rings, including last year with the Los Angeles Lakers. The native of Sparta, GA has more World Championship Rings than any other former Clemson athlete in any sport. Grant is now on his second tour of duty with the Orlando Magic.
Dale Davis and Elden Campbell, who combined to lead the Tigers to the 1990 ACC Regular season championship and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, are both still starting in the NBA. Davis, in his 10th year in the league and is the starting center for the Portland Trailblazers.. He had 25 points and 16 rebounds on 12-16 shooting in a win over Milwaukee on Nov. 30.
Campbell is in his 11th year in the NBA, his third with the Charlotte Hornets. He has the best stats among former Tigers in the league, nearly averaging a double-double on the young season. He recently had a 26-point and 13-rebound performance for the Hornets.
Greg Buckner and Chris Whitney, two former Tigers from Hopkinsville, KY, are also in the NBA this year. Buckner is a reserve with the Dallas Mavericks, while Whitney has been an occasional starter for the Washington Wizards. Whitney, who has been in the league since 1993-94, and is the starting point guard on Michael Jordan’s Wizard team. Buckner was injured much of this year, but returned with an 18 point performance against the Knicks in late December. He has been in the starting lineup of late.
Harold Jamison is a sixth former Tiger in the NBA. A rookie with the Miami Heat two years ago, he was activated by the Los Angles Clippers, and had played in four games through January 3. Will Solomon, Clemson’s leading scorer last year with a 19.7 average, is averaging 10 minutes per game with Memphis. He recently had consecutive double figure scoring games, 13 against Sacramento on Dec. 16 and 10 against Milwaukee on the 18th.
Tigers in the NBA in 2001-02Player Team GP Min PPG Reb FG% FT%Greg Buckner Dallas 12 22.5 6.5 2.3 .522 .583Elden Campbell Charlotte 32 30.8 14.9 7.4 .486 .801Dale Davis Portland 31 30.4 9.0 8.1 .500 .680Horace Grant Orlando 34 27.8 6.6 6.6 .478 .700Will Solomon Memphis 24 9.8 4.1 0.7 .340 .571Chris Whitney Washington 31 24.5 8.0 *3.3 .400 .782Harold Jamison LA Clippers 4 5.0 1.5 0.8 .429 .000
Clemson Tigers Sports Properties Clemson Men’s Basketball on Clemson Tiger Sports Properties can be heard throughout South Carolina, as well as portions of North Carolina and Georgia on a strong lineup of radio affiliates. Each CTSP broadcast is also carried live on the Internet on ClemsonTigers.com. CTSP begins coverage of each men’s basketball game 30 minutes before tip-off with the Countdown to Tip-Off Show. There will be a half hour post game show featuring comments from Head Coach Larry Shyatt’s.
Clemson Tigers Sports Properties AffiliatesStation Location On the DialWAJY Aiken 102.7 FMWBAW Barnwell 99.1 FMWCAM Camden 1590 AMWPUB Camden 102.7 FMWSC Charleston 730 AMWCCP Clemson 104.9 FMWZMJ Columbia 93.1 FMWJMX Florence 970 AMWAGI Gaffney 105.3 FM WGTN Georgetown 1400 AMWCRS Greenwood 94.1 FMWBHC Hampton 92.1 FMWWKT Kingstree 99.3 FMWLSC Loris/Myrtle Beach 1240 AMWRNN Myrtle Beach 99.5 FMWIGL Orangeburg 102.9 FMWRHI Rock Hill 1340 AMWIBZ Sumter 95.5 FMWGOG Walhalla 96.3 FMWLXN Lexington, NC 1440 AM
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