Monday 02/25/2002
Feb. 25, 2002
Clemson vs. North Carolina Series
The Tar Heels have won two in a row and 10 of the last 12against the Tigers. Larry Shyatt owns two wins over North Carolinaand both have been double digit wins over top 10 teams. The Tigerswon at Clemson in Larry Shyatt first year (1998-99), 78-63 and wonat Clemson last year, 75-65 when North Carolina was rankednumber-one in the nation. That is one of just two wins over thenation’s top ranked team for the Clemson program. Overall, NorthCarolina holds a 110-17 lead in the series that dates to a 48-24North Carolina win in Chapel Hill in 1926. Clemson’s first win inthe series took place in the 1939 Southern Conference Tournament,when Clemson upset North Carolina behind Banks McFadden, 44-43.That was the opening round of the event held in Raleigh. Clemson’sonly other win in the series before 1964 took place in Tigertown,77-69 in 1952. North Carolina won 38 of the first 40 games of theseries, including 25 in a row between 1951-52 and 1963-64 seasons.Clemson actually won four out of eight games played between 1964-67under Coach Bobby Roberts. The Tigers swept North Carolina in1963-64. The road win was in Charlotte at the North-SouthDoubleheader, not in Chapel Hill, by a 97-90 score. The homevictory was by a 66-64 score. Both games were overtime contests.That is the only season Clemson has swept the Tar Heels. Clemsonhas defeated North Carolina in consecutive seasons just threetimes. Clemson won in back to back years over North Carolina in1965-66 and 1966-67, 1978-79 and 1979-80, and 1888-89 and 1989-90.Clemson could add to that list with a win in Chapel Hill onWednesday night. Clemson is 13-32 against North Carolina in gamesplayed at Clemson, 0-47 in Chapel Hill and 4-30 in games played atneutral sites. Clemson’s only win over North Carolina in the ACCtournament took place in 1996. Clemson overcame an eight-pointhalftime deficit to win 75-73. Greg Buckner’s dunk off a pass fromHarold Jamison with 0.6 seconds left won the game for Clemson. TheTigers are 4-69 against North Carolina in games played in the stateof North Carolina. That streak is not long because Clemson won the1996 ACC Tournament game in Greensboro between the two teams ,75-73. The other victories over North Carolina in the Tar Heelstate came in 1966-67, when Clemson beat a #4 UNC team in Charlotteat the North-South Doubleheader by a 92-88 score, in 1963-64 by a97-90 count, also at the North-South Doubleheader in Charlotte, in1938-39, in a 44-43 win in Raleigh at the Southern ConferenceTournament.
Clemson in Chapel Hill
Clemson is 0-47 in games against North Carolina played inChapel Hill, including 0-16 at the Smith Center. North Carolina hasan average margin of victory of 21.5 points per game in its 47 winsin Chapel Hill over the Tigers. They have defeated Clemson by anaverage of 22.5 points per game since 1981-82, the last timeClemson came within five points of victory (77-72). Clemson hasbeen within 10 points of the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill just oncesince 1981-82, an 88-79 loss in 1997-98, Rick Barnes’s last year atClemson. The 1992-93 contest was a game Clemson had a chance togain victory. Clemson trailed by just five points, 70-65 with underfour minutes left. Chris Whitney scored eight three-point goals,including seven in the second half, to lead the Clemson charge.But, North Carolina went on a 10-2 run to end the game and won,80-67. Whitney had 24 points in the game and Sharone Wright added20 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Clemson has comewithin five points of the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill on fiveoccasions (24-23 in 1935-36, 61-60 in 1973-74, 74-72 in 1974-75,73-70 in 1979-80, and 77-72 in 1981-82). The closest Clemson hascome in the Smith Center is 9 points, 88-79 in the 1997-98 game.That was a strange contest in that Clemson ended the game with justfour players on the court. Six Tigers had fouled out. Clemsonactually outscored North Carolina over the 70-second period (8-6)in which it had just four players. Terrell McIntyre made a pair ofthree pointers during the stretch when Clemson had just fourplayers on the court (and thus led the nation in short-handed goalsfor the season). The largest lead Clemson has ever had in a game atChapel Hill is 16 points, 30-14 in the first half of the 1974-75game. The latest lead Clemson has ever had in a game in Chapel Hillalso took place in the 1974-75 contest. The Tigers held a 72-71advantage until Walter Davis hit a jumpshot with 63 seconds left.North Carolina won 74-72 despite 25 points by Clemson’s Skip Wise.Clemson’s largest halftime lead in Chapel Hill also came in 1974-75when the Tigers had a 41-36 advantage. Clemson has had the lead atthe half just three times in the previous 47 games against the TarHeels in Chapel Hill. Clemson also held a 28-27 lead atintermission in 1998-99 and had a 35-33 lead at intermission in1981-82. Clemson has entered the game in Chapel Hill as the higherranked team just twice in the history of the series. In 1996-97,Clemson was second in AP with a 16-2 record, and North Carolina was19th heading into that game. North Carolina won that contest,61-48. The Tigers were ranked 12th and North Carolina 13th for the1980 game in Chapel Hill. North Carolina won that contest 73-70. In1998-99, both teams were ranked in the top 15 entering the contest,but North Carolina was ninth and Clemson was 14th. The last timeClemson came within five points of the Tar Heels in Chapel Hillcame in 1981-82, ironically, a National Championship season for theTar Heels. The Tigers had a 54-45 lead with 10 minutes left againsta James Worthy, Sam Perkins and Michael Jordan led North Carolinateam, before losing 77-72. A James Worthy steal and dunk was theturning point in that game. Clemson was led by Vincent Hamiltonwith 20 points on 8-11 shooting. Clemson held Worthy to sevenpoints, Sam Perkins to just 11 and Michael Jordan to 14. JimmyBlack and Matt Doherty had 21 apiece for the Tar Heels.
Clemson Will go to Chapel Hill with Better Overall Record Clemson will travel to Chapel Hill with a better overall winning percentage than North Carolina. This will be just the eighth time in history that Clemson has entered a game in Chapel Hill with a better overall record than North Carolina, but the fourth time since 1995-96. Clemson is 0-7 in Chapel Hill when it enters the game with a better overall record than the Tar Hells. The closest Clemson has come to beating North Carolina in that situation was in 1935-36 when North Carolina won 24-23. Clemson was 2-0 entering that game and it was the season opener for the Tar Heels.
Year UNC Record CU Record Result1935-36 0-0 (.000) 2-0 (1.000) L, 23-241951-52 7-4 (.636) 6-2 (.750) L, 59-651979-80 11-4 (.733) 13-3 (.813) L,70-731989-90 14-6 (.700) 15-3 (.833) L, 60-831995-96 11-3 (.786) 11-0 (1.000) L, 53-86)1996-97 11-5 (.688) 16-2 (.889) L, 48-611998-99 11-3 (.786) 11-2 (.846) L, 53-692001-02 7-18(280) 13-15 (.464)
Streak Not Longest in NCAA History North Carolina’s 47-game winning streak over Clemson in Chapel Hill is not the longest in NCAA history. It is not even the longest active streak. Brown has lost 52 straight games at Princeton dating to 1929. That includes Princeton’s 73-47 win this past weekend at Brown. The third longest active home-court winning streak is UCLA over Washington State. Washington State has lost 46 straight at UCLA, including UCLA’s 81-62 victory this year on Jan. 6. Mississippi had a 41-game losing streak at Kentucky between 1929 and 1996.
Earlier This Year North Carolina 87, Clemson 69 Jan. 26, 2002 at Littlejohn Coliseum North Carolina made 11-24 three-point goals, including 7-14 from its starting backcourt, and the Tar Heels went on to an 87-69 win over Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum. North Carolina entered the game on a six-game losing streak, its longest since the 1950-51 season. It was the fifth straight defeat for Clemson, who made just 5-22 three-point goals as a team.
Jamar McKnight led Clemson with 21 points and four rebounds. He did not commit a turnover in his 32 minutes. Ray Henderson scored just four points, but he had 12 rebounds in just 27 minutes. Tomas Nagys had a double-nine with nine points and nine rebounds, while Edward Scott added seven points and eight assists. Chris Hobbs had seven points, but played just 19 minutes due to a foot injury.
Starting backcourt of Adam Boone and Melvin Scott combined for 40 points to lead North Carolina. They entered the game averaging just nine points a game. Boone scored 23 and Scott added 17. Kris Lang had 12 points and Jawad Williams added 10. Jason Capel was back in the lineup for North Carolina after missing three games with a concussion. North Carolina hit consistently from the outside in the first half, especially Boone, who made four three-point goals in the first half. North Carolina opened up a 10-point lead at 37-27, but Clemson cut the margin to 41-37 and had the ball with two minutes left. But, North Carolina went on a 4-1 run to end the half, then started the second half with a 16-8 run and led 61-46 with 11:24 left.
Winning in the Triangle Over the years Clemson’s basketball team has viewed traveling to the North Carolina Triangle like sailors view boating through the Bermuda Triangle. Clemson had won just nine regular season games in 135 contests at North Carolina, N.C. State and Duke heading into the 1994-95 season. Since that year Clemson has a 5-17 record at Duke, N.C. State and North Carolina combined, so the mark is now 14-141 at those three sites combined.
The 1994-95 season was the first time in Clemson history that the Tigers had won their first two games in the Triangle and it was just the second time Clemson had won at least two games in the Triangle in the same year. Clemson also won at Duke and N.C. State in 1976-77, Tree Rollins’ senior season. Clemson has never won at North Carolina and obviously has never swept all three games in the North Carolina Triangle.
Clemson’s overall record in the North Carolina Triangle, including conference tournaments (ACC or Southern) is now is 23-161. Cliff Ellis won in the Triangle just twice in 30 games, both at N.C. State (1986-87 and 1993-94, his last appearance in the triangle). Bill Foster has five of the 14 regular season Clemson wins in the Triangle. Rick Barnes had four triangle wins in his four years as head coach. Larry Shyatt defeated N.C. State in Raleigh his second year.
Clemson has a lifetime record of 10-43 at N.C. State, 4-51 at Duke and 0-47 at North Carolina in regular season play.
The list below does not count ACC or Southern Conference Tournament games played in Raleigh. Clemson has won nine games in conference tournaments in Raleigh, including its most successful Southern Conference and ACC Tournaments in history. Clemson won the Southern Conference Tournament in Raleigh in 1939, its only conference tournament championship in history. In 1962 the Tigers advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament at the Reynolds Coliseum with victories over N.C. State and Duke. It is Clemson’s only appearance in the ACC Tournament Championship game.
Clemson's Regular Season Wins in the North Carolina Triangle(At UNC, N.C. State or Duke)Years Opponent Score1939-40 N.C. State 48-381963-64 N.C. State 66-521975-76 Duke 90-891976-77 Duke 80-73 N.C. State 68-661980-81 N.C. State 82-761983-84 Duke 77-761986-87 N.C. State 78-751993-94 N.C. State 82-631994-95 Duke 75-70 N.C. State 60-551995-96 N.C. State 80-761997-98 N.C. State 77-721999-00 N.C. State 66-63
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. Both his parents are North Carolina graduates. 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. Hobbs and Henderson average 21.1 points and 15.6 rebounds per game. Both are shooting over 55 percent from the field.
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.
Hobbs Returns to Chapel Hill Clemson forward Chris Hobbs is a native of Chapel Hill, NC and a graduate of East Chapel Hill High. He will return to his hometown Wednesday night to face the Tar Heels. Hobbs was one of the top players in North Carolina as a junior in high school averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. But, he suffered a torn ACL as a senior and played just two games.
Hobbs has played in four games against North Carolina in his short career at Clemson. The Tigers are 1-3 in those four games, but the one win was a 75-65 triumph over a #1 ranked North Carolina team, just the second time in history Clemson has beaten a number-one ranked team. Earlier this year Hobbs scored seven points and had three rebounds in 19 minutes against the Tar Heels.
For his career, Hobbs has scored 22 points on 10-17 field goal shooting against North Carolina. He has 23 rebounds to go with those 22 points in 72 minutes of play. But, he has been in foul trouble, committing 15 fouls in the four games and he has fouled out twice. His father, Greg Hobbs, is a videographer for Duke Medical Center. In his spare time, he has served as a videographer for Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s television show. Many times Chris tagged a long to watch the game.
Hobbs has been coming on strong of late. Over the last three games the 6-7 sophomore has scored 63 points and pulled in 30 rebounds. He has shot 22-37 from the field over that time. He has scored at least 11 points in four straight games and has made at last 50 percent of his field goals in six straight games.
Hobbs had his top all-around game as a Tiger in Clemson’s 118-115 double overtime victory He scored 24 points and pulled in a career high 17 rebounds. Hobbs made 8-11 field goals and his two free throws with 12 seconds left gave Clemson a three-point lead.
Hobbs has 17 double figure scoring games this year, including four games with at least 20 points. He has three double-doubles this year and nine for his career. He is shooting 55 percent from the field this year and 56 percent for his career. He is just two made field goals short of qualifying for Clemson’s career field goal percentage list. His 56 percent accuracy would be sixth best in school history if he had nine more made field goals.
Clemson at North Carolina Senior Day The Clemson vs. North Carolina game in Chapel Hill will be “Senior Night” for the Tar Heels. Clemson has never won in Chapel Hill and has obviously never won on North Carolina’s “Senior Night”. Clemson is 0-4 on North Carolina “Senior Night.”
Clemson has won on an opponent’s “Senior Night” under Larry Shyatt. In 1999-00 Clemson won at N.C. State to ruin the final home game for Justin Gainey and the Wolfpack.
Clemson has an 11-30 lifetime record in opposing team Senior Night games. Clemson had just one Senior Night road win in the decade of the 1980s, at Duke in 1984 in Bill Foster’s final ACC Road game as Clemson head coach. The Tigers had three such wins in the 1990s and one so far in the first decade of the 21st century.
Clemson is now 1-7 at Georgia Tech, 3-4 at Virginia, 2-7 at Maryland, 0-4 at North Carolina, 3-0 at N.C. State, 2-6 at Duke, and 0-2 at South Carolina. Clemson has never been Senior Night for Florida State. Clemson defeated two teams on “Senior Night” games in the 1961-62 season. That was also the only year Clemson went to the finals of the ACC Tournament. That remains the only year Clemson has won two opposing “Senior Night” games.
Clemson Wins on Opponent Senior NightsYear Opponent Score1960-61 at Virginia 85-631961-62 at Virginia 72-71 at Maryland 75-681962-63 at Virginia 52-501975-76 at Duke 90-891976-77 at N.C. State 68-661983-84 at Duke 77-761992-93 at Maryland 81-731996-97 at Georgia Tech 55-531997-98 at N.C. State 77-721999-00 at N.C. State 66-63
Clemson Has Been Solid vs. Ranked Opponents Clemson In many ways, Clemson has played better against top 25 teams as opposed to unranked teams this year. Clemson is 2-7 against teams ranked in the top 25 this year and Clemson’s averaged scoring margin in those nine games is just -7.9 points per game.
Clemson had four straight games against top 25 teams between Feb. 2-16, just the fifth time in school history that has happened. Clemson was 1-3 in those games. The last time Clemson faced four straight ranked opponents was the 1992-93 season when Clemson played a record five in a row between Feb. 8, 1993 and Feb. 24, 1993. Clemson had a 1-4 record in those five games with the only win a victory over a second-ranked North Carolina team.
Clemson is 2-7 against top-25 teams this year. The victories have come over a #5 Virginia team and a #17 Wake Forest team. It marks the first time since the 1997-98 season that Clemson has beaten at least two top-25 teams in one year. The 1997-98 Tigers defeated three top-25 teams that year. The single season record is six, set in 1979-80 when Bill Foster’s Tigers went to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Larry Shyatt has two wins over top-five teams since he has been at Clemson. He beat a #1 ranked North Carolina team last year and the win over #5 Virginia earlier this year. He is already ahead of his predecessor Rick Barnes in that department. Barnes had just one win over a top-five team in his four years at Clemson, a victory over #3 Kentucky in 1996-97. Cliff Ellis, Clemson’s coach prior to Barnes, had just two top five wins in his 10 seasons. Bill Foster holds the Clemson coaching record for career wins over top five teams with six.
Clemson Streaks
Tony Stockman has averaged 16.5 points a game over his lastfour contests and shot 11 for 28 from three-point range during thattime. He has made 15 of his last 18 free throws. Sharrod Ford hasmade 16 of his last 24 shots from the field, .667. He has averaged6.2 points and 5.2 rebounds over his last six games. Edward Scotthas averaged 21.3 points per game and 8.3 assists over his lastfour contests. He has made 8 of his last 13 three-point shots. Hehad made 10 straight three-point goals prior to that stretch. Hehad a streak of 14 straight games with more assists than turnoversend in his 36-point scoring effort against Florida State. CheyChristie has averaged 4.8 pointsper game over his last eightcontest after scoring just three points total in a six-game periodbetween Jan. 5-24. Jamar McKnight has scored in double figures in15 of his last 16 games. He has made 11 of hislast 13 free throws.Chris Hobbs has made 22 of his last 37 shots from the field. he hasaveraged 14.3 points a game over his last four games.
Last Outing Clemson 87, Florida State 78 Feb. 23, 2002 at Clemson, SC Edward Scott scored 36 points, including 34 over the game’s last 27 minutes, leading Clemson to a 87-78 victory over Florida State on Feb. 23. Scott’s point total was the most by a Clemson point guard since Feb. 14, 1970 when Butch Zatezalo scored 43 against NC State in a game in Charlotte. Scott also added eight rebounds and seven assists in the all-around performance.
Five Tigers scored in double figures, including Scott’s performance. Jamar McKnight, Ray Henderson and Tony Stockman added 10 points apiece. Henderson had his ninth double-double of the season, as he also added 11 rebounds. Delvon Arrington led Florida State with 20 points, seven assists and seven steals, as the opposing point guards were dominant throughout the game.
Clemson shot 50 percent for the game, while the Seminoles made 43 percent. Clemson made 35 percent of its three-point shots (7-20), thanks to Scott’s 5-6 performance.
Florida State had an 18-8 lead over the first eight minutes in the game. It marked the third time this year that Clemson had overcome a 10-point deficit to win the game. Florida State still held a 25-18 lead with 7:17 to go in the half. But, Clemson went on a 16-0 spurt to take a 34-25 lead. Scott hit consecutive three-point goals to get the streak off to a good start and scored 10 of the 16 points in the run. Clemson led at halftime 41-30.
Clemson ran the margin up to 19 points within the first five minutes of the second half, forcing Florida State to play catchup the rest of the game. Arrington led a run at the end of the game that cut the margin to six points on two occasions. But, Clemson made 9-11 from the foul line over the last five minutes of the half and claimed the victory.
Scott Scores 36 Points Against Florida State Clemson guard Edward Scott scored 36 points in the win over Florida State on Feb. 23rd at Littlejohn Coliseum in the final home game of the year. the point total tied for the 14th highest single game total in Clemson history, the fifth highest ever by a Clemson point guard.
The overall scoring record in Clemson history is 58, set by J.O Erwin against Butler Guards on Feb. 9, 1912. That was the first day of basketball in Clemson history. Actually, it was the second game of the day for Clemson. The Tigers opened the day with a 46-12 win over Furman in Greenville, as Erwin scored 22 points.
Later in the day, Clemson played the Butler Guards in the same facility in Greenville and the Tigers came away with a 78-6 victory. Erwin scored 58 points on 29 field goals in the Clemson victory. That record has not been broken since. The “Modern Day” mark is 46 set by Bill Yarborough against South Carolina in 1954-55 and by Butch Zatezalo at Wake Forest in 1968-69.
Scott’s point total was the most by a Clemson point guard since Zatezalo scored 43 against NC State in 1969-70.
Highest Scoring Games in Clemson History by Point Guards No Name Site-Opp Date 46 Butch Zatezalo A-Wake Forest 2-18-69 43 Butch Zatezalo N-NC State 2-14-70 39 Choppy Patterson H-Citadel 12-17-60 38 Butch Zatezalo H-Wake Forest 2-27-69 36 Edward Scott H-Florida St. 2-23-02
Clemson 118, Wake Forest 115 (2OT) Feb. 13, 2002 at Clemson, SC Clemson ended an eight-game losing streak with a 118-115 double overtime victory against Wake Forest on Feb. 13, 2002. The remarkable contest was the second highest scoring game in ACC history for two teams combined and featured five players who scored 24 points or more. Clemson had three of the five as the starting backcourt of Tony Stockman and Chris Hobbs added 24 points and 17 rebounds, while Jamar McKnight added 15. Scott’s 30-point evening included a career-high 16 assists, while Stockman did not have a turnover in his 43 minutes of play and he added a career high tying six assists. Scott’s performance set a Clemson record for points scored by a player who had double figures in assists.
Wake Forest was led by Craig Dawson, who scored 38 points, including 11 made three-point goals, tying an ACC record. Darius Songaila added 24 points before fouling out. Broderick Hicks had 16 points and six assists before he fouled out.
Wake Forest made 19-42 three-point goals, an all-time ACC record for made three-point goals in a game. The Deacons 115 points scored were the most ever for a losing team in an ACC game. Clemson’s 118 points scored were a school record for points in an ACC game.
Clemson shot 55.8 percent from the field for the game. The Tigers made 55.9 in the first half, 53.6 in the second half and 60 percent in the overtime periods. The Tigers had a season high 26 assists and made 9-20 three-point goals. Clemson could have won the game in a rout had it made free throws. The Tigers were just 23-45 from the line for the game, 6-16 in the overtimes.
The two teams battled on even terms the first 10 minutes of the game. Wake Forest held a 23-19 lead with 8:37 left in the first half. But, the Tigers went on a 21-5 run over the next six minutes and led 40-26 with 2:20 left on a three-point goal by Dwon Clifton, his first three-point goal of 2002. Clemson still led 46-34 at intermission.
The margin varied between 8-12 points the first 14 minutes of the second half as both teams executed their offense. Edward Scott caught fire late in the game and scored 14 consecutive points to give the Tigers a 81-66 lead with 3:48 remaining.
But, Wake Forest would not die. It was still an 86-75 Clemson lead with 63 seconds left. But, the Deacs made five three-point goals in the last minute, including a four-point play by Dawson that cut the lead to 86-79. Another three-point goal by Dawson after a Clemson turnover made it 86-82. Wake Forest sent the game into overtime on a three-point goal by Taron Downey with 0.6 seconds left.
After losing an 11-point lead with a minute left, most figured the Tigers would falter in the overtime. Wake Forest did take a 99-96 lead, but Clemson eventually tied the game at 101 on a layup by Chris Hobbs with 55 seconds left. Clemson then had the last shot, but Edward Scott attempt rimmed out.
Clemson took control in the second overtime, leading 116-111 with 20 seconds left on two free throws by Stockman. Wake Forest scored a field goal by Downey. Clemson could not get the ball in bounds and called timeout, a timeout the Tigers did not have.
Dawson went to the foul line and made two free throws to cut the margin to one point with 13 seconds left. Wake Forest fouled Hobbs on the in-bounds. The sophomore from Chapel Hill had made just 6-17 free throws at that point in the game, but calmly made both to give Clemson a three-point lead. Wake Forest never got off a three-point attempt on its last possession and Clemson had the victory, its first win since January 8th.
Unusual Occurrences of Feb. 13, 2002
Clemson Gains Win in Overtime Clemson defeated Wake Forest 118-115 in double overtime on Feb. 13 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was Clemson’s first overtime victory since a 78-65 win over Maryland at Littlejohn Coliseum during December of 1997, Rick Barnes’s last year at Clemson. Clemson had lost six straight overtime games prior to the Feb. 13 game.
It was Clemson’s first double overtime victory since Clemson defeated a 13th-ranked Georgia Tech team in double overtime 97-94 at Littlejohn Coliseum during the 1987-88 season. Overall, it was just the 15th double overtime game in Clemson history. The Tigers are now 9-6 in double overtime games in history. Clemson has played two triple overtime games and lost both. Clemson is now 52-45 all-time in overtime games, including 26-23 in games played at Clemson and 16-14 in overtime games in Littlejohn.
Starting Backcourt Scores 60 Points When Clemson’s starting backcourt of Tony Stockman both scored 30 points against Wake Forest it marked the ninth time in Clemson history that two players had combined for at least 60 points in a game. It was the first time the starting backcourt had scored at least 30 points apiece, and just the second time in school history that two players on the Tiger team had gone for at least 30 in the same game.
The only other time Clemson has had a pair of 30-point scorers in the same game was on Dec. 1, 1993 when Rayfield Ragland scored 32 and Devin Gray added 30 in a 120-103 Clemson victory in Charleston. That was the highest scoring game for two teams combined in Clemson history prior to the game of Feb. 13.
The Clemson record for points scored by two players combined is 74. You have to go back to the first day of Clemson basketball to find that record. On Feb. 9, 1912 J.O. Erwin scored 58 points and J.W. Erwin added 16 in a 78-6 win over the Butler Guards. Apparently the Butler Guards didn’t guard anyone that day.
In the modern era, the record for points scored by two Tigers in the same game is 64. Butch Zatezalo scored 46 and Dave Thomas added 18 in a game against Wake Forest on Feb. 18, 1969.
Wake Forest had two players combine for 62 points in the game as Craig Dawson scored 38 and Darius Songaila added 24. It was the most points by two Clemson opponents in the same game since the 1997 NCAA Tournament two Minnesota Players (Jackson and Jacobson) combined for 64. That game also went double overtime.
Clemson Ends Eight-Game Losing Streak “Eight is Enough” was a popular television program of the 1980s and it is an appropriate slogan for two major Clemson victories over the last two seasons.
Last year, Clemson had lost eight consecutive games before upsetting then #1 ranked North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2001 by a 75-65 score. Clemson’s losing streak had begun with a 27-point point loss at North Carolina in January.
Similarly, Clemson had endured an eight-game losing streak heading into the Feb. 13 game with 17th-ranked Wake Forest. Clemson had begun the losing streak with a 41-point loss at Wake Forest in early January, the worst margin of defeat for Larry Shyatt as a head coach. But, just as it had done the previous year, Clemson overcame the odds and defeated a top 20 Wake Forest in a thrilling game, 118-115 in double overtime.
Ford and Christie Contributing Clemson guard Chey Christie had his best game in two months in the game at Virginia. The freshman from Hartford, CT scored 14 points on 6-12 shooting in 26 minutes. He also added three steals, an assist and made 2-4 three-point goals. He was a leader in Clemson’s comeback from a 10-point deficit early in the game.
That was Christie’s first double figure scoring game since he had 21 against #1 Duke in Durham on Dec. 2. It was his fourth double figure scoring game of the year. Christie has gotten additional minutes of late, as an injured ankle is finally healthy. For the year Christie is averaging 5.2 points a game, first among the Tiger freshmen. Christie’s stats are better on the road than at home this year. He has scored 7.5 points a game on the road compared to just 4.3 a game at home. He has made just 2-26 three-point shots at home and is 6-16 on the road.
Freshman forward Sharrod Ford has been among Clemson’s most productive players this season. He had five points and five rebounds in 24 minutes at Virginia. In the victory over Wake Forest, Ford had a career-high 10 rebounds, including four offensive, helping Clemson to a 62-48 rebound advantage. Ford has played 13 minutes per game, but still ranks in the top 15 in the ACC in blocked shots. Ford had one of his best games of the year against #1 Duke on Feb. 2 when he had 10 points on 4-6 shooting and added three rebounds in 18 minutes. Ford has shot nearly 59 percent from the field and has pulled in 3.4 rebounds and scored 4.2 points per outing. He had 11 points at Wake Forest on Jan. 12 for his third double-figure scoring game of the season, his first in ACC play. Earlier this year he made 4-4 from the field and had 10 points and four rebounds in a win at Penn State. He also had 10 points in the win at Hartford.
Like Christie, Ford plays better on the road than at home. As noted above, three of his four double-figure scoring games have taken place on the road. He averages 6.0 points a game on the road and just 4.2 at home this year.
Ford attended Gwynn Park High School in Maryland where he played for Steve Matthews. He averaged 15.8 points, 12 rebounds and 6.6 blocked shots per game. That blocked shot figure seemed high, but based on what he has done on a per minute basis this year, it is certainly realistic. Ford came to Clemson from Hargrave Military in Virginia where he helped that team to a 26-1 record last year by averaging a double-double.
Clemson Competitive vs. #1 Duke Duke 98, Clemson 88 Feb. 2, 2002 at Littlejohn Coliseum Tony Stockman and Edward Scott both scored 20 points to lead five Tigers in double figures in Duke’s 98-88 win at Clemson on Feb. 2. The contest was the first game of the second half of the ACC season for both clubs. The number-one ranked Blue Devils led the Tigers by just two points with five minutes remaining of the game that was played in front of a sellout crowd at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Duke also had five players in double figures. In fact, 93 of Duke’s 98 points were scored by the starters. All-American Jason Williams had his best ever game against Clemson with 28 points and seven assists to go with six rebounds. Mike Dunleavy added 22 points and seven rebounds.
Both teams played at a high level offensively. The Tigers hit 48.7 percent from the field, including 51.4 percent in the second half when Clemson outscored the Blue Devils 49-48. Duke shot 49.2 percent from the field and hit 11-28 three-point goals, including 9-20 in the first half. Clemson won the rebound battle 39-35, but the Tigers committed 20 turnovers.
The two teams were tied in the first nine minutes of the game at 18-18. Duke then went on a 16-4 run to take a 34-22 lead with 6:53 left. Duke got consecutive three-point goals by Daniel Ewing, Jason Williams and Mike Dunleavy to highlight the streak. Duke got the lead to 50-35 with 16 seconds left, but the Tigers scored four points in the last second on a field goal by Sharrod Ford, then a followup by Hobbs when Ford missed a free throw in his attempt at a three-point play.
Clemson battled back from the 11-point halftime deficit to tie the score at 60 with 13:54 left. Tony Stockman combined to score 17 points over the first six minutes of the second half to get Clemson back in the game. Clemson took a 66-65 lead with 11:23 left on a layup by Tomas Nagys.
Duke took the lead back by six points at 75-69 before Clemson cut the margin to 77-76 with five minutes left. But, the Tigers went cold, missing five straight field goal attempts once the clock got inside the five-minute mark. Duke went on a 13-2 run to take a 90-78 lead with 1:41 left. A dunk by Dahntay Jones with 3:26 left was a key during the streak.
Clemson scored 10 points in the last 1:31, but it was not enough as Duke gained the 10-point victory, its 20th win of the season.
The Unusual Occurrences of Jan. 15, 2002 Clemson suffered a heart-breaking defeat against N.C. State on Jan. 15, 80-79 at Littlejohn Coliseum. There were many noteworthy accomplishments for the Tigers, figures that usually are not characteristics of a Clemson loss, or a loss for any team for that matter.
Clemson had five players in double figures, yet lost the game.Clemson had not lost a game in which it placed five players indouble figures since the 1998 NCAA tournament, a 75-72 loss toWestern Michigan. That was Rick Barnes final game as Clemson headcoach. Clemson out-rebounded N.C. State by +12, 32-20. Clemson hadwon nine of its last 10 games when out-rebounding the opposition bydouble digits. Clemson shot 61.2 percent from the field. It wasjust the fifth time in history that Clemson had shot 60 percentfrom the field, yet lost the game. Clemson is now 40-5 in itshistory when it shoots 60 percent from the field. Clemson made morefree throws than N.C. State attempted (14-12). Clemson had an 18-2record under Coach Shyatt and had won nine straight games when itmade more free throws than the opposition attempted. Clemson shot75 percent from the field in the first half (12-16), yet trailed by11 points at intermission. Clemson committed 13 turnovers in thefirst half and that was the reason Clemson had the large deficiteven with the strong shooting numbers. It was the first time sincethe 1983-84 season that Clemson shot 75 percent in a first half,yet trailed at intermission. Clemson shot 80 percent at Virginiathat year, yet trailed 39-32 at halftime.
Tigers Shoot 60 Percent from Field…And Lose Clemson made 30 of 49 field goal attempts in its loss to N.C. State on Jan. 15. That computes to a 62.1 field goal percentage. Clemson had lost just one game since the 1986-87 season when it shot at least 60 percent from the field.
Ironically, that loss was at home to N.C. State in 1997-98. That year, Rick Barnes’s final season as Clemson head coach, the Tigers shot 31-50 from the field, yet lost to the Pack, 82-80. Clemson is now 21-2 since 1986-87 when it makes at least 60 percent of its field goal attempts and both losses are to N.C. State.
Clemson actually shot well in all three of the shooting areas against the Pack. Clemson was .621 from the field, .417 on three-point shots and .700 from the foul line, a 50-40-70 game. Clemson is now 26-7 all-time when it shoots at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from behind the arc and 70 percent from the foul line, all in the same game.
Clemson actually has lost two games in a row when shooting that well in all three areas. Clemson shot 52 percent from the field, 50 percent on three-point attempts and 81 percent from the foul line, yet lost to Georgia Tech, 111-108 last year at Littlejohn Coliseum. How good was Clemson’s 1986-87 team? That squad led by Horace Grant finished with a 25-6 record. It had 11 games that season in which it shot at least 50-40-70 in the three shooting areas. There have been just 22 such shooting games by the Tigers in the other 14 seasons of the three-point shot combined.
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 scored13.0 points a game and averaged 4.2 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 48 percent from the field and a team best 38 percent from three-point range. He has led Clemson in scoring in six of the last 13 games and has scored in double figures 15 of the last 16 games. He has made at least one three-point goal in 12 of the last 14. He is trying to become the first Clemson player to shoot over 40 percent from three-point range for the course of a season (given 50 made three-point goals) since Terrell McIntyre in 1998-99 Last year, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds all year in 20 games. This year he has 337 points and 109 rebounds in 26 games. He missed two games due to injury earlier this year and played just two minutes in a third. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest year ago. Thus, McKnight has tripled his scoring average and rebound average between his junior and senior seasons. He has scored in double figures in every ACC game except the Duke game in Durham when he played just one minute due to injury.
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.
Most junior college transfers make improvement from year one to year two. But, McKnight is doing it at a 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 13.4 in 1978-79, a 7.6 points per game improvement. He went on to average 17.6 points a game and earn first-team All-ACC honors in 1979-80. McKnight stands at a +9.6 points per game improvement this year over last season, so he is ahead of Williams improvement rate. The improvement would be the fifth best in Clemson history if the season ended today.
The overall Clemson record for improvement in scoring from one season to another is held by Will Solomon, who improved by 14.6 points a game from his freshman year to his sophomore year. That is an ACC record.
Jamar McKnight Improvement ChartCategory 2000-01 2001-02Points/Game 3.4 13.0Rebounds/Game 1.3 4.2Field goal % .429 .4763Pt FGs/Game 0.45 1.653pt Goal % .391 .484Minutes/Game 9.4 25.9
Clemson’s Top Scoring Improvements in Consecutive Seasons Player First Year Second Year Imp Will Solomon 99-98 (6.3) 99-00 (20.9) +14.6 Bill Yarborough 53-54 (15.7) 54-55 (28.3) +12.6 Earle Maxwell 58-59 (3.2) 59-60 (13.8) +10.6 Michael Tait 85-86 (2.5) 86-87 (12.9) +10.4 Elden Campbell 86-87 (8.8) 87-88 (18.8) +10.0 Glenn Corbit 83-84 (1.8) 84-85 (11.7) +9.9 Jamar McKnight 00-01 (3.4) 01-02 (13.0) +9.6 Trip Jones 66-67 (0.8) 67-68 (10.0) +9.2 David Brown 74-75 (2.9) 75-76 (11.6) +8.7 Larry Nance 77-78 (3.1) 78-79 (11.1) +8.0
Clemson In February Clemson finished the month of January with a 2-6 record, victories over Georgia Tech and Virginia on Jan. 5 and 8, respectively. Having a losing record in the month of January is nothing new for Clemson. Historically it has been a difficult month for the Clemson program. Dating to the beginning of the ACC in 1953-54, Clemson has had a winning record in January just 13 of 49 seasons. This year marks the fifth straight year Clemson has won just two games or fewer in the month.
Clemson is just 7-33 over the last five years in January, including this year. That includes a 2-6 record in January 1998, a year Clemson went on to make the NCAA Tournament. Clemson has had a better record in February than January each of the last four years. Larry Shyatt hopes the trend continues this year.
The same holds true when comparing the first half of the ACC schedule to the second half. This year the end of the first half coincides with the change from January to February. Over the last four years Clemson is 6-26 in games played in the first half of the ACC schedule, but 12-20 in the second half of the league schedule. In other words Clemson has a winning percentage 100 percent better in the second half than the first half.
Clemson has had an improved or at least the same record in the second half as compared to the first half 36 of the previous 49 seasons. That includes this year as Clemson has at least equalled its first half win total with two. Clemson has had at least the same record in the second half as compared to the first half in each of the last four years and 11 of the last 13.
Clemson has exceeded its win total of last year (12) with the 13 wins this season. The same goes for ACC games as Clemson has increased that total from two to four.
Three-Point Shooting Has Been Important Three-point shooting has become more and more important in basketball at all levels. Each of the top nine three-point shooting teams in the NBA were the top nine teams in terms of winning percentage entering play two weeks ago.
North Carolina made 11 three-point goals in its win over Clemson on Jan. 26, while the Tigers made just five. The six made field goals from three-point range equaled the scoring difference in the game. The same was true in the Duke game on Feb. 2 as the Blue Devils made 11 three-point goals to just six for the Tigers, a 15-point difference, a key to the 10-point Duke victory.
When Clemson defeated Virginia earlier this year the Cavs made just 2-25 three-point goals compared to 8-19 for the Tigers. When Wake Forest defeated Clemson in Winston-Salem the Deacs made 9-20, while Clemson was just 3-12. When N.C. State downed Clemson in Littlejohn the Wolfpack made 15-31 threes compared to 5-12 for Clemson. Clemson made 15-28 threes at Maryland, a big reason Clemson was in the game the entire time at College Park.
The team with the higher three-point goal percentage has won 12 of the last 15 Clemson games. One of the exceptions was the recent Wake Forest game when Wake Forest hit 19-42 three-point goals for 45.2 percent, yet lost to the Tigers. Clemson did make 9-20 three-point goals in that game.
For the season, Opponents have made 84 more three-point goals than Clemson. The total is 51 more in the 15 ACC games. Clemson is last in the ACC in three-point shooting offense and defense.
Christie and Buckner Return to School Former Tigers Tony Christie and Greg Buckner are both pursuing their degrees from Clemson. Christie, who played for the Tigers from 1995-99, is the brother of current freshman Chey Christie. Tony was a member of three NCAA Tournament teams and an NIT finalist. He played this past fall with the Greenville team in the NBA’s development league. He enrolled in the second semester at Clemson and is anticipating a graduation in August.
Buckner, who has started half the games this year with Dallas and is shooting over 50 percent from the field, played for the Tigers from 1994-98. He was back at Clemson this past summer and will return at the conclusion of the NBA season to finish his degree.
Both Buckner and Christie had big contributions to wins over North Carolina in their careers. Buckner made the most famous dunk in Clemson history in the 1996 ACC Tournament when he dunked with six seconds left to give Clemson a 75-73 victory. It is Clemson’s only ACC Tournament win over the Tar Heels. Christie scored 15 points in Clemson’s 15-point win over a ninth ranked North Carolina team in 1998-99, his senior season.
Scott Second in Nation in Assists Clemson guard Edward Scott was second in the nation in assists through games of Feb. 18. A new ranking is issued every Tuesday afternoon. Including his 16-assist game against Wake Forest, Scott now averages 7.9 assists per game.
Scott has had at least eight assists in eight of the last 11 games, including 13 against N.C. State on Jan. 15. He is on pace to set a Clemson single season record. Grayson Marshall averaged 7.71 per game in 1985-86 and that is the record for the course of an entire season. 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 leads the ACC in assists per game, just ahead of Steve Blake of Maryland. Clemson player has ever led the ACC in assists over the course of the season.
NCAA Assist Leaders (Through Feb. 18, 2002)Player School GP Ast /GT.J. Ford Texas 24 211 8.8Edward Scott Clemson 26 210 8.1Steve Blake Maryland 24 184 7.7Matt Montague BYU 24 179 7.5Sean Kennedy Marist 25 185 7.4Chris Thomas Notre Dame 25 180 7.2Reggie Kohn S. Florida 25 176 7.0Guilheme DaLuz Furman 26 183 7.0Brandin Knight Pittsburgh 26 177 6.8Brandon Pardon Bowling Green 25 170 6.8
Scott Moves to Fourth on Clemson Assist List Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had five assists against N.C. State on Feb. 16 and moved into fourth place on the Clemson all-time assist list. He now has 418 for his career, ahead of Bobby Conrad, who had 401 between 1976-80.
Scott has seven games of double figures in assists and 16 with eight or more this year, including eight of the last 11. That includes the win over Wake Forest when he had a career-high 16 assists. That set a Clemson record for an ACC game and ranked in a tie for third best in Clemson history for a single game. It was the high total by a Tiger since the 1985-86 season when Grayson Marshall had a record 20 assists against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
It marked just the second game in ACC history in which a player had at least 30 points and 15 assists in the same game. Kenny Anderson had 32 points and 18 assists against Pittsburgh on Dec. 28, 1989. Scott has been improved in a number of areas this year, including scoring. He has averaged 11.7 points a game this year and has had five 20-point scoring nights, the first four of his career. That includes two 30-point games. He netted 20 points, including a career high five three-point goals, in a loss at #3 Maryland, then had 20 on 10 field goals against #1 Duke two weeks later. His top game was against Florida State when he scored 36.
“Edward Scott was terrific,” said Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He really did a good job pushing the ball up. Obviously (Tony) Stockman made a lot of shots, but I really admire what Scott did tonight.”
Scott has had more turnovers than assists in just three games all season and has had more assists than turnovers in 14 of the 15 ACC games. He had a streak of 14 straight games at one point this year. Ironcially, the streak was broken in his 36-point effort against Florida State on Feb. 23.
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.
And, Scott’s rebound average of 4.9 this year is ahead of his career 3.8 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. Scott ranks 20th in the ACC in rebounding, second best among guards behind NC State’s Anthony Grundy.
Eight times this year Scott has had at least six rebounds, assists and points in the same game, including the Maryland game of Jan. 20 when he had 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
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. Edward Scott 3 1999-02 418 82 5.105. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 577 126 4.586. 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 Career Leaders in Total Assists Rk. Name Yrs Years GP A/G Ast 1. Grayson Marshall 4 1984-88 122 7.02 857 2. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 4.58 577 3. Derrick Johnson 4 1975-79 111 4.29 476 4. Edward Scott 3 1999-02 82 5.10 418 5. Bobby Conrad 4 1076-80 116 3.47 402 6. Marc Campbell 4 1980-84 106 3.43 364 7. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 6.10 354 8. Vincent Hamilton 5 1980-85 116 2.91 337 9. Marion Cash 2 1988-90 64 6.23 335
Scott Has had 20 Points, Double Figure Assists Twice Clemson guard Edward Scott has had two games this year in which he has had at least 20 points and double figures in assists. That is a rare occurrence. In fact, he joins Chris Whitney and Terry McIntyre as the only other players in Clemson history to do it. Whitney was the first Clemson player to do it in March of 1993 in the ACC tournament when he had 20 points and 10 assists against Florida State in the ACC Tournament. McIntyre did it three times in 1998-99, then Scott did it twice this year.
Scott had 21 points and 11 assists in a win over Elon in December, then had the incredible 30 points and 16 assists in the 118-115 win over Wake Forest this past Feb. 13. Clemson is now 5-1 in games it has had a player record at least 20 points and double figures in assists in the same game.
Clemson Players 20 points, 10 assists in Same GamePlayer Opponent Date Pts AstChris Whitney Florida St. 3-12-1993 20 10Terrell McIntyre Georgia Tech 2-28-1999 22 10Terrell McIntyre Florida State 3-4-1999 28 10Terrell McIntyre Butler 3-18-1999 21 11Edward Scott Elon 12-15-2001 21 11Edward Scott Wake Forest 2-13-2002 30 16
Clemson 68, #5 Virginia 52 Jan. 8 at Littlejohn Coliseum Jamar McKnight and 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 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 point total in an ACC game to that point 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 to raise its record to 5-0 in 2001-02 when shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range. The Tigers employed a match-up 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 first 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.
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 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 four players averaging in double figures, in fact, at least 11.7 points per game. 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 four players have scored in double figures on a per game basis in the conference games. Jamar McKnight leads the way in league games with a 14.5 average, while Tony Stockman is at 13 points and game and Chris Hobbs is at 12.5.
Clemson has averaged 74.9 points a game in ACC play, ahead of its 74.8 average overall. Clemson has shot 34 percent in three-point shooting in league play, ahead of its 31.1 percent overall.
Tigers Won Consecutive ACC Games Jan. 5-8 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 Feb. 27 when it travels to North Carolina for its final road game of the year. Overall, Clemson has had just 58 ACC road wins in the 49 years of the league. Clemson is now 58-265 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.
Bruise Brothers Leading Inside Game Clemson frontcourt players Ray Henderson and Chris Hobbs have been a strong duo on the inside this year. They combined for 23 points and 22 rebounds against third-ranked Maryland on Jan. 20. They had 32 points and 24 rebounds in the double overtime win over Wake Forest. They were especially outstanding in overtime. Henderson had eight points and six rebounds in overtime, while Hobbs had 10 points and three rebounds in the extra 10 minutes.
Hobbs ranks second on the team in scoring with a 12.2 average, while Henderson is fifth on the team with an 8.4 average. They are the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson has an 9.0 rebounding average and Hobbs is at 6.1 per game. Henderson is second in the ACC in rebounds per game. Both are shooting at least 55 percent from the field.
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 nine double-doubles this year, more than he had all of last year and second best among ACC players. Hobbs has three double-doubles, including the win over Georgia Tech and the win at Penn State. He had a monster game against Wake Forest on Feb. 13 with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Henderson and Hobbs, both from the state of North Carolina, are the major reason Clemson is out-rebounding the opposition by 6.2 rebounds per game.
With both players at roughly the same size, 6-7 and 255 pounds, Coach Larry Shyatt 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 20.6Rebounds/Game 16.6 15.1Field Goal % .594 .556Free Throw % .666 .631Minutes/Game 51.7 49.1
Stockman Second in Three-Point Goals/Game Clemson sophomore Tony Stockman is now second in Clemson history on a per game basis in three-point goals per game and fifth overall. He made five in the 10-point loss to Duke recently and connected on six at Maryland and at Florida State. Stockman now has 145 three-point goals for his career, tied for fifth in school history with David Young.
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 145 three-point goals in just 57 games, an average of 2.54 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.
Stockman had a career game against Wake Forest on Feb. 13 with 30 points, six assists and no turnovers in 43 minutes. It was the most minutes played in Clemson history for a player who did not have a turnover.
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 2000-02 145 57 2.543. 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. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 57 394 145 6. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 138 7. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 88 336 129 8. Merl Code 4 1993-97 97 371 125 9. Andre Bovain 4 1990-94 108 326 107 10. Tony Christie 4 1995-99 115 315 106
Clemson Rebounding Third Best in School History Clemson has been strong on the glass this year. The Tigers have been out-rebounded just six times in 28 games this season. Clemson has a +5.6 rebound margin over the first 28 games, a figure that would be second in Clemson history.
The Clemson record for rebound margin over the course of a season is +8.2 per game, a mark established by Larry Shyatt 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. This year”s team has been in the top 20 all year.
Ray Henderson has done his best to impersonate Jamison on this Clemson team. The junior from Charlotte has averaged 9.0 rebounds per game, second 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. Clemson had a 62-48 rebound margin in the win over Wake Forest. That tied for the most rebounds in a game by a Clemson team since 1970.
Clemson’s top Rebound Margin Seasons Year Mar 1998-99 +8.2 1975-76 +5.8 2001-02 +5.6 1985-86 +4.9 1984-85 +4.9 1974-75 +4.9 1989-90 +4.5 1996-97 +4.5
Clemson Downs Georgia Tech Jan. 5, 2002 at Atlanta, GA 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 continued to grab over five rebounds per game for the season. 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 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.
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 won their first 14 games of the year and have been in the top 25 most of the season, 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 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).
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 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 also overcame a 10-point deficit in the win over Florida State on Feb. 23. Clemson trailed 18-8, then came back to win 87-78.
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 The 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.
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 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.”
Hendrix Withdraws from Clemson Clemson forward Jemere Hendrix has decided to withdraw from school and return home for family reasons. Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt made the announcement Feb. 4.
Hendrix suffered a stress fracture of his right foot earlier in the season and had not played since Jan. 12. It was recently determined that he would miss the rest of the season due to the injury.
This past weekend he decided to withdraw from school and return home. He plans on attending a different school next year. “I have decided to leave Clemson for family reasons,” said Hendrix. “I enjoyed my time at Clemson. I appreciate the opportunity Coach Shyatt gave me, but this decision is what is best for me and my family at this time.” “Jemere’s injury caused some frustration the last few weeks,” said Shyatt. “We will help him any way we can to have a successful future.” Hendrix played 43 minutes in eight games this season. He was 5-7 from the field and 9-14 from the foul line for 19 points in his limited action. He also pulled in 12 rebounds, including seven off the offensive boards. He had a season high nine points in 10 minutes of play against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30. He scored five points and had three rebounds in four minutes of action at Wake Forest on Jan. 12 in his most recent action.
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, 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. He had a doubl-double against Miami on Feb. 20 with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Will Solomon, Clemson’s leading scorer last year with a 19.7 average, is averaging 10 minutes per game with Memphis. He recently had a career-high 23 points against Orlando in 38 minutes on Jan. 19.
Tigers in the NBA in 2001-02(Stats as of Feb. 24, 2002)Player Team GP Min PPG Reb FG% FT%Greg Buckner Dallas 22 20.7 6.0 4.0 .519 .654Elden Campbell Charlotte 54 30.0 15.1 7.4 .493 .782Dale Davis Portland 53 30.9 9.6 9.1 .538 .697Horace Grant Orlando 50 28.5 7.8 6.4 .511 .722Will Solomon Memphis 40 12.1 4.4 0.9 .325 .633Chris Whitney Washington 54 26.7 10.0 *3.4 .406 .903Harold Jamison LA Clippers 14 7.7 2.1 1.8 .483 .500*Denotes Assist average
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