Men’s Basketball Prepares For SoCon Holiday Tournament

Nov. 24, 1999

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson’s next three games will be in the eight-team SoCon Holiday Hoops Tournament at the BiLo Center in Greenville, SC. Clemson is no stranger to the teams in the event. Clemson has played six of the other seven teams in the event. Ironically, the only team Clemson has never met in history is the team Clemson will play in the opening round, Central Florida.

Clemson has an even 100 victories over the other six teams in the SoCon Holiday Hoops tournament. Ninety-one of those wins have come against Furman, as Clemson has a 91-51 lead in that series. Clemson is 5-0 against South Carolina State, 2-1 against Mississippi, 1-0 against Wisconsin-Green Bay, 0-1 with Old Dominion and 1-2 against Oregon State.

The last time Clemson met Oregon State, the game was played in Taiwan. It was the season opener of 1987-88 and the first game ever that Dale Davis and Elden Campbell played together in a Tiger uniform. Campbell scored the first 12 points of the game for Clemson, all on six dunks, and the Tigers went on to a 69-54 victory.

Clemson’s only previous meeting with Old Dominion took place at Clemson in the 1979 NIT. Clemson was coming off a 68-67 upset of Kentucky in Rupp Arena in the first round. But, Old Dominion upset the Tigers 61-59 in double overtime. Current Charleston Southern Head Coach Tom Conrad, who will play at Clemson on December 4, played for Old Dominion in that game.

The last time Clemson met Mississippi the two teams met in the NIT at Clemson. Ole Miss won that game, 53-49 at Clemson.

Solomon Has Consecutive 20-Point Games

Clemson sophomore guard Will Solomon is off to quite a start in terms of scoring. The native of East Hartford, CT has scored 24.5 points a game for the first two contests of the season, 21 in the opener against East Tennessee State and 28 in the second game against Wofford.

Solomon is the first Clemson player to score at least 20 points in the first two games of the season since 1986-87 when Horace Grant opened the season with 30 against Georgia State and 27 against Boston University. Grant went on to become the ACC MVP that year, Clemson’s only ACC MVP in history. He also averaged 21 points per game that season, the only Tiger to average at least 20 a game over the last 30 seasons.

If Solomon can score 20 or more against Central Florida he will become the first Clemson player in 45 years to open the season with three consecutive 20-point scoring games. You have to go back to the 1954-55 season when Bill Yarborough had at least 20 in the first 16 games of the season to fine a Tiger who has started the year with at least three 20-point games. Yarborough had a streak of 19 straight 20-point games over two seasons, the last three of 1953-54 and the first 16 of 1954-55.

Solomon has made 19-40 shots from the field and 6-10 from the foul line in the two games. His 28 points against Wofford were a career high for the sophomore who averaged 6.3 points a game a year ago. He played all 40 minutes against Wofford.

Solomon also had 21 points in each of the two exhibition games this year, so he really has a streak of four straight 20-point scoring games.

Free Throw Shooting a Strength

Clemson finished last in the ACC in free throw shooting last year, shooting 62 percent from the line as a team. Clemson was last in 1997-98 also, shooting just 61.4 percent from the line. The Tiger program has not shot 70 percent from the line for a season since 1986-87 when the Horace Grant led team made 71.6 percent. Clemson has never led the ACC in free throw percentage, and the Tigers have been a member of the league since 1954.

Given all those numbers, it is a story when Clemson shoots well from the line. So far this season Clemson is 44-59 from the line, 74.6 percent. And, that was achieved after a 12-22 opening half of the season against East Tennessee State. But, over the last three halves of basketball, Clemson has made 32 of 37 from the line, 86.5 percent.

That includes a 19-21 performance for the game against Wofford. That was the best free throw shooting performance by a Clemson team (90.5 percent) since 1996-97 when Clemson made an all-time record 22-23 in a victory over Duke. The 19-21 performance last Sunday was eighth best in Clemson history and just the third time in the 1990s that Clemson has made 90 percent from the line in a game.

According to Clemson’s statistics it is obvious that players know how to shoot free throws in Lithuania. Clemson’s three Lithuanian players are a combined 22-26 from the line so far this season, 84.6 percent. Andrius Jurkunas is 11-12, Tomas Nagys is 9-10 and Arturas Javtokas is 2-4. The American born players are 22-33 from the line, 66.7 percent.

Clemson Rebound Margin Still Strong

One of Clemson’s strong suits last year was rebounding. Clemson ranked eighth in that area last year with a +7.2 margin per game. Harold Jamison led the way with 9.9 per game, 18th best in the nation, while Tom Wideman added 7.1 per game, eighth best in the ACC. Both are still playing professionally.

Rebounding has not declined so far this year. Clemson is +12.5 rebounds per game for the first two contests and it has been a balanced effort so far. Adam Allenspach leads the way with 8.5 per game, while Chucky Gilmore is a 7.5 per game. Guard Dustin Braddick has pulled in 7.0 per outing and Andrius Jurkunas has added 6.5 per game.

Clemson was +13 on the boards against East Tennessee State in the opener and +12 against Wofford in the second game. Clemson has now out-rebounded the opposition nine straight games over two years.

Clemson In the BiLo Center

Clemson will double its appearances in the BiLo Center this year with four games, including three this weekend. Last year Clemson was 1-1 in the BiLo Center, a 67-54 win over Furman and a 67-50 loss to Illinois.

Both games were widely attended. The Furman game on December 26th attracted 13,264 and the Illinois game attracted 14,687. Clemson will play three games this weekend and a fourth against Furman on December 29th at 7:00 PM. Please note this change from previous listings.

Clemson Outstanding in 8-Team tournaments

Clemson has won two of three games in each of its last seven eight-team regular season tournaments. That includes appearances in the finals in four of the last six, however, Clemson has no championships in this time.

This is the 17th time in history Clemson has played in an eight-team regular season even and Clemson has posted a 2-1 record in 12 of the previous 16. Clemson has reached the finals seven times and won once, the 1980 Rainbow Classic. Clemson defeated host Hawaii 75-71 in overtime in that championship. The Tigers beat eventual National Champion Indiana in the semifinals 58-57.

Overall, Clemson is 29-19 in eight-team regular season tournaments in its history. In recent years Clemson has reached the finals at the Top of the World Classic (1997-98) and the San Juan Shootout (1996-97). Minnesota defeated Clemson in the finals at the San Juan. Clemson will be at that tournament again next season.

Clemson in 8-Team Regular Season Tournaments

*Denotes reached finals

Wofford 79, Clemson 74

Ian Chadwick scored 27 points behind 7-13 three-point shooting, leading Wofford to a 79-74 victory over Clemson on November 21. The Wofford victory ended Clemson’s 39-game home non-conference winning streak and a 42-game streak at home against Southern Conference teams.

Will Solomon led Clemson with 28 points on 11-24 shooting. He also had seven rebounds and played all 40 minutes. Adam Allenspach added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Dustin Braddick added 12 points and seven rebounds. The point total was a career high. Chucky Gilmore was the top rebounder for Clemson with eight.

Clemson was in great shape, leading 61-44 with 10:28 left. But, at that point Chadwick started dropping in three-point goals. Wofford went on an incredible 19-0 run to take a 63-61 lead with 4:29 left.

Wofford continued its fine shooting down the strech and held on to the victory. Clemson struggled over the last 10:28 of the game. The Tigers made just 3-22 shots from the field, were 0-12 on three-point shots and had no assists against nine turnovers. Clemson had committed just eight turnovers in the first 29 minutes of the game.

Clemson 77, East Tennessee State 47

Clemson opened its season with a 30-point victory over East Tennessee State. Clemson jumped to a 46-22 lead at intermission, putting on a fine exhibition in all phases of the game except free throw shooting.

But, even foul shooting was outstanding over the last half and Clemson gained an easy victory. Will Solomon led the way with 21 points, while Adam Allenspach had the first double-double of his career. The 7-1 center had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Andrius Jurkuans added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Clemson won the rebound battle 42-29 and shot 57 percent from the field for the game. ETSU shot just 34.5 percent from the field and made just 2-11 three-point shots. The Bucs had led the Southern Conference in three-point shooting in 1998-99 with a 38 percent figure.

Clemson Has Young Roster

Clemson has one of the youngest teams in the nation with only one senior and one junior with previous Division I experience listed on its roster. This is the youngest Clemson team since the 1987-88 season when Grayson Marshall was the only senior and Jerry Pryor was the only junior among scholarship players. That Clemson team finished 14-15, but did qualify for the NIT.

This year’s Clemson team has one senior, Andrius Jurkunas, and two juniors, Adam Allenspach and Arturas Javtokas, among scholarship players. Walk-on Michael Crocker is a junior, but is in his first year with the program.

The young veteran Clemson players have been asked to step up their play considerably from last year. The five players returning from last year have made large jumps in terms of playing time and scoring. Will Solomon’s scoring average is quadruple what it was last year, from 6.3 points to 24.5. Here is a list of improvements among the Clemson veterans this year

Name               1998-99      1999-2000                   PPg    MPG   PPG    MPGWill Solomon       6.3   19.5   24.5   34.0Dustin Braddick    2.6    8.3    8.5   27.0Andrius Jurkunas   7.6   24.4   11.0   36.0Chucky Gilmore     1.1    5.7    7.0   24.5Adam Allenspach    4.8   15.1   14.5   33.0 

Tigers Establish Career Highs

It has not taken long for four of the five returning players from last year to establish career highs in a number of categories. In fact, Will Solomon, Adam Allenspach, Dustin Braddick and Chucky Gilmore all set career highs in scoring and rebounding within the first two games of the season.

Allenspach, a junior who is a veteran of 68 games at Clemson, had a career high 16 points and 10 rebounds, his first career double-double, in the opener against East Tennessee State. Will Solomon had a career high 21 points against East Tennessee State, then trumped that with 28 against Wofford. Dustin Braddick had a career high 12 points against Wofford and tied his career high in rebounds with seven. Chucky Gilmore had a career high eight points in the opener against East Tennessee State, then had a career high eight rebounds against Wofford.

Jurkunas Top Returnee for 2000

Andrius Jurkunas showed considerable improvement over the last 13 games of 1998-99. He scored in double figures in seven of those 13 games, including a 16-point effort against Georgia and a 14-point performance against Rutgers in the NIT. He averaged 10.6 points a game for the NIT, third on the team in that category. Jurkunas rebounding figures improved also as he had at least six rebounds in five of the last eight games. He had just three games of six rebounds in the first 27 games.

Jurkunas is a red-shirt senior in 1999-2000 and is the leading returning scorer off his 7.6 average in 1998-99. He is also the team’s leading returnee in three-point goals with 51, in rebounding at 3.8, and in free throw percentage at .695. He started 24 of the 35 games last year and is the only returning starter in 1999-00. He shot 46 percent on three-point shots in ACC play last year, fourth best in the ACC for league games.

Jurkunas had 13 points in the opener against ETSU and had seven defensive rebounds. He followed that with nine points and six rebounds playing all 40 minutes for the first time in his career, against Wofford.

Clemson Had 39-game Non-Conference Home Streak

Clemson saw its 39-game home winning streak against non-conference teams end on November 21 when Wofford defeated the Tigers, 79-74.

Clemson was 9-0 in 1998-99 in non-conference home games in Littlejohn Coliseum and had a 39-game winning streak in non-ACC games in the Littlejohn dating to the 1993-94 season. South Carolina defeated Clemson in Littlejohn that year, but Clemson has won every non-conference home game at Littlejohn since then.

The Tigers are 74-4 in non-conference games in Littlejohn Coliseum in the 1990s with the only other losses coming to South Carolina in 1993-94, and to UNC Charlotte and Temple during the 1990-91 season. The 1998-99 Clemson seniors were 29-0 in non-conference games at home and 50-10 in non-conference games regardless of site. Clemson is 60-14 in non-conference games the last five years.

The Tigers are now 341-116 in Littlejohn Coliseum overall (ACC and non-conference), a .748 winning percentage. That includes a 223-21 mark in non-conference games, a .914 winning percentage over 32 years.

Jurkunas Sets Three-point goal Record

Clemson senior Andrius Jurkunas became Clemson’s career three-point goal leader among forwards when he made a pair of three-point goals against Wofford on November 21. He has 108 for his career, two more than former teammate and roomate Tony Christie.

Jurkunas had 51 three-point goals as a freshman and as a junior. Injury problems on 1996-97 gave him shooting problems all year and he made just 3-38 from long range. Christie finished his career with 106 three-point goals. Both played together at St. John’s at Prospect Hall in 1994-95.

Overall, Jurkunas is sixth in Clemson history in career three-point goals. If he makes 50 his senior year, he will rank third in Clemson history trailing only Terrell McIntyre and Chris Whitney, both point guards.

Clemson Career Three-Point Goal Leaders

Rk   Name              Yrs   GP   Att   Gls1.   Terrell McIntyre   4   126   696   2592.   Chris Whitney      2    58   404   1673.   David Young        3    91   402   1384.   Bruce Martin       4    88   336   1295.   Merl Code          4    97   371   1256.   Andrius Jurkunas   4    91   305   1087.   Andre Bovain       4   108   326   107

Jurkunas Over 100 Three-Point Goals

Clemson forward Andrius Jurkunas has 108 career three-point goals. The native of Lithuania made 51 three-point goals in 1998-99, the exact same number he scored as a freshman in 1995-96. Jurkunas has now made 108 of 305 career three-point goals, a .357 accuracy mark. That includes a 3-38 shooting in 1996-97 when he played a limited role due to a knee injury.

Jurkunas stands 6-9 and is an unusual player in that he is capable of defending on the inside, but its also a capable scorer on the outside. Jurkunas is now one of just four players in ACC history standing 6-9 or taller to make over 100 three-point goals in a career. The others to do it are Tom Gugliotta of NC St, Michael Maddox of Georgia Tech, and Danny Ferry of Duke.

Jurkunas has 60 blocked shots to go with his 108 career three-point goals. He entered 1999-2000 as one of just 10 players in ACC history with at least 100 three-point goals and at least 50 blocked shots. No player in ACC history has had at least 100 three-point goals and 100 blocked shots. Jurkunas would need 44 blocked shots his senior year to do it. Maddox of Georgia Tech came the closest with 133 three-point goals and 93 blocked shots.

ACC Players with 100 Career 3s and 50 Blocked Shots

Player               School   Hgt   3pt Shooting   BSAndrius Jurkunas     Clem     6-9   108-305        60Laron Profit         MD       6-5   105-326        76Michael Maddox       GT       6-9   133-353        93Johnny Rhodes        MD       6-4   186-557        62Harold Deane         VA       6-1   237-693        61Danny Ferry          Duke     6-10  108-278        71Quinn Snyder         Duke     6-2   108-303        59Dennis Scott         GT       6-8   351-831        51Walt Williams        MD       6-8   154-429        81Tom Gugliotta        NCS      6-9   183-448        62

Clemson Personnel Update

Clemson will gain the services of two guards in December. Freshman Edward Scott suffered a broken fifth metatarsal bone during practice of October 27th. He has not practiced since and probably will be out until at least December 1 when Clemson meets Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in State College. Scott was named the 4A Player of the Year in South Carolina last year when he helped lead Lower Richland High School to the State Championship.

Pasha Bains, a transfer from Wyoming who entered Clemson in January of last year, will be eligible under the transfer rule on December 11 when Clemson meets South Carolina State in a game at Clemson. Bains averaged 38 points a game as a senior in high school when he was named Player of the Year in Canada.

Head Coach Larry Shyatt

Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt had a 20-15 record in his first year as Clemson Head Coach. He guided Clemson to the Championship of the NIT, a 61-60 loss to California. The 20 victories were a record for a Clemson coach in his first year and he was just the fourth coach in ACC history to win at least 20 in his rookie year with an ACC program.

Shyatt was the head coach at Wyoming in 1997-98 and posted a 19-9 ledger and berth in the NIT. Thus, he had a 39-24 record as a head coach entering this year. This is his 25th year in college coaching, his third as a head coach. In 15 of his last 16 years the team he has coached (head or assistant) has gone to the NIT of the NCAA.

Shyatt has also had assistant coaching stints at Utah, Cleveland State, New Mexico and Providence in addition to his three years as associate head coach at Clemson under Rick Barnes.

Clemson Stat Leaders in Exhibition Play

Clemson had a 2-0 record in exhibition games this preseason. The Tigers played well in most phases of the game, except for free throw shooting, a problem that has hurt the Clemson program for many years. In fact, Clemson has gone 13 straight seasons without shooting 70 percent from the line as a team.

Clemson made 65-129 shots from the field in the two exhibtion games, 50.3 percent. That included 11-30 on three-point shots, 37 percent. Clemson held the opposition to 37 percent shooting, including 29 percent on three-point shots. Clemson also won the rebound battle 91-58 in the two games combined and outscored the opposition by 44 total points.

Individually, Will Solomon was the top scorer with 42 points, followed by Adam Allenspach with 40. Solomon also led in assists with 13 and steals with five. Allenspach recorded his 40 points in just 51 minutes of play, and he also led the team in rebounds with 15. Andrius Jurkunas was third among scorers with 27 points, he also had 13 rebounds and seven assists. Chucky Gilmore had 21 points and 15 rebounds, including 11 offensive, the high total on the team.

The newcomers were led by Tomas Nagys with 16 points and eight rebounds in just 25 minutes. He shot 7-12 from the floor. Arturas Jovtokas contributed seven points and seven rebounds.

Three Walk-ons Join Team

Three walk-ons have joined the Clemson roster for this year. The three players joined the program in mid-October and are members of the roster. The group is led by Jeremy Shyatt, a freshman from Clemson and Daniel High. He is the son of Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt. Jeremy will become just the second ACC player to play at an ACC school for his father. Chucky Driesell played for his father Lefty at Maryland from 1981-85.

The other two walk-ons are J.D. Powell and Michael Crocker. Powell is in his second year as a walk-on. The 6-2 guard from Westminster, SC, connected on a three-point goal in the closing moments of the Georgia Tech game last year in the final home contest of the season. Crocker is a 6-6 forward from Newberry, SC. Both his parents are Clemson graduates. He was more noted for his abilities in soccer in high school. He set the Newberry High scoring record in soccer with 70 career goals.

1999 Seniors All Playing Basketball

Where have the seniors of 1998-99 gone? They are all doing well and are all still in the game of basketball. Tony Christie is playing professionally in England, while Terrell McIntyre is playing for a team in France, but is injured at this time. Tom Wideman and Harold Jamison are both playing in the United States. Wideman has landed a spot on the roster of the Fort Wayne Fury of the CBA, while Jamison started the year on the injured list of the Miami Heat of the NBA. But, Jamison was expected to move to the active roster soon.

Wideman already has his degree from Clemson and concluded his career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in Clemson history. A year ago he was the recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan Scholarship from the ACC. He was also an Academic All-District Choice and a recipient of an NCAA Scholarship. Through three games with the Fort Wayne Fury, Wideman was averaging 13 points and 7 rebounds a game.

The four players led Clemson to 79 wins the last four years, the second highest victory total for one Clemson class in Clemson history. They were major reasons Clemson has been to three NCAAs and one NIT championship game the last four seasons.

Signees for Class of 2000

Clemson head men’s basketball coach Larry Shyatt announced on Wednesday that four players, including three from the state of North Carolina, signed with the Tiger program on the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period.

Dwon Clifton, De’on Dixon, Chris Hobbs, and Tony Stockman all made their commitments to the Clemson program official on Wednesday.

“These players come from four wonderful families,” stated Shyatt. “These are four young men who are very focused about working towards gaining degrees, as well as improving their basketball skills during their four years here at Clemson.

“I thought we really needed to get some experience and talent in the backcourt in particular where we had some key openings due to both graduation and losses of late,” added Shyatt.

“Tony Stockman could well be one of the most creative and exciting point guards in the country and Dwon Clifton gives us size in the backcourt which we haven’t had in years. What’s also exciting is the fact that De’on Dixon could someday make the switch from a 6-8 athletic wing to a backcourt player. Chris Hobbs gives us an impressive strength presence inside and he comes in as probably the strongest high school prospect to ever sign at Clemson at 6-7, 250 pounds.”

“Stockman is capable of playing both guard spots, but is a tremendous lead guard candidate,” Shyatt said. “Clifton has tremendous athleticism and scoring guard skills, but could also someday be a lead guard. So that potential is out there for both Stockman and Clifton.”

Clifton is a 6-4, 195 pound guard from High Point, NC. He has the ability to play both guard positions and is described as an excellent shooter. Clifton averaged 24 points per game as a junior at Westchester Academy and also pulled down 8.5 rebounds per game and dished out 5.0 assists per game for coach Pat Kahny. He is listed among the nation’s top-100 in several publications, including PrepStars Magazine which has him 40th and Bob Gibbons who tabbed him 52nd.

Dixon is a senior at 71st High School in Fayetteville, NC, the same high school that current Tiger forward Chucky Gilmore attended. Dixon is coached by Bernie Poole and averaged 12 points per game and seven rebounds per game as a junior. The 6-8, 185-pound forward also had 3.5 assists per game and 3.5 blocks per game last season.

Hobbs is a 6-7, 250-pound senior at East Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill, NC. As a junior, the power forward averaged 19.4 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game for coach Ray Hartsfield’s club. Those numbers helped Hobbs earn the Triad 3-A Player of the Year award. He was also a first-team all-state pick by the Associated Press. Bob Gibbons rated Hobbs as the number-eight junior in the country and he has been tabbed among the top-40 in several recruiting publications.

Stockman plays at Medina High School in Medina, OH for coach Jody Peters. Stockman is a 6-1, 165 pound guard who is described as a good shooter and ball handler. As a junior at Medina, he averaged 19 points, four assists, and two steals per game. This past summer, Stockman played at the Five Star Camp in Pittsburgh, PA.

“I am proud of our coaching staff, Scott Duncan, Darren Tillis, Matt Driscoll and Anthony Solomon. They worked hard on this class and recruited these young men with class and dignity,” said Shyatt.

Name          Pos   Hgt.   Wgt.   Ppg   Rpg.  HometownDwon Clifton   G    6-4    195    24.0  8.5   High PointDe'on Dixon    F    6-8    185    12.0  7.0   Fayetteville, NCChris Hobbs    F    6-7    250    19.4 10.9   Chapel Hill, NCTony Stockman  G    6-1    165    19.0  4.0@  Medina, OH

Note – Stats are from junior seasons @ – Denotes assists per game

Clemson’s November Record

Clemson has five games in the month of November and that is usually a good sign for the Clemson program. Clemson is 55-10 over the years in the month of November in history, a .857 winning percentage. Clemson was 6-1 in November last year with the only loss coming to Michigan in the Maui Classic in Hawaii. Clemson is 1-1 in November so far this year and will have three more this weekend in the SoCon Holiday Hoops.

Clemson 3-Pt Streak at 280 Consecutive Games

Clemson has a streak of 280 consecutive games with at least a three-point goal. The streak dates to the 1990-91 season when the Tigers were 0-7 from long range in an 81-55 loss at Wake Forest. Clemson was also 0-17 that year in a home loss to UNC Charlotte.

Clemson made at least three three-point goals in every game last year, including a season high 12-23 at Florida State. The Tigers averaged 6.7 made three-point goals per game (4th in the ACC) and attempted 18.67 a game.

Clemson’s 12 three-point goals at Florida State ranked as the most made in a Tiger game since the 1993-94 season. Clemson was 11-22 on three-point shooting in its loss to Maryland and 10-24 in the victory over North Carolina. Five times last year Clemson made double figures in three-point goals. Clemson made 9-19 three-point goals in the win over Georgia in the NIT.

Clemson had two players with at least 50 three-point goals in 1998-99. Terrell McIntyre had 99, a Clemson single season record, and Andrius Jurkunas had 51, the exact same total he scored as a freshman.