Tigers Host Fifth-Ranked Cavaliers Tuesday

Jan. 7, 2002

Game 16: Clemson vs. Virginia

Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2002 7:06 PM (EST) Littlejohn Coliseum (11,020) Clemson, SC

TV: Fox Sports Net South/SunshinePlay By Play: Mike Hogewood* Color Analyst: Bobby Cremins

Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports PropertiesPlay By Play: Jim Phillips * Color Analyst: Tim Bourret

Shyatt Teleconference Audio Media Player Date Notes

Download the Free Real Player.

01/07/02 Larry Shyatt’s Teleconference On UVa Game

Clemson vs. Virginia Series Virginia holds a 58-43 advantage in the series with Clemson, a series that dates to 1936 when Clemson won at Charlottesville, 45-34. That was the only meeting between the two teams prior to the formation of the ACC. Since 1955 Clemson and Virginia have met at least twice per season.

Virginia has won each of the last four meetings, series sweeps each of the last two years, but Virginia holds just a 7-5 lead over the last 12 games. Clemson had won four in a row over Virginia in Littlejohn Coliseum by an average of 14 points prior to the 1999-00 win by the Cavaliers at Clemson. Clemson last defeated Virginia 88-65 at Littlejohn Coliseum in 1998-99, Larry Shyatt’s first year as Clemson head coach. Prior to Virginia’s four-game winning streak in the series, Clemson won six of nine between 1996-1999.

The Tigers don’t fare well in close games against Virginia. In fact, in the last 23 years, regardless of site, Clemson is 2-15 against the Cavaliers in games decided by five points or less. That includes six straight losses since a 65-62 Clemson win at Clemson in 1988-89, a game that was won on a baseline jumper by Elden Campbell with five seconds left. That is the last time Clemson hit a shot inside the last five seconds in Littlejohn Coliseum to win a game.

For a period of time the series featured many close games. In the 1980s, 11 games were decided by five points or less, including nine that were decided by two or one point. In the 1990s, just five were decided by five or less.

University Hall has been a building of horrors for Clemson the last 23 years. Clemson has a 3-20 record in the building since 1979 and all three wins have come in special seasons.

Larry Shyatt’s, Pete Gillen Both Coached at Providence Larry Shyatt’s and Pete Gillen have a common school in their history. Both coached with the Providence Friars. Shyatt was an assistant under Rick Barnes from 1988-94 and was on the staff that won the only Big East Tournament Championship in the school’s history. Gillen was the head coach at Providence after Barnes left and took the Friars to the Final Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Gillen ended up coaching many of the players Shyatt had recruited to Providence, including first-round draft choice Austin Croshere.

Last Year vs. Virginia… Virginia 104, Clemson 76Jan. 27, 2001 at Clemson, SC Virginia had four different players score at least 17 points to offset a 28-point effort by freshman Chris Hobbs in a 104-76 Cavalier win at Clemson on Jan. 27, 2001. Virginia connected on 57.4 percent of its field goal attempts overall, 50 percent from three-point land and 72.4 percent from the foul line. The Cavs also out-rebounded Clemson 43-32 and committed just 10 turnovers in its finest all-around performance of the first half of the season for the then 12th-ranked team.

Clemson shot 39 percent for the game, but hit just 4-23 from the field to open the contest. Clemson went nearly seven minutes without a point at one stretch. That poor Clemson shooting led to a 36-12 Virginia advantage to open the game. Clemson trailed 47-28 at intermission. The Tigers cut the lead to 15 in the second half, but that was as close as the Tigers could get. Virginia made 22-33 shots from the field in the second half, 66.7 percent. It was Clemson’s worst home loss since Duke defeated the Tigers by 29 in 1990-91. Chris Hobbs scored 28 points and had a team best nine rebounds to lead the Tigers. Hobbs hit 10-13 from the field and 8-9 free throws in scoring the most points by a Clemson freshman since the 1995-96 season. Virginia held Clemson scoring leader Will Solomon to just 10 points on 2-14 shooting. It was season low for Solomon, who had scored a season high 41 in the previous contest with Georgia Tech. Chris Williams scored 22 and Donald Hand added 20 points and nine assists to lead the Cavs. Adam Hall had 17 points and 12 rebounds and led the defense against Solomon. Clemson made 71.4 percent from the foul line. The Tigers made more free throws than Virginia attempted, an unusual accomplishment for the losing team. The Tigers also committed just 10 turnovers, its low total for an ACC game. Tony Stockman scored 13 points and had five assists with no turnovers.

Virginia 84, Clemson 65Feb. 28, 2001 at Charlottesville, VA Virginia outscored Clemson 12-5 over the last three minutes of the game and went on to an 84-65 win over Clemson in Charlottesville on Feb. 28. The seventh-ranked Cavaliers closed out their home schedule with the victory, their 20th of the season.

Clemson out-shot Virginia, made more free throws and won the rebounding battle. But, a season high 25 turnovers and just five made three-point goals compared to 11 by the Cavs gave Pete Gillen’s team the victory in front of 7,867 fans. Virginia outscored Clemson 33-7 in terms of points off turnovers.

Clemson was led by Tomas Nagys. The sophomore from Lithuania had 19 points and nine rebounds in just 21 minutes of play. It was his career high in scoring, in fact 11 more points than he had scored in a game previously. The rebound total tied his career high. He also made two three-point goals, the third and fourth of his career.

Dwon Clifton added 10 points (his season high) and seven rebounds to go with three steals in 21 active minutes. Those were the only two Tigers in double figures. Chris Hobbs had seven points and nine rebounds, while Will Solomon also had seven points. Solomon played just 18 minutes as he battled a flu virus. The 20-point scorer was too sick to travel with the team to Charlottesville. He flew in a Clemson University plane on Wednesday afternoon, joined the team at the hotel and came to the arena with the team on Wednesday. He shot just 1-7 from the field, but did made 5-7 free throws. It just the third time in his last 57 games that he failed to reach double figures.

Clemson stayed with the heavily favored Cavaliers throughout the contest. Clemson trailed by just 34-31 at the three-minute mark of the first half. With 1:29 left, and Virginia up by five, Tomas Nagys was called for an intentional foul. Then, the Clemson bench was issued a technical foul in an ensuing disagreement with the call. That led to a nine-point (42-33) Virginia lead at halftime. The two teams battled on even terms in the second half. The first 10 minutes of the half the margin was between 11 and 14 points. Eight times Clemson had a possession in which it could have cut the lead to 10 or nine points, but never could convert. Virginia hit three-point shots on its last two possessions to make the margin 19, its largest of the game.

Clemson Downs Georgia Tech Chris Hobbs scored 25 points and Jamar McKnight added 22 to lead Clemson to an 83-76 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 5, 2002. It was Clemson’s third win in Atlanta since the 1987-88 season (15 seasons) and broke a streak of nine consecutive ACC road losses for the Tigers.

Hobbs had a double-double as he added 10 rebounds to his point total. The 25 points tied his season high and his 10 rebounds tied a season high. He connected on 9-15 field goals in the contest. His only disappointing stat line was in free throws, where he made just 7-13. McKnight was a perfect 5-5 on field goal attempts in the second half on the way to the second highest point total of his career. He also added a career-high eight rebounds in his productive 32 minutes.

Edward Scott added his second straight double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. He also added six rebounds as he continues to grab over five rebounds per game. Tony Stockman scored 11 points and added five assists. Clemson starters scored 79 of the 83 points. Tony Akins led Tech with 20 points, while Marvin Lewis scored 19. Lewis made just 4-13 shots from the field.

Clemson shot 51 percent from the field and won the rebound battle 43-35. Clemson also outscored Tech on fast-break points 18-6, and won the second chance points by a 15-8 margin.

The two teams went back and forth over the first half. Clemson had a 29-23 lead on a steal and dunk by freshman Olu Babalola. But, Tech went on a 9-0 run and held a 32-29 lead with 1:13 left on a jumper by Robert Brooks. The score was tied at 34 when Edward Scott hit a 25-foot three-pointer with four seconds left in the half, giving Clemson a 37-34 lead at intermission. His longest career made field goal ended an 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 Wins on the Road…in January Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech was a landmark victory for the Tigers. The 83-76 victory was Clemson’s second ACC road win in the last four years, the first since winning at N.C. State by a 66-63 score on Feb. 27, 2000.

It was the first Clemson ACC road win in the month of January since Jan. 15, 1997 when Clemson at 11th-ranked Maryland by a 67-63 score. That was Clemson’s third straight ACC road win that year, the last time Clemson has won three straight ACC road games. Clemson has struggled on the road historically, but especially in the month of January in recent years. Clemson had lost 16 straight January ACC road games prior to the Georgia Tech game. Prior to Saturday, Clemson had been 6-44 in ACC road games in January dating to the 1987-88 season.

Clemson will try for two in a row on the ACC road this Saturday at Wake Forest, where it has not won since Elden Campbell’s senior year, 1989-90. In fact, that is Clemson’s only win in Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Each of the last two years Clemson has won an ACC road game in January it has gone on to win two. Clemson was 2-1 in ACC January road games in 1996-97, and 2-2 in 1994-95, Larry Shyatt’s first year with the program (as an assistant under Rick Barnes). Clemson had been shutout when it comes to ACC January road games nine of the last 11 years.

Clemson vs. Virginia Battle of Rebounding Clemson and Virginia will be a battle of the top two rebounding teams in the ACC. Clemson leads the league with a +9.6 margin, while Virginia is second at +9.1 rebounds per contest. Both teams are among the top four in the conference in offensive rebounding.

Both teams are led by strong, but not especially tall centers. Clemson’s Ray Henderson is listed at 6-8 and 255 pounds, while Virginia’s Travis Watson is 6-8 and 255 pounds. Thus, depending on their pregame meal, it should be equal in terms of height and weight under the boards on Tuesday night. Watson is second in the league in rebounding with a 10.8 average after his 13-rebound performance against Virginia. Henderson is third in the conference in carom collecting with a 9.2 figure through 15 games.

Henderson has gotten considerable help on the boards from Chris Hobbs, who has a 6.2 average after pulling in 10 rebounds against Georgia Tech. The third leading rebounder on the team is Edward Scott, the Clemson point guard who has a 5.1 average. Scott is on pace to record the highest rebound average for a Clemson point guard since the 1950s.

Bruise Brothers Leading Inside Game Clemson frontcourt players Chris Hobbs are becoming quite a duo on the inside this year. Hobbs ranks first on the team in scoring with a 13.6 average, while Henderson is fourth on the team with a 9.6 average. They are the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson has a 9.2 rebounding average and Hobbs is at 6.2 per game.

Both had a strong impact on Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech. Hobbs had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Henderson added nine points and six rebounds. Collectively, they shot 13-21 from the field and pulled in 16 rebounds to go with 34 points.

Both have double-double potential. Henderson already has six double-doubles this year, more than he had all of last year. Hobbs has two double-doubles, including the win over Georgia Tech and the win at Penn State. Henderson and Hobbs, both from the state of North Carolina, are the major reason Clemson is out-rebounding the opposition by 9.6 rebounds per game.

With both players at roughly the same size, 6-7 and 255 pounds, Coach Larry Shyatt’s has begun to call them the “Bruise Brothers” when he refers to Hobbs and Henderson in interviews. They are reminding some of a powerful frontcourt duo that led the Tigers to the ACC regular season championship in 1989-90.

That year, Elden Campbell and Dale Davis both were named first-team All-ACC, the only year in school history Clemson has had two first-team selections. Campbell and Davis combined for 30.7 points and 19.3 rebounds per game on Clemson’s 24-8 squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

Campbell and Davis were known as the “Duo of Doom” as the 6-11 frontcourt players struck fear in opposing players who drove the lane against them. Both are still in the NBA 12 years later. Campbell is the starting center for the Charlotte Hornets, while Davis is the starting center for the Portland Trailblazers.

Below is a comparison between Davis-Campbell and Hobbs-Henderson. It looks at the year 1988-89 for Campbell and Davis, the year they were juniors and sophomores, respectively, the same class and level of experience for Henderson and Hobbs. Campbell and Davis scored at a higher rate, but Hobbs and Henderson are holding their own in terms of rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, despite playing fewer minutes.

Bruise Brothers vs. Duo of Doom

Clemson Veterans vs. Virginia Clemson has eight veteran players who have gone against Virginia previously. Chris Hobbs leads the way, as the sophomore scored 35 points in two games against Pete Gillen’s team a year ago. That includes a career high 28-point performance in Littlejohn Coliseum last year. Hobbs also had 18 rebounds and shot 13-19 from the field in the two games vs. Virginia a year ago. Classmate Tony Stockman had 19 points in two games vs. Virginia.

Tomas Nagys also has his career high in scoring against Virginia. He had 19 in the loss in Charlottesville a year ago. Dwon Clifton had his only double figure scoring game against Virginia in Charlottesville a year ago.

                G-GS    Min     FG-A    3-A     FT-A    Reb     A-T B-S Pts.  Avg.Dwon Clifton    2-2     41      7-18    2-5     3-8     3-9     0-0 0-3 19      9.5Ray Henderson   4-2     55      7-14    0-0     1-6     6-11    1-0 0-2 15      3.8Chris Hobbs     2-2     62      13-19   0-0     9-11    7-18    3-5 2-0 35      17.5Walker Holt     3-0     23      0-0     0-0     2-2     0-3     2-2 0-0 2       0.7Jamar McKnight  2-0     27      5-7     1-1     0-0     2-2     0-2 0-1 11      5.5Thomas Nagys    3-0     27      6-10    2-2     13-15   4-14    2-5 1-0 27      9.0Edward Scott    3-3     103     5-10    2-6     1-5     0-8     11-10 0-1       14      4.7Tony Stockman   2-1     59      6-23    5-15    2-2     1-3     9-6 0-2 19      10.5

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 scored10.9 points a game and averaged 4.1 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and a team best 43 percent from three-point range.

Last year, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds all year in 20 games. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest. Thus, McKnight has tripled his scoring average and rebound average between his junior and senior seasons.

McKnight might have played his best game as a Tiger when Clemson defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 5. The native of Zachery, LA who was playing in front of family and friends who had made the trip from Louisiana, had 22 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes of play. He made his last five shots from the field and shot 9-12 overall.

Most junior college transfers make improvement from year one to year two. But, McKnight is doing it at a near record pace. Billy Williams holds the Clemson standard for scoring average improvement for a junior college transfer from his first year to his second. Williams average went from 5.6 a game in 1977-78 to 13.2 in 1978-79, a 7.6 points per game improvement. He went on to average 17.6 a game and earn first-team All-ACC honors in 1979-80. McKnight has improved 7.5 points per game this year over last season.

Jamar McKnight Improvement Chart

Stockman Second in Three-Point Goals/Game Clemson sophomore Tony Stockman had six three-point goals against Yale to move him over the 100 mark in his short Clemson career. It took him just 43 games to reach 100 three-point goals, second fastest in Clemson history behind Chris Whitney. Of course, Whitney was a junior college transfer, so Stockman is the first to reach 100 as a sophomore just 43 games into his career.

Stockman now has 108 three-point goals in just 44 games, an average of 2.45 per game. That is second best in Clemson history on a per-game average, behind Whitney’s 2.88 per game achieved between 1991-93. Whitney had 167 threes in 58 career games. He is now a starting guard with Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. Stockman is making threes at a higher rate than former teammate and Will Solomon, Terrell McIntrye.

As far as overall three-point goals are concerned, his 108 rank 8th in school history. His three three-point goals at Georgia Tech moved him from 10th to eighth in school history, as he moved ahead of Tony Christie and Andre Bovain. Next on the list is Merl Code, who had 125. Current Clemson assistant AD for basketball operations, Bruce Martin, is sixth with 129.

Clemson Career Leaders in Three-Point Goals/GameRk      Name    Yrs     Years   Md      GP      3G/G1.      Chris Whitney   2       1991-93 167     58      2.882.      Tony Stockman   2       2000-02 108     44      2.453.      Will Solomon    3       1998-01 214     94      2.284.      Michael Tait    2       1985-87 70      31      2.265.      Terrell McIntyre 4      1995-99 259     126     2.066.      Marc Campbell   4       1980-84 37      19      1.957.      Anthony Jenkins 4       1982-87 91      47      1.948.      Jeff Brown      2       1992-94 82      55      1.499.      Bruce Martin    4       1991-95 129     88      1.4610.     David Young     4       1988-92 138     97      1.42

Clemson Career Leaders in Total Three-Point Goals Rk Name Yrs Years GP Att 3Gls 1. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 696 259 2. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 94 585 214 3. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 404 167 4. Andrius Jurkunas 4 1995-00 115 414 146 5. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 138 6. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 88 336 129 7. Merl Code 4 1993-97 97 371 125 8. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 44 292 108 9. Andre Bovain 4 1990-94 108 326 107 10. Tony Christie 4 1995-99 115 315 106

Scott Tops 300 Assist Mark Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had 11 assists in the Yale game, giving him 301 for his career. He became the 11th player in Clemson history to reach 300 assists in a career. Scott has the 312 assists in 69 games, an average of 4.52 per contest. That ranks fifth best in school history on a per game basis.

Scott has five games of double figures in assists and eight with nine or more. That includes the win at Georgia Tech when he had 11 assists to go with 12 points. In his first two years he never had more than seven assists in a single game. He had a career-high 14 assists against Charleston Southern on Dec. 22, the most assists by a Tiger since Chris Whitney had 14 against Liberty on Dec. 5, 1992.

Scott has been improved in a number of areas this year, including scoring. He has averaged 9.6 points a game this year and has had a pair of 20 point scoring nights, the first two of his career. Scott had 25 points on 8-12 shooting in the win over LaSalle in The Virgin Islands in the second game of the year, and had 21 points and 11 assists in a victory over Elon. That was the first time since the 1998-99 season that any Clemson player had 20 points and double figures in assists in the same game.

Scott averages 7.4 points per game over his career, but has a 9.6 average this year. He has averaged 4.5 assists per game for his career, but stands at an ACC leading 7.73 assists per game this year. That is on a record pace. Grayson Marshall holds the Clemson record for a season at 7.71 in 1985-86.

And, Scott’s rebound average of 5.1 this year is ahead of his career 3.7 figure. In fact, his 5.1 rebounds per game is the best for a Clemson point guard since Doug Hoffman had a 6.0 average as the point guard in 1957-58. Scott had 10 rebounds in the loss to Yale, his career high. He had an unusual double-double in that game with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but just one point.

Clemson Career Leaders in Assists/GameRk      Name    Yrs     Years   Ast     GP      A/G1.      Grayson Marshall        4       1984-88 857     122     7.022.      Chris Whitney   2       1991-93 354     58      6.103.      Marion Cash     2       1988-90 335     64      5.234.      Terrell McIntyre 4      1995-99 577     126     4.585.      Edward Scott    3       1999-02 312     69      4.526.      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 Playing Better on the Road Littlejohn Coliseum is usually regarded as a strong home-court advantage for Clemson. However, so far this year it appears Clemson has played better away from home. Clemson is 5-3 at home and 5-2 away from home so far this season. Clemson has a better scoring average, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and rebound margin on the road as oppose to home this season.

Individually there are differences. Leading scorer Chris Hobbs averages just 11.5 points a game at home, but scores at a 16.0 rate away from home. Edward Scott both score higher on the road.

What is really strange is the freshmen. You would think freshmen would perform better at home than on the road. But, so far this year, Clemson’s five freshmen have shot just 38.8 percent from the field at home (33-85), but are hitting at a 53 percent rate (37-70) away from home. Sharrod Ford shoots 65 percent on the road and 52 percent at home. Chey Christie is shooting 28.6 percent in Littlejohn Coliseum, but 50 percent away from home.

Clemson has already won five games away from home this year, more than they won away from home in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Clemson won three games away from Littlejohn Coliseum each of those seasons. Clemson won six games away from home Larry Shyatt’s first year, 1998-99.

The Clemson single season record for wins away from home in a year is 11 set in the 1996-97 season, Clemson’s last Sweet 16 season in the NCAA tournament. Larry Shyatt’s was associate head coach of that Clemson team.

Clemson Stats Comparison by SiteCategory        Home    AwayRecord          5-3     5-2Points Per Game 74.9    76.6Field Goal %    44.4    45.73-Point FG %    25.8    34.0Reb. Margin     +7.5    +12.0Opponent 3-Point FG %   36.0    31.1

Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum This is the 34th season of basketball in Littlejohn Coliseum. The facility opened in 1968-69 with a 76-72 win over Georgia Tech. Clemson has struggled at home this year, relative to its rate of success in previous years. Clemson is 5-3 at home so far this season and 5-2 away from home.

Tonight’s game will be the ninth contest at home this year and the 496th in the history of the facility. Clemson has a record of 361-134 at home over the years, a 72.78 winning percentage. Clemson is 123-106 in ACC games in the facility, a .537 winning percentage, and 238-28 in non-conference games, an 89.5 winning percentage. Clemson has had a winning home record in 31 of the previous 33 seasons.

Clemson Rebounding at Record Pace Clemson has been strong on the glass this year, winning the rebound margin in all but one game this year. Clemson has a +9.6 rebound margin over the first 15 games, a figure that would be a Clemson record if the season ended today.

The Clemson record for rebound margin over the course of a season is +8.2 per game, a mark established by Larry Shyatt’s first Clemson team (1998-99). That team ranked eighth in the nation in rebound margin. Harold Jamison led that club with a 9.9 figure, 18th best in the country.

Ray Henderson has done his best to impersonate Jamison on this Clemson team. The junior from Charlotte has averaged 9.2 rebounds per game, third best in the ACC. He is a big reason Clemson is first in the ACC in that figure.

Henderson’s rebound stat is impressive considering he plays just 22 minutes per game. Jamison played 29 minutes a game when he averaged 9.9 rebounds per contest in 1998-99.

The only team to beat Clemson on the boards over the first 14 games is South Carolina, who had a 46-37 advantage in rebounding. Clemson has had a double-digit rebound margin advantage in eight of its 15 games so far this year.

Clemson’s top Rebound Margin Seasons Year Mar 2001-02 +9.6 1998-99 +8.2 1975-76 +5.8 1985-86 +4.9 1984-85 +4.9 1974-75 +4.9 1989-90 +4.5 1996-97 +4.5

Freshmen Making Strong Contribution Clemson’s freshman class, five strong for the 2001-02 season, has made a significant contribution. For the year, the group of Chey Christie, Olu Babalola and Steve Allen has scored 192 points and collected 95 rebounds in 590 minutes. That computes to 12.8 points 6.3 rebounds and 39.3 minutes per game. The group is 70-155 from the field, 45.2 percent, ahead of the team field goal percentage of 45.0.

The group was especially helpful in the last two wins, victories over Charleston Southern and Hartford. In those two games combined, the five freshmen have scored 46 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and hit 18-30 shots from the field, 60 percent. They have done that in 112 total minutes.

The most productive freshman of late has been Sharrod Ford. The rookie is shooting 61 percent from the field for the season, best on the team and is 10 for his last 15. He came in with the reputation of an accomplished shot blocker. He has 17 blocks this season to rank tied for first on the team, but he is in the top 10 in the ACC. He has those 17 blocks in just 12.6 minutes per game.

Consecutive Wins by 30 Points Clemson had consecutive wins by 30 points or more heading into the Yale game. The Tigers were coming off an 82-45 win over Charleston Southern and a 78-48 win over Hartford. It marked the first time since the 1998-99 season that Clemson had consecutive wins by at least 30 points. That year, Larry Shyatt’s first at Clemson as head coach, Clemson defeated Kansas State by a 79-45 count, then defeated Radford 70-37 the very next game.

Since 1990, the only other time Clemson has had consecutive wins of 30 points or more took place in 1995-96 when Clemson defeated its first two opponents that year, UNC-Asheville and Appalachian State, by 42 and 36 points, respectively.

The last time Clemson won three in a row by 30 points or more was in the 1989-90 season. Clemson’s only ACC regular season championship team defeated Georgia State (117-59), Western Carolina (97-61) and Hofstra (91-58) in consecutive contests.

Clemson’s January Schedule Clemson opened its January schedule against Yale with a 68-65 loss. January has been a difficult month for Clemson recently and over the years in general. Clemson has just a 6-28 record in the month of January over the last five years, including a 2-6 mark in the month in 1997-98, the last year the Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament. Larry Shyatt’s first Clemson team won 20 games, but was just 1-7 in January. Clemson won its first game of the month at Georgia Tech on Jan. 5, ending a 16-game Clemson losing streak in January ACC road games.

There are only four dates in the month over the years that have seen Clemson record a winning record. By comparison, the month of February has nine days in which Clemson has had a winning record. Clemson has had a winning record in January just one of the last 11 years.

Clemson 9-4 in Non-Conference Clemson concluded its non-conference portion of the schedule with a 9-4 record. Clemson began the season with a 2-1 record at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands, victories over Morris Brown and LaSalle and a two-point loss to Miami (FL). The Hurricanes are still undefeated (14-0) and Clemson gave them their closest game, 67-65. The Tigers had possession underneath their own hoop with four seconds left and a chance to tie, but the shot missed.

Another highlight of the non-conference schedule was a 79-66 win at Penn State in the ACC/Big 10 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).

Clemson Has Won Four Games Despite Poor 3-Pt Shooting Clemson beat Wofford, Penn State, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State in the first month of the season even though it was outscored 114-27 on three-pointers.

The Tigers made just three of 20 attempts from beyond the three-point arc against Appalachian State. That was after making six threes at Duke on Dec. 2, the most since the Tigers connected to make eight in the second game of the year.

Clemson made just six three pointers against Wofford, Penn State and Coastal Carolina, but claimed victory in each of the contests, including the first two of those in come-from-behind fashion. In those three games, the Tigers were outscored 87-18 by opponents from outside.

Clemson made just 2-15 three-point shots in its victory over Wofford, including an 0-5 performance in the second half. The Terriers shot lights out, hitting 15-32, or 46.9 percent. Wofford’s total tied for the third most three-point goals in Clemson history against the Tigers. Only Duke with 17 in the 2000 ACC Tournament, and Georgia Tech with 17 at Clemson last year, are higher figures.

Clemson followed that with a 1-10 three-point shooting performance at Penn State. That one three-point goal was a big one, however. Dwon Clifton nailed a three on the first Clemson possession of the second half to cut the 10-point margin to seven. The Tigers took that momentum from there.

Against Coastal Carolina, the Tigers were 3-17 from long distance getting three-pointers from Dwon Clifton, Jermel Douglas and Tony Stockman.

A victory for the Tigers with a three-point goal percentage less than 20 percent is a rarity. In fact, the Tigers had lost 12 straight games when failing to hit at least 20 percent from three-point range prior to the Wofford game. Clemson won four in a row when failing to shoot 20 percent on three-point shooting (Wofford, Penn State, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State).

The Tigers were 0-11 under Larry Shyatt’s when failing to hit 20 percent from behind the arc prior to this year. Clemson was 2-21 between 1993-94 and 2000-01 when it failed to connect on at least 20 percent of its three-point shots.

For the season, Clemson has outscored the opposition by 116 points. But, Clemson has been outscored on three-point goals by 108 points. Opponents have made 116 threes, to just 80 made by the Tigers. Clemson was outscored by just one made three-point goal in the win at Tech.

Clemson Played Well at #1 Duke Chris Hobbs scored 25 points and freshman guard Chey Christie added 21 to lead the Tiger offense in a 96-80 defeat at Duke Dec. 2. The Tigers, which shot 43 percent, out-rebounded the Blue Devils 42-29. Edward Scott added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds in another fine all-around performance. He had eight points, nine assists and seven rebounds at the win over Penn State last Wednesday. Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He was 6-9 from the floor and was 11-15 from the free throw line. Five other Blue Devils scored in double figures.

Chey Christie Named ACC Rookie of the Week Clemson’s Chey Christie was tabbed as the ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 3) after averaging 15.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in the Tigers’ three games for three games. The Hartford, CT, freshman scored a career-high 21 points at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the 96-80 loss at top-ranked Duke on Dec. 2. Earlier in the week, Christie was Clemson’s second-leading scorer with 16 points in the win over Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30, Christie tallied nine points with three assists and three steals.

Tigers Comeback for Road Win at Penn State Chris Hobbs had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Clemson to a 79-66 victory over Penn State Nov. 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in State College, PA.

The Tigers came back from a 10-point halftime deficit thanks to 59.1 percent shooting in the second half and a 20-7 run in the final 10 minutes of the game. Clemson held Penn State to just 22.7 percent shooting in the second half as the Nittany Lions made only 5 of 22 shots.

The first half was much different as Penn State erupted to an early 23-9 lead. The Nittany Lions made their first 10 shots from the floor and finished the first half shooting 61.5 percent from the field compared to Clemson’s 38.2 percent.

Coupled with Clemson’s comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit vs. Wofford on Nov. 24, the comeback from the 10-point halftime deficit to Penn State marked the first time in school history that Clemson has overcome double-digit halftime deficits to win in consecutive games.

The double-double by Hobbs was his first of the season and the seventh of his career. Freshman Chey Christie had 16 points and three steals and two rebounds in 34 minutes. Clemson had a total of five players in double figures and all eight Tigers who played finished with at least one field goal, one free throw, two rebounds and one steal. Junior captain Edward Scott finished with eight points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals after playing all 40 minutes. Clemson out-rebounded Penn State 46-22 and had 22 offensive rebounds. The rebound margin of +24 was the largest by Clemson under head coach Larry Shyatt’s, who is in his fourth season. The Tigers shot 1-10 from the three-point arc while Penn State hit 8-23.

Clemson Overcomes Double-Digit Halftime Deficit Clemson overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to gain victory to beat both Wofford and Penn State. That was the first time in school history that Clemson had done that in consecutive games. Clemson overcame a 14-point first half deficit and an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Wofford on Nov. 24, 85-82. It marked just the second time since 1990 that Clemson had overcome a double-digit deficit at intermission to gain victory. It marked just the fifth time since 1990 that Clemson had overcome a deficit of at least 14 points at any juncture of the game to gain victory.

Clemson followed that up with a just as impressive comeback at Penn State. Clemson trailed by 14 points in the first half, 26-12, and trailed 44-34 at halftime. The Tigers won the second half 45-22 to claim a 79-66 win. That marked just the third time in school history that Clemson has overcome a double-digit halftime deficit to win a road game. The others took place at Coastal Carolina last year and at Furman in 1973-74, Tree Rollins’s freshman season. Clemson overcame a 13-point deficit in that game.

Tony Stockman Rebounds in One Week After Surgery Clemson sophomore guard Tony Stockman, the top returning scorer from last year’s Tiger squad, missed just one week of action after a knee injury. The native of Medina, OH had arthroscopic surgery to repair of damaged cartilage on Nov. 23 and returned Nov. 30 against Coastal Carolina. It is believed to be the quickest comeback from a meniscus surgery by a Clemson football or men’s basketball player.

Stockman suffered the injury in the first half of the La Salle game in Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands Nov. 19. He played just 13 minutes in that contest, an 81-69 Tiger victory. He started in the championship game against Miami (FL), but was only able to play 17 minutes in Clemson’s two-point loss.

Stockman had an MRI on the morning of Friday, Nov. 23, and the exam revealed that he had a'”Bucket Handle Tear of his medial meniscus in his right knee,” said Clemson basketball trainer””Raz” Razayeski. The surgery was performed by Clemson team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bowman at the Oconee Memorial Hospital in Seneca.

Stockman tied a career high with 23 points in the season opener against Morris Brown. He hit a career-high seven three-point goals in that game, just one off the Clemson single game record. He also had six assists and three steals. He added eight points on 3-4 shooting in the first half against LaSalle.

For the three games in The Virgin Islands, Stockman scored 11.3 points a game and shot 50 percent on three-point goals, hitting 10-20 from long range. He also had eight assists and just two turnovers.

In Memoriam… Clemson junior forward Tomas Nagys has marked the initials “VK” onto the outside of both of his shoes in the memory of Valdas Kiesus (pronounced: Val-dass Key-a-sus), a friend of his from Lithuania. Kiesus was kidnapped about a year ago. His body was found in mid-November. The two played basketball together before Nagys came to the United States. Nagys attended Montgomery (AL) Catholic for one year after playing two years of high school basketball in Lithuania.

Clemson Finishes Second in Virgin Islands Clemson opened with a 70-57 win over Morris Brown thanks to 23 points by Tony Stockman, who hit seven three pointers. Stockman was 7-13 from three-point range and 8-15 overall. He had six assists and had three steals with just one turnover in 32 minutes. Ray Henderson added 14 points.

Jamar McKnight combined for 38 points and both registered career highs in leading Clemson to an 81-69 victory over La Salle in the second round. Scott scored 25 points on the night, seven more than his previous high of 18 set against Penn State during his freshman year. McKnight added 13 points on 5-9 shooting, one higher than his previous high of 12 set last season against Western Carolina. Ray Henderson was also in double figures with 10 points and he was the team’s leading rebounder with eight.

McKnight and Chris Hobbs both scored 19 points, but it was not enough as Miami (FL) defeated Clemson 67-65 in the championship game. Clemson had possession of the ball with 4.5 seconds left, down two. But, two shots fell off the rim and the Hurricanes came away with their first ever win over the Tigers. McKnight had 17 of his career-high 19 points in the first half. It was his second straight double-figure scoring game.

Hobbs Named to All-Tournament Team Sophomore forward Chris Hobbs was named to the all-tournament team of the Paradise Jam after averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the three games in the Virgin Islands. He had 19 points and nine rebounds in the championship game, a two-point loss, against Miami.

Paradise Jam All-Tourney Team Ricky Cottrill, Eastern Michigan Eric Bush, UAB Rasual Butler, La Salle Darius Rice, Miami (FL) Chris Hobbs, Clemson MVP: John Salmons, Miami (FL)

Robinson, Akingbala Sign with Clemson Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt’s has announced the signing of his first two members of his 2002 freshman class. On Nov. 14, the first day of the early signing period, 6-2 guard Shawan Robinson and 6-9 forward Akin Akingbala each signed a national letter of intent. Robinson attends Leesville Road High School in Raleigh and is considered one of the top players in North Carolina and a top-100 player nationally. He averaged 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game last year.

Robinson is ranked in the top 100 in the nation by All-Star Sports and by Hoop Scoop. A first-team all-conference player the last two years, he combined with current Florida State freshman Anthony Richardson to lead Leesville Road to the state championship game last year. His father, Darryl Robinson, is the Leesville Road High School head coach.

“Shawan will be a tremendous asset to Clemson University and our basketball program,” said Shyatt. “He comes to us from a wonderful family and is an excellent student. You can tell he is the son of a coach. He is an excellent combo guard who will help us immediately as a primary ball handler and deep shooter.”

Akingbala, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, is a senior at The Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT. He averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots per game a year ago. He had a high of 11 blocked shots in a game and shot 68 percent from the field.

Akingbala led his team to a 19-6 record last year and a runner-up finish in the New England Prep School Championships. The Brunswick School won the New England Championship his sophomore year. Akingbala was ranked among the top 100 rising seniors for 2001-02 by Hoop Scoop this past summer.

“Akin is an athletic and enthusiastic leaper,” said Shyatt. “He has excellent desire, especially on the defensive end where he is an intimidating shot blocker. His athletic ability on the soccer field and in basketball is eye-catching. He too fits exactly what we are looking for in our program. He has excellent academic credentials.”

Clifton Cleared to Play Clemson sophomore forward Dwon Clifton has been cleared to return to practice and play for the Tigers this year, Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt announced Oct. 26.

Initial tests indicated that Clifton, a sophomore from Greensboro, NC, had a heart abnormality called Long QT Syndrome, a problem that inhibits the repolarization process in the heart, a condition that would have prevented Clifton from playing competitive basketball. But further tests conducted during a two-week period showed that Clifton does not have Long QT Syndrome. A fainting spell earlier this fall was the result of extreme fatigue. Clifton had a final battery of tests at Emory Hospital in Atlanta on Oct. 25. Doctors at Emory gave him the green light to return to practice immediately.

“The tests revealed that Dwon does not have any structural cardiac abnormalities,” said Clemson basketball physician Dr. Len Reeves. “He had a different battery of tests at Emory that showed he does not have Long QT Syndrome. He has Vaso-Vagal Sycope, which is a common problem that can lead to fainting spells, as the result of relative dehydration and extreme fatigue. We will continue to monitor Dwon. He is not on any medication.”

Clifton was pleasantly surprised at the result of the tests. “I was shocked because I had prepared myself for the worst,” said Clifton. “I was prepared to be told that I could not play. This experience has made my beliefs in God even stronger. I received all kinds of e-mails and calls from Clemson fans who said they were praying for me. I want to thank them. This is a blessing.”

Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt’s, who went to Emory on Thursday to be with Clifton during the medical testing was excited with the news. “Of course we are very happy for Dwon and his family. It is reassuring that the Clemson University medical staff took the safe approach the last three weeks. There were tears of joy at Emory Hospital.”

Clifton started 17 of Clemson’s 31 games last year. He and classmate Tony Stockman were the only Tigers to play in every game last year as freshmen. The 6-5 native of High Point, NC averaged 3.9 points and 2.6 assists per game a year ago. His top game was a 10-point, seven-rebound outing at North Carolina late in the year. He had a season high 12 rebounds against Washington in a tournament in Puerto Rico.

Tigers Tied for 10th in Producing NBA Talent Clemson has seven of its former players on NBA rosters this year, tied for the 10th highest total in the nation. This also ties for the most NBA players Clemson has had in a single season. North Carolina leads the way nationally with 12 former players, while ACC rival Duke is second with 11. A third ACC school, Georgia Tech, is tied with Arizona and Kentucky for third with 10 former players apiece. Michigan State has nine, while Georgetown, Michigan and UCLA are tied with eight players apiece.

Clemson, Cincinnati, UCONN, UNLV and St. John’s all have seven, while Kansas and Maryland have six apiece. California and Villanova round out the top 18 schools with five apiece.

Horace Grant is the veteran of the former Tigers in the NBA. The 1987 ACC MVP, the only Clemson player to win that honor, is now in his 14th year in the NBA. He has won four NBA World Championship rings, including last year with the Los Angeles Lakers. The native of Sparta, GA has more World Championship Rings than any other former Clemson athlete in any sport. Grant is now on his second tour of duty with the Orlando Magic.

Dale Davis and Elden Campbell, who combined to lead the Tigers to the 1990 ACC Regular season championship and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, are both still starting in the NBA. Davis, in his 10th year in the league and is the starting center for the Portland Trailblazers.. He had 25 points and 16 rebounds on 12-16 shooting in a win over Milwaukee on Nov. 30.

Campbell is in his 11th year in the NBA, his third with the Charlotte Hornets. He has the best stats among former Tigers in the league, nearly averaging a double-double on the young season. He recently had a 26-point and 13-rebound performance for the Hornets.

Greg Buckner and Chris Whitney, two former Tigers from Hopkinsville, KY, are also in the NBA this year. Buckner is a reserve with the Dallas Mavericks, while Whitney has been an occasional starter for the Washington Wizards. Whitney, who has been in the league since 1993-94, and is the starting point guard on Michael Jordan’s Wizard team. Buckner was injured much of this year, but returned with an 18 point performance against the Knicks in late December. He has been in the starting lineup of late.

Harold Jamison is a sixth former Tiger in the NBA. A rookie with the Miami Heat two years ago, he was activated by the Los Angles Clippers, and had played in four games through January 3. Will Solomon, Clemson’s leading scorer last year with a 19.7 average, is averaging 10 minutes per game with Memphis. He recently had consecutive double figure scoring games, 13 against Sacramento on Dec. 16 and 10 against Milwaukee on the 18th.

Tigers in the NBA in 2001-02Player          Team     GP     Min     PPG     Reb     FG%     FT%Greg Buckner    Dallas    12    22.5    6.5     2.3     .522    .583Elden Campbell  Charlotte 32    30.8    14.9    7.4     .486 .801Dale Davis      Portland 31     30.4    9.0     8.1     .500 .680Horace Grant    Orlando  34     27.8    6.6     6.6     .478    .700Will Solomon    Memphis 24      9.8     4.1     0.7     .340    .571Chris Whitney   Washington 31   24.5    8.0     *3.3    .400 .782Harold Jamison  LA Clippers 4   5.0     1.5     0.8     .429 .000

Clemson Tigers Sports Properties Clemson Men’s Basketball on Clemson Tiger Sports Properties can be heard throughout South Carolina, as well as portions of North Carolina and Georgia on a strong lineup of radio affiliates. Each CTSP broadcast is also carried live on the Internet on ClemsonTigers.com. CTSP begins coverage of each men’s basketball game 30 minutes before tip-off with the Countdown to Tip-Off Show. There will be a half hour post game show featuring comments from Head Coach Larry Shyatt’s.

Clemson Tigers Sports Properties Affiliates Station Location On the Dial WAJY Aiken 102.7 FM WBAW Barnwell 99.1 FM WCAM Camden 1590 AM WPUB Camden 102.7 FM WSC Charleston 730 AM WCCP Clemson 104.9 FM WZMJ Columbia 93.1 FM WJMX Florence 970 AM WAGI Gaffney 105.3 FM WGTN Georgetown 1400 AM WCRS Greenwood 94.1 FM WBHC Hampton 92.1 FM WWKT Kingstree 99.3 FM WLSC Loris/Myrtle Beach 1240 AM WRNN Myrtle Beach 99.5 FM WIGL Orangeburg 102.9 FM WRHI Rock Hill 1340 AM WIBZ Sumter 95.5 FM WGOG Walhalla 96.3 FM WLXN Lexington, NC 1440 AM

—