Basketball in the Bahamas: Sunday

Sept. 2, 2007

Clemson’s plans for the day were changed slightly after the game Sunday was moved up from 8:00 PM to 6:00 PM. With a departure time of 6:15 AM on Monday, everyone involved was happy to see the Tigers’ game two hours earlier.

In Saturday’s game, the Tigers had their way with an undersized Bahamian club team. James Mays’ double-double was the highlight, as he turned in several noteworthy high-flying dunks in the win. Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell was pleased with how the team played, although he hoped to see a more well-rounded effort in Sunday’s game.

The team’s free time was following breakfast and prior to 2:15 PM, when everyone met in the lobby to walk over to the pre-game meal site. The support staff and players spent a couple of hours in the Aquaventure areas, obviously a favorite spot by everyone during the trip.

Cliff Hammonds was found taking a players’ poll about which water slide was the favorite. He was an avid supporter of the Leap of Faith, while Sam Perry and a few others preferred the Abyss, which was a fast slide with a couple of drops inside a dark tunnel.

“The Abyss only drops a couple of meters,” Hammonds proclaimed. “The Leap of Faith is a 60-foot drop. That’s the best ride here, easily. I wish it was a 100-foot drop, though.” He and Perry spiritedly argued their points for a few minutes before moving on to more rides.

Freshman guard Terrence Oglesby has an interesting pre-game ritual. He takes a 30-minute “power nap” before the game. “Otherwise, I tend to be a little bit lethargic,” he noted. He said he began the pre-game ritual while starring at Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, TN.

The team ate its pre-game meal at Anthony’s Grill for the second straight day. It is located just off the Atlantis property. There, a familiar face bumped into `Raz’ Razayeski. He was greeted at the restaurant by Kelly Urso, a swimmer at Clemson from 2002-05. She was in the Bahamas via a cruise with friends and immediately recognized the orange colors and the team’s athletic trainer.

Monday’s travels will come early for the Tigers, who are set to leave Nassau at 8:00 AM on an American Airlines flight. After a layover in Miami, the team is scheduled to arrive around 1:00 PM in Atlanta. The team is supposed to be back in Clemson late Monday afternoon, in time for the football showdown between the Tigers and the Seminoles of Florida State. The team is slated to participate in the annual “Parade of Athletes” at the game.