Clemson Basketball Holds 40-Minute Orange & White Scrimmage

Oct. 21, 2006

Clemson, SC – The Clemson men’s basketball team held a 40-minute, public orange & white scrimmage at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday afternoon. Fourth-year Head Coach Oliver Purnell returns nine letterwinners and four starters from last year’s squad that finished 19-13 overall with an NIT appearance.

The Tigers were led in the scrimmage by four players who reached 20 points or more Saturday. Cliff Hammonds, a junior from Cairo, GA, led the way with 25 on 9-13 shooting. He also added six rebounds and five assists. Vernon Hamilton scored 24 after shooting 10-17 from the field. He also had three assists and three steals.

James Mays posted a double-double Saturday with 21 points and 12 rebounds. The 6-9 forward/center shot 8-13 and his first two baskets from the field were three-pointers. He also had three blocked shots and three steals. K.C. Rivers had 20 points and six assists as well.

“Overall, it was pretty good,” Purnell said. “We could probably go nine or ten deep right now. We have some good jump shooters in Cliff and K.C. Obviously, James makes a difference on the front line. There’s no question he’s happy to be out there. This was the first time he’s been in front of a crowd in quite a while. His enthusiasm showed out there.”

Four other Tigers reached double figures. Sam Perry and Trevor Booker, both high school products from the state of South Carolina, contributed 15 points apiece. Perry hit 4-4 free throws, grabbed six offensive rebounds, and dished out six assists. Booker hit 7-10 from the field, scoring 15 points while pulling down seven rebounds.

Matt Morris also added 15 points for the Tiger team. The junior from Georgetown, SC hit a game-high four from long range. Raymond Sykes added 11 points and scored on three dunks.

The Tigers will hold an exhibition game versus Lithuania Academy on Tuesday, October 31 at 7:30 PM. Clemson’s first regular season game will come at the three-day Cox Communications Classic in Norfolk, VA against Arkansas State.

Individual Player Stats (FG-A, FT-A, Pts) Cliff Hammonds (9-13, 4-6, 25); James Mays (8-13, 3-4, 21); Julius Powell (2-5, 0-0, 5); Jesse Yanutola (2-4, 1-4, 4); Karolis Petrukonis (2-6, 0-0, 4).