Friday 02/02/2001
Feb. 2, 2001
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Clemson vs. Maryland Series Maryland holds a 77-42 lead in the series with Clemson. The Terps have dominated the series in College Park, winning 45 of the 53 games. The Tigers did win there over a top 12 Maryland team four years ago, and also won on Maryland’s Senior Day in 1992-93. Maryland has won six straight against the Tigers, including all four meetings the last two years, plus the game at Clemson earlier this year. Clemson came close to victory in Larry Shyatt’s first year, an 81-79 Terp win in overtime at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Terps won both games last year by similar scores, 74-62 at Maryland and 76-63 at Clemson.
Clemson has defeated a ranked Maryland team three times in the last five years (since 1996-97). That includes the 1997-98 season when Clemson won 78-65 in overtime at Clemson, the second largest margin of victory in an overtime game in Clemson history. The Tigers outscored Maryland 13-0 in the overtime period. Clemson also had a double-digit victory at Clemson over a seventh-ranked Maryland team in 1996-97, 80-68. Clemson’s last win over the Terps was the 78-65 overtime win in 1997-98.
Clemson has had success against the Terps at Littlejohn in recent years, winning nine of the last 13 at that site. Maryland’s 1999 seniors won three times at North Carolina, but just once at Clemson. Two of the last four meetings between the two teams at Clemson have gone to overtime.
Earlier Meeting this Year Maryland 104, Clemson 92 at Clemson, Jan. 2, 2001 Terence Morris, Lonny Baxter and Juan Dixon all scored at least 22 points to counteract a 32-point performance by Will Solomon and lead 17th-ranked Maryland to a 104-92 win over Clemson on Jan. 2 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was the ACC opener for both teams. Solomon hit 7-11 three-point goals and 10-18 overall in leading Clemson. He also added five rebounds and three assists. Tony Stockman and Chris Hobbs, a pair of freshmen, also scored in double figures for the Tigers. Stockman made four of eight three-point goals and scored 12, while Hobbs had his third double-double of the season, 11 points and 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes. Adam Allenspach played 20 minutes and had nine points and seven rebounds.
Maryland was led by Terence Morris, who had 26 points and eight rebounds, 18 points came in the second half. Lonny Baxter had 24 points in only 20 minutes. A 57 percent free throw shooter entering the game, Baxter hit 8-8 against Clemson, part of the 30-36 free throw shooting by Maryland. Juan Dixon had 18 in the first half, just four after intermission and finished with 22. Byron Mouton added 17 points as the four Maryland starters combined for all but 15 of Maryland’s points.
The game was played at a high level on offense throughout, but the offensive numbers in the first half were mind-boggling. Maryland led 59-56 at intermission, the first time since December of 1990 (Clemson vs. UNCC) that both teams scored at least 55 points in the first half of a Clemson game. The Tigers made 19-35 field goals in the first half, including 6-12 three-pointers. Maryland hit 21-34 shots from the field, including 6-10 three-pointers.
Baxter got Maryland off on the right foot offensively with 15 of its first 21 points in just 5:46 off the clock. Clemson trailed by 10, 24-14 when Danny Miller hit a three-pointer from the right wing. But, Clemson battled back and trailed by just one 29-28 at the 10:10 mark on a three-pointer by Solomon.
The two teams continued to execute their offense in the first half, seemingly scoring six points at a time. Clemson tied the score at 53 with 54 seconds left on a layup by Dustin Braddick. Clemson played well to open the second half, scoring 17 points in the first six minutes to take a 73-72 lead on another three-pointer by Solomon. But, Maryland scored eight straight points to take a 79-71 lead behind Morris, who hit 3-6 from behind the arc.
Solomon hit a three-pointer at the 9:26 mark to bring Clemson to 83-82. That gave him 32 points in just 28 minutes of play. But, those were his last points of the game, as he got just three shots the rest of the game. Clemson still stayed with the Terps. A Tony Stockman three-pointer from the deep corner made the count 96-92 with two minutes left. But, Maryland scored the last eight points of the game, as the Terps converted free throws and Clemson missed its field goal attempts.
Last Meeting at College Park Maryland 74, Clemson 62 Jan. 22, 2000 All five Maryland starters scored in double figures, as the Terps defeated an undermanned Clemson five by a 74-62 score in College Park on Jan. 22, 2000. The Tigers had three players out with injury and dressed just six scholarship players. Still, the 12-point margin was closer than the 17-point defeat Clemson suffered at Maryland. Andrius Jurkunas led Clemson with 16 points on 4-6 shooting, including a then season best 3-4 on three-point shots. He also had seven rebounds and three assists. It marked the first game in his career that Jurkunas led Clemson in scoring and rebounds in the same game. Adam Allenspach added 14 points, while Will Solomon had 12 points and four assists. Dustin Braddick added nine apiece.
Maryland was led by Juan Dixon with 18 points, including 4-7 on three-point shots, while Danny Miller scored 15. Freshman Tahj Holden, making his first college start, had 12 points and 10 rebounds, his first double-double as a Terp. Clemson played without Ray Henderson (pulled groin), Edward Scott (chest cartilage) and Tomas Nagys (tendonitis). Maryland was without second leading scorer Terrence Morris.
Maryland shot just 38 percent in the first half, but held a 38-22 lead at intermission. A three-point goal by Bains at the buzzer of the half, brought Clemson to that score.
Clemson employed a box-and-one defense most of the game and forced the Terps to take 31 three-point goal attempts, their highest figure ever. Maryland defeated Clemson on the boards 41-38, just the third time all year Clemson had been out-rebounded. Clemson’s three-guard attack had something to do with that.
Clemson cut the margin to 52-41 with 8:02 left, then the Tigers got six good looks at the basket over the next two possessions and could not score. Maryland ran the advantage to 22 at 67-45 with 4:04 left. But, Clemson did not die and cut the margin to 12 by the end of the game. Jurkunas scored eight points in the last 2:44 of the game. The two teams were ranked first and second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense entering the game. Neither team shot over 40 percent for the game. Clemson made 43 percent of its three-point shots, but the Terps had six less turnovers (11-17) than Clemson.
Last Outing Florida State 88, Clemson 84 Jan. 31, 2001 at Tallahassee, FL Florida State made 12-16 free throws in overtime and scored 20 points overall in the extra session and defeated Clemson 88-84 in overtime at Tallahassee, FL on Jan. 31, 2001. It was the first conference win of the season for the Seminoles, who have now won five games by six points or less over the Tigers in Tallahassee since 1994.
Will Solomon led the Tigers with perhaps his finest all-around game of the year. The junior scored 25 points, had six rebounds and six assists in his 40 minutes of play. He made 6-13 three-point shots and held Florida State’s Adrian Crawford to 4-14 shooting for the night. Freshman Chris Hobbs added 17 points and11 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season. He made 6-12 shots from the field and had eight offensive rebounds.
Ray Henderson added nine points, including a short jumper with four seconds left to send the game into overtime. Edward Scott had nine of his 11 points in the last five minutes of regulation and the overtime period, while Tony Stockman added 10 points. Five players scored in double figures for Florida State, led by senior guard Delvon Arrington, who had 16 points and seven assists.
Clemson was without the services of Adam Allenspach, out again with a back ailment. Still, the smaller Tigers won the rebounding battle 43-42. Clemson showed a much improved defense over its game with Virginia, holding the Seminoles to 41 percent shooting, 36 percent on three-point shots.
Clemson got off to a difficult start offensively, hitting just 4-19 from the field to open the game. Florida State had a 34-20 lead with three minutes left in the half. But, Clemson closed with a 10-4 run and trailed by just eight at the half. Florida State stretched the lead again to double figures, holding a 58-45 lead with 8:35 left. Clemson was still down 60-50 at the 6:30 mark, but mounted a comeback. Clemson took a 64-63 lead on a jumper by Tony Stockman with just 3:08 left.
The two teams traded baskets the rest of the way until Henderson’s jumper tied the score. But Florida State went on a 13-4 run to open the overtime. Clemson trailed by nine with 38 seconds left, then cut the margin to two with five seconds remaining, but that was as close as the Tigers got.
Loss of Allenspach Has Had Impact Clemson has been without the services of starting center Adam Allenspach for most of the last eight games, or the first half of the conference slate. Clemson’s only senior on the roster has played just 48 minutes in three conference games and he has not seen any action since the North Carolina game in Chapel Hill on Jan. 17. The 7-1 center, who has played 110 games in his Clemson career, has missed time due to inflammation of the Sacroilliac Joint (where hip meets the spine). The problem caused back spasms and a loss of motion and mobility.
Allenspach had six double-doubles within the first nine games of the season and was leading the ACC in that category as the Tigers ran to a 7-2 start. He was averaging 13 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the first nine games. But, he started to have back trouble in the tournament in Puerto Rico. He then missed Clemson’s first game after Christmas against Charleston Southern. Since Christmas he has played just 59 minutes.
In addition to scoring and rebounding, Allenspach has an impact on the defensive end. Although he is not a big shot blocker, he plays strong post defense and the proof is in the statistics of the opposition. Last year, with Allenspach playing all but one game, opposing starting centers shot just 45.5 percent from the field, averaged just 5.4 rebounds and 6.3 points per game. Only six games did an opposing starting center score in double figures, only once (Lonnie Baxter) did an opposing starting center score more than 15 points.
For the first 13 games this year the trend continued. With Allenspach in the lineup, opposing centers connected on just 43.8 percent from the field and averaged just 6.1 points and 4.5 rebounds. But, in the last eight games, with Allenspach playing just 48 total minutes, opposing starting centers have connected on 65 percent of their field goals (39-60), averaged 14.3 points and 6 rebounds per game. Three times the opposing starting center has reached 24 points or more during this time. Only twice in the first 13 games this year did the opposing starting center score in double figures.
For the season, Allenspach is still third on the club in scoring and first in rebounding per game. He has averaged 10.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest and leads the team in blocked shots with 12. The rebounding average is still eighth in the league. For his career, he has averaged 6.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and has shot 70.1 percent from the foul line, one of the top percentages in history for a Clemson center.
Allenspach will certainly be missed if he can’t go in the Maryland game. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Terps in the game at Clemson last year. He had nine points and seven rebounds in just 20 minutes in the game at Clemson earlier this year.
Hobbs Shooting Stats Outstanding Clemson freshman Chris Hobbs is shooting 54 percent from the field and 74.6 percent from the foul line so far this season. The rookie from Chapel Hill is trying to join an exclusive group of Tiger freshmen who have made at least 50 percent of their shots from the field and 70 percent from the foul line.
There have been just four Clemson freshmen in history who have shot at least 50 percent from the field and 70 percent from the foul line, none since Elden Campbell turned the accomplishment in 1986-87. That year, Campbell hit 55.4 percent from the field and 70.2 percent from the line as an understudy to senior ACC Player of the Year Horace Grant. As you can see by the chart below, Grant also accomplished the feat in 1983-84. Vincent Hamilton (1980-81) and Fred Gilliam (1979-80) are the only other Clemson freshmen to do it.
It is apparent that shooting 50 percent from the field and 70 percent from the line in the same season is no easy accomplishment. A check to the final stats shows that no Clemson players, regardless of class, has done it since 1991-92. That year, junior Corey Wallace shot 53.8 percent from the field and 71.2 percent from the foul line.
Solomon Averages 20 a Game in Every Situation Clemson guard Will Solomon has been a consistent 20-point scorer for the Tigers over the last two years. In fact, for his last 50 games he has a 21.58 average. He has 1079 points in just 50 games, 30 games as a sophomore and 20 games so far this season.
The chart below shows that Solomon has not padded his stats in games at home, games against non-conference teams or games against unranked opponents. This season he has a higher average in league play than in non-league, has a higher scoring average against ranked teams as opposed to unranked teams, and has a higher scoring average away from home as compared to games in Littlejohn Coliseum.
It is apparent that he is having a better year than he had last year. In nine of the 12 situations listed below he has improved his scoring average compared to last year. And, he has not done it by shooting a lot of shots. In fact, his field goal percentage and free throw percentage have improved in just about every situation.
Solomon’s 41-Point Game, 7th best in the Nation Will Solomon’s 41-point scoring game against Georgia Tech on Jan. 24 ranks in a tie for the seventh highest scoring game in the nation this year. The top figure is the a 50-point outing by Oliver Morton of Chattanooga against Pikesville on Jan. 24, 2001. Last week Chris Spatola of Army had a 43-point game against Lafayette. There have been seven 41-point games this year, including Solomon’s. It was the highest scoring game by an ACC player this year, the second year in a row Solomon can make that claim. He had a 43-point game against Virginia last year on Jan. 15.
Solomon’s 41-point Outing Sixth Best in Clemson History Will Solomon’s 41-point scoring game against Georgia Tech was the sixth highest scoring performance in Clemson history. It was just the seventh game of 40 points or more by a Tiger player dating to 1912, the first year of Clemson basketball. Solomon, Bill Yarborough and Butch Zatezalo now each have two 40-point scoring games apiece. Solomon is the only Clemson player since 1970 to have a 40-point scoring game. Butch Zatezalo was the last player before Solomon to do it.
Solomon made 13-22 shots from the field, 7-12 three-point attempts and 8-9 from the foul line in his 41-point game against Tech. He played all 40 minutes. The native of East Hartford, CT scored 26 points in the first half when he made 8-12 from the field, including 6 of his first 7.
J.O. Erwin has the Clemson single game scoring record with 58 points in just the second game in Clemson basketball history. Erwin had 29 field goals for 58 total points in Clemson’s 78-6 win that afternoon. It was actually the second game of the day for Erwin and the Tigers. Earlier at Furman, Erwin had 22 points in a win over Furman. Thus, he scored 80 points that day, the reason Clemson has a single day scoring record that is different from its single game scoring record in the Clemson basketball press guide.
Solomon Career Scoring Average 7th in Clemson History With his recent scoring burst, Will Solomon has moved to seventh in Clemson history on the points per game chart. Solomon has averaged at least 20 points a game over the last two years to raise his average to 15.38 for his 84-game career. He recently moved ahead of all-time total points scorer Elden Campbell, who averaged 15.28 per game from 1986-90.
Solomon now ranks second among players who played during an era of freshman eligibility. Bill Yarborough is the only player who played four years that is above Solomon. All the others were not eligible until their sophomore years under NCAA rules during the 1953-73 period. (Note that Randy Mahaffey played part of a fourth season, but red-shirted due to injury).
Solomon has moved to 16th in Clemson history in total points scored (1292), second in career three-point goals (190), third in three-point goals per game (2.31), eighth in three-point percentage (.371), sixth in 20-point games (28), and seventh in scoring average.
Solomon Outstanding vs. Ranked Teams Will Solomon has been outstanding against top flight competition this year. In seven games against top 20 teams he has scored 165 points, a 23.6 average. In those seven games he has shot 45 percent from the field, 43.3 percent on three-point attempts and 82.5 percent from the foul line. All those figures are better than his stats against unranked teams. Solomon has five games of at least 30 points this year and four of them have come against Top 20 teams.
He will play against a ranked team for the eighth time when the Tigers travel to Maryland. Clemson will follow that with an outing against second-ranked Duke.
In a recent outing against a 10th-ranked Wake Forest team, Solomon scored 30 points, made 9-17 shots from the field, 5-11 on three-point shots and 7-9 from the foul line. He also added three rebounds and three steals. Earlier this year he scored 31 against a 10th-ranked Seton Hall team, 32 against a 20th-ranked Cincinnati team and 32 against a 17th-ranked Maryland team. In the Seton Hall game he scored those 31 points in just 30 minutes.
Solomon Improved over Last Year Clemson guard Will Solomon was named first-team All-ACC last year as a sophomore, the first Clemson guard to be named first team in 20 years, the first sophomore or freshman to earn first-team honors from Clemson in 25 years. Based on his production so far this year, he will again be a strong candidate for the honor. No Clemson player in history has ever been first-team All-ACC in two different seasons. Solomon has shown improvement in just about every area this year, including scoring and all three of the shooting percentages. He has done it while playing less time (36 minutes a game last year to 34.5 minutes a game this year). As he did last year, his stats in ACC games are better than in non-conference games.
Solomon Had 6 Straight 20-point Games Clemson guard Will Solomon scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games between Dec. 20 to Jan. 2. The junior from East Hartford, CT averaged 26.2 points a game during the six games. The streak was stopped at Duke when he was held to 13 points by 6-6 Blue Devil forward Nate James.
Solomon tallied 32 points in two of the games in the streak, both against ranked opponents. He had 32 in an eight-point loss to 20th-ranked Cincinnati and also had 32 in Clemson’s 12-point loss to 17th-ranked Maryland. Playing well against top opposition is nothing new for Solomon. Last year he had a higher scoring average in ACC games than in non-conference contests.
Solomon’s streak of six consecutive 20-point games was the longest since Horace Grant had six straight during the 1986-87 season, the year he became Clemson’s only ACC MVP. Grant’s streak was stopped by North Carolina when he scored 19. The Clemson record for consecutive 20-point games is 19, held by the late Bill Yarborough. He scored at least 20 in the last three games of 1953-54 and the first 16 of the 1954-55 season. Yarborough averaged 28.3 points a game in 1954-55 and scored at least 20 in every game. His only non-20 point game was an 18-point outing.
Solomon has already established one Clemson streak record this year. He has scored in double figures in 50 straight games, every game last year and all 20 games he has played so far this season. He has a streak of 25 straight ACC games in double figures. The previous mark was by Vince Yockel, who had 36 in a row over two seasons in the 1950s. Solomon’s current 50-game streak is the longest active streak in the ACC. The ACC record book does not have a listing for consecutive games of double figure scoring. North Carolina’s Larry Miller had a 64-game streak in the 1960s.
An Incredible Game! Georgia Tech 111, Clemson 108 Jan. 24, 2000 at Clemson, SC Will Solomon scored 41 points, the sixth highest single game and just the seventh 40-point scoring game in school history, but it was not enough as Georgia Tech outlasted Clemson 111-108 on Jan. 24 at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson was playing without starting center Adam Allenspach, who missed his second straight game with a back ailment, and starting point guard Edward Scott, who missed the game with a case of the flu. Alvin Jones had perhaps his finest all-around game at Tech as the senior had 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. Jones, a 61.5 percent free throw shooter entering the game, made 14-19 from the foul line for Tech. He was supported by Shaun Fein, who made 7-9 three-point shots and scored 23 in just 25 minutes. Halston Lane scored 17 points in just 21 minutes off the bench to provide support.
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field overall and from three-point land. Both teams scored at least 50 points in each half. Tech made 17-31 three-point shots, a school record for three-point goals in a game, while Clemson made 14-28, the third most made three-point goals in Clemson history. The Tigers made 34-42 from the foul line, including 14 in a row to open the game, and 81 percent for the game. It was just the second time since 1969 that Clemson made 34 free throws, yet lost the game.
Tony Stockman supported Solomon with 20 points and six assists. He scored 18 points in the second half. Pasha Bains scored 12 points, all in the second half, on a perfect 4-4 shooting night. Starting center Ray Henderson added 12 points, including a career best 6-6 from the foul line.
Both teams scored in bunches. Tech scored 36 points in the first 10 minutes and had a 14-point lead. It was a 16-point lead at 48-32 at the 6:12 mark on a three-point shot by Lane. Tech made 13 of 20 three-point goals in the first half alone, but the Tigers scored 23 points in the last 7:21 to get within six at intermission. Solomon scored 26 points in the first half for the Tigers, but he could not counteract the three-point shooting by Tech. The Yellow Jackets had five different players make at least two three-point goals in the first half alone.
Clemson again fell behind by 16 in the second half, first at 92-76, then by a 97-81 score with 6:49 left. But, Clemson scored 27 points in the last 6:42 of the game. A Pasha Bains three-point goal with 1:23 left cut the margin to 105-104. It was 110-108 with 25 seconds left when Clemson got the ball back with a chance to tie, but Will Solomon’s jumper missed. Solomon had a three-pointer to tie with five seconds left, but the shot missed and Tech held on.
Clemson saw both of its top big men, Ray Henderson and Chris Hobbs, foul out, but Clemson still won the rebound battle, 36-27. Dustin Braddick had six rebounds to lead Clemson, four offensive. Tech scored 111 points, but starting point guard Tony Akins did not score before he fouled out.
Hobbs Pulling in the Rebounds Clemson freshman Chris Hobbs has taken over the team lead in total rebounds this year with 130. He had 13 at Wake Forest, his second highest total of the year. He had 15 in a game against The Citadel earlier this year, most by a Clemson freshman in five years. He has jumped ahead of Adam Allenspach in terms of total rebounds, but Allenspach, limited by a back injury, still has the per game lead. Hobbs has been on a rebounding surge of late, he has led Clemson in that area in six of the last eight games, all against ACC competition. He is now averaging 8.0 rebounds per league game, one of the top six averages in league play. He had a double-double in his last outing, 17 points and 11 rebounds at Florida State.
How productive has Hobbs been when it comes to carom collecting? When comparing Hobbs against the great Clemson rebounders in history his freshman rebounds per minute figure stands second only to Tree Rollins. Rollins grabbed a rebound every 2.52 minutes his freshman season (1973-74), while Hobbs gets one every 2.89 minutes. Hobbs is ahead of the freshman pace set by such greats as Dale Davis, Elden Campbell, Horace Grant, Sharone Wright and Larry Nance. 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. Both of his parents are North Carolina graduates.
Hobbs Scores 28 vs. Virginia While Chris Hobbs has been a strong rebounder, he has also been a solid inside scorer at times this year. That was never as obvious as the Virginia game of Jan. 27. In that contest, Hobbs scored a season high 28 points on 10-13 shooting from the field and 8-9 shooting from the foul line. That was the most points in a game by a Clemson freshman since 1995-96 when Terrell McIntyre scored 29. It was the most points by a Clemson freshman front court player since the 1982-83 season when Anthony Jenkins scored 30 against Duke. Hobbs is now averaging 9.6 points in conference games, 7.4 overall. He is third on the team in scoring in conference games and first in rebounding in league contests. Overall, he is fourth in scoring and second in rebounding on the Clemson team. His 54 percent field goal accuracy is second best behind Ray Henderson’s 56.6.
Clemson Three-Point Shooting Improved Clemson is much improved this year when it comes to the perimeter aspect of the game. The Tigers are shooting 37 percent on three-point shots and averaging 8.42 three-point made goals per game, above the previous record rate of 7.06 per game set in 1993-94. They are shooting and making more threes and doing it at the third best percentage in school history.
Clemson’s 1986-87 team made 203 of 453 three-point attempts, a .448 figure, by far the Clemson record and still the ACC mark for that category. Clemson’s 1991-92 team made 38.2 percent and the current 36.5 figure is third.
Leading the way in terms of three-point shooting is Will Solomon, who has made 71 three-point goals in 20 games, 3.55 per game. Solomon’s 3.55 per game figure is ahead of the 3.34 per game by Clemson’s entire team in 1989-90, the Tiger squad that won the school’s only ACC regular season championship.
Group Tickets on Sale The Clemson University Athletic Department Ticket Office is offering a limited number of group tickets for the following Men’s ACC Basketball games at $5.00 each. The minimum amount to order is twenty (20) per game. All group tickets are located in the Upper Arena of Littlejohn Coliseum.
What Clemson has Done Well
Where Clemson has Struggled
Clifton Showing Improvement After scoring just seven points in the first six games of the season, freshman forward Dwon Clifton has scored 80 in the last 14 games. That includes consecutive games of nine points. He had nine on 4-6 shooting in the win over N.C. State, then had nine points on 3-4 shooting at North Carolina. The native of Louisburg, NC has made 14 of his last 30 shots from the field, including 8-14 three-points. Clifton has just four turnovers in his last 144 minutes of play.
Clifton had a highlight at the end of the North Carolina game when he had a rebound dunk after a running start from the foul line. The play was listed as the sixth best highlight of the day on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Henderson Productive Rebounder Ray Henderson has stepped up his game of late, especially when it comes to rebounding. His playing time has increased due to the back problems that Adam Allenspach is dealing with at this time. The native of Charlotte, NC has collected 50 rebounds in his last eight games, 6.4 per outing and all have come against ACC opponents. Henderson had a career-high 13 rebounds at Duke in just 19 minutes, he followed that with 10 rebounds in the win over N.C. State. He added eight rebounds in just 23 minutes at North Carolina and seven in 29 minutes at Wake Forest. For the year, Henderson has 101 points and 92 rebounds.
For the season, Henderson is shooting a team best 56 percent from the field. He has made 9 of his last 13 free throws, including 6-6 against Georgia Tech when he scored 12 points in 22 minutes. He had nine points in 23 minutes at FloridaState. That included a field goal against Florida State with four seconds left that sent the game into overtime.
Allenspach Achieved Triple Leadership at South Carolina Adam Allenspach pulled off a rare achievement in Clemson’s loss to South Carolina in December. The 7-1 center led the Tigers in scoring (15), assists (4) and rebounding (15). Leading Clemson in scoring and rebounding is not an earth shattering accomplishment for Allenspach, but adding in assists makes it an unusual accomplishment. In fact, he also led Clemson in blocked shots in the game, meaning he led the Tigers in four important categories.
Leading Clemson in all three areas in the same game is rare. Below is a list of Clemson players who have done it in the last 31 years (since assists were kept as an official stat). Terrell McIntyre did it twice in his career. Allenspach was the first to do it as a center since Sharone Wright against UT Arlington in 1993-94. David Angel is the only other center to do it and he did it twice.
Here is a list of Clemson players who have led Clemson in scoring, rebounding and assists in the same game:
Scott Running the Offense Clemson point guard Edward Scott has scored in double figures in four of his last six games and five of his last eight, all against ACC competition. He has averaged 8.6 points a game during the eight -game stretch. He has a 6.7 career average. Scott has improved his offensive production of late, hitting 13 of his last 38 three-point goals after hitting just one of his first 19 threes to open the season.
Scott has done a good job running the Clemson offense. He has 90 assists and 49 turnovers. He has already surpassed his assist total for all of last year when he had 69 assists in 789 minutes. This year he has 90 assists in 661 minutes. Overall, Scott has seven double figure scoring games this year, he had five all of last year. The native of Eastover, SC (near Columbia) has improved his assist/turnover ratio from 1.30 to 1.84 so far this year. He has had more assists than turnovers in 16 of the 20 games. He has averaged a turnover every 13.5 minutes of play so far this year, a solid figure for a point guard who plays 32 minutes per game.
Scott missed the Georgia Tech game on Jan. 24 with a case of the flu. He returned for the Virginia game and had four assists without a turnover in 28 minutes. He had 11 points at Florida State.
Clemson Could Break Record for Ranked Opponents Clemson has played six top 20 opponents so far this year and Clemson is 0-7 in those games. But, the Tigers have played well in four of those games, having a chance to win each contest with less than two minutes left. Clemson lost to 10th ranked Seton Hall 79-78 on Nov. 21 in the second game of the season, then lost to 20th ranked Cincinnati by 88-80 on Dec. 21 in San Juan. Maryland, ranked 17th at the time, downed the Tigers, 104-92 on Jan. 2. Third ranked Duke defeated Clemson 115-74 on Jan. 7. Clemson lost to sixth ranked North Carolina on Jan. 17, by a 92-65 score. Clemson trailed Wake Forest by just five points with two minutes left before losing by eight. Clemson had the ball for a final shot to beat Seton Hall. Clemson trailed by just two against Cincinnati with four minutes left, and by just six with two minutes left. Clemson trailed Maryland by just four (96-92) with two minutes remaining.
Playing against top-flight competition will be the norm this year. The ACC is filled with top 20 teams and it appears Clemson will play at least 10 conference games against ranked teams. Combined with the two non-conference games against top 20 teams, Clemson should play 12 regular season games this year against top 20 teams. That would be a first in Clemson history if that happens.
Clemson has played 10 top 20 teams in a season four previous years. It first took place in 1979-80 when Clemson had a 6-4 record against top 20 teams on the way to a NCAA Final Eight finish. Clemson also played 10 top 20 teams in 1980-81, 1994-95 and 1996-97. The record for most top 25 teams played in a season is 13, set in 1996-97. Clemson had a 5-8 record against ranked teams that year. That was Larry Shyatt’s last season as associate head coach at Clemson.
Clemson been known to upset ranked teams in the past. Clemson has 68 win over ranked teams (AP or USA Today/Coach’s), including at least one every year since 1986-87. Clemson had one win over a ranked team last year, a 59-42 win over 21st ranked N.C. State in a game played at Clemson.
Stockman Wins Paw Competition Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt has created an individual competition within his team that is geared toward improving the team’s overall performance. He has devised a system for earning “Tiger Paws” throughout the year. He has divided the season into three parts, pre-ACC, ACC regular season, and postseason.
Players can earn Tiger Paws by individual hustle plays, deflections, taking charges, reaching a minimum amount of rebounds, field goal shooting, three-point and free throw percentage minimums or making a game-winning play. Each member of the team receives a paw when certain team goals are reached within a game.
For the pre-ACC part of the schedule, the champion was Tony Stockman with 21 Tiger Paws. Will Solomon was second with 20, while Edward Scott had 18 and Adam Allenspach had 17. Everyone started fresh with the ACC regular season schedule.
Stockman Scores 23, Nets ACC Honors Freshman guard Tony Stockman scored a season best 23 points in his first collegiate start on Dec. 16 against Wofford. The effort, which also included three rebounds, three assists and three steals, earned Stockman ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Dec. 18. Stockman connected on 9 of 17 shots from the field, including a 4 of 7 mark from long range. Stockman and Chris Hobbs are the only Tiger freshmen to score at least 23 points in a game in the last four years.
Stockman had another 20-point game in his first ACC start. He tallied 20 points, including 10-12 from the foul line in the 111-108 loss to Georgia Tech. He scored 18 points in the second half. He added 13 points and five assists without a turnover against Virginia. Stockman has shown an ability to score in the clutch. Against Charleston Southern, he scored 14 of the Tigers final 23 points, including six points in the final five minutes of play.
Stockman ranks second on the Clemson team in that stat. In games decided by 10 points or less, he has scored a total of 29 points in the final five minutes of those games, second to Will Solomon’s 31. For the year, Stockman is second on the team in scoring with a 12.3 average, even though he has played just 25 minutes per game. His 48 three-point goals rank second on the Clemson team and is second best by any freshman in Clemson history. His 83 percent free throw shooting is best.
Stockman is having the best season by a Clemson freshman guard since Terrell McIntyre in 1995-96. In some ways, Stockman’s stats are even better. And, he has averaged six less minutes per game than McIntrye played as a freshman. The following is a comparison:
Freshmen of Influence Clemson’s freshman class for the 2000-01 season was ranked among the best in the nation. It has certainly had an impact on this year’s team. Tony Stockman is second on the club in scoring with a 12.3 average, including a 22-point outing at Duke on Jan. 7. He had 20 points against Georgia Tech, his fifth 20-point game of the season. Stockman’s 12.3 average is best among freshmen in the ACC. Stockman has 48 three-point goals so far this season, already second best in history by a Clemson freshman. Andrius Jurkunas has the record with 51 in 1995-96.
Chris Hobbs has five double-doubles so far this year fifth in the ACC in that area. The freshman from Chapel Hill has averaged 6.5 rebounds per game, second in the league among freshmen. His .540 field goal percentage is also second on the team. He had a double-double in his first ACC game, 11 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland on Jan. 2. He had another against an ACC opponent in the win over N.C. State on Jan. 13. His 15 rebounds in the win over The Citadel were the most by a Clemson freshman since Tom Wideman had 17 at N.C. State in 1995-96. His 28 points against Virginia were the most by a Clemson frontcourt player since 1982-83.
Finally, Dwon Clifton, a freshman from Louisburg, NC, has moved into the starting lineup. He is averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He is a capable rebounder, as his 12 rebounds against Washington showed this year. He had a season-high nine points on 4-6 shooting in the win over N.C. State. He added nine points in the game at North Carolina.
All three freshmen started against Georgia Tech, the first time since the 1995-96 season that Clemson has started that many freshmen in a game. Clemson started four freshmen in the 1996 NCAA Tournament game against Georgia.
Free Throw Shooting at a 14-year High One area of improvement for Clemson this year is free throw shooting. The Tigers have made 71.5 percent from the foul line this year. Clemson has not been a good free throw shooting team over the years. In fact, no Clemson team has bettered 70 percent over a season since 1986-87 when Horace Grant was a senior, helping the Tigers to a 71.6 percentage. The closest Clemson has come to a 70 percent season from the line was 1994-95 when the Tigers finished at .696. Clemson has made at least two thirds of its free throws just four of the last 13 seasons.
If the season ended today, Clemson’s .715 figure would be the best since the 1986-87 season and the ninth best in history. The Clemson record for free throw shooting took place in 1981-82 when Bill Foster’s Tigers made .734 of their free throws.
Clemson has had balance from the line this year. Tony Stockman leads the way with an 83 percent mark, while Will Solomon is at 81. Freshman center Chris Hobbs, who gets to the line often, has made .746 from the line. Edward Scott is at 80 percent. Center Adam Allenspach, a 74 percent shooter from the line last year, is a 66.1 so far this year.
No Clemson team in history has ever led the ACC in free throw shooting.
Clemson Offensive Numbers Up The Tigers are trying to run a more up-tempo offense this season, and are averaging 79 points per game this year, up from the 64.4 scoring average of last year. Clemson has not averaged at least 79 points a game since the 1989-90 season when Clemson’s only ACC championship team in history averaged 79.3 a game.
The 108 points Clemson scored against Georgia Tech were the most points scored by a Clemson team since Dec. 1, 1993 when the Tigers scored 120 in the 120-103 win over Charleston Southern. The 108 points scored in the loss to Tech was the most points in history in a Clemson loss.
Clemson has scored at least 80 points in 10 games this year, including three in a row at one point. Clemson reached the 80-point mark just twice all of last year and just eight times in 35 games Shyatt’s first season at Clemson.
So far this year Clemson has three players averaging in double figures. Clemson had just two games all of last year in which they had four players score in double figures. Will Solomon and Adam Allenspach were Clemson’s only two players to average in double figures last year. Solomon and Allenspach are joined by freshman Tony Stockman in double figures this season. The Tigers had at least three players score in double digits in every game this season up until the Washington game when only Solomon and Allenspach scored more than 10 points. The Tigers got back on track vs. Charleston Southern with four players in double figures. Clemson has had eight games in which four players have scored in double figures. That happened just twice all of last year.
Clemson’s shooting percentage is 43.7 percent, up from 40.4 last year.
Clemson has Shown Comeback Ability Clemson has shown an ability to comeback from large deficits so far this year. In fact, in consecutive victories on Dec. 28-30, Clemson overcame deficits of at least 15 points to gain victory. That is the first time in history Clemson has been down 15 at some point, then gained victory in consecutive games.
The Tigers trailed Charleston Southern 24-9 on Dec. 28, then rallied for an 87-77 win. Two days later at Coastal Carolina, Clemson trailed 37-19 in the first half, and 41-28 at intermission. Clemson won that contest 81-68. Clemson has play-by-plays on a consistent basis back to the 1977-78 season. That was the third best Clemson comeback on record, topped only by a 20-point comeback against The Citadel in 1978-79 and a 19-point comeback in the NCAA Tournament against LaSalle in 1990.
Seven times since the 1977-78 season Clemson has overcome a 15-point deficit to gain victory. Two of the seven have taken place this season, and they were executed just 48 hours apart. In four other games this year Clemson has trailed by double digits, then rallied to take the lead or come within two points late in the game before losing.
Former Tiger Saves Nearly 400 Lives Former Clemson forward Clarke Bynum was in the national news on Dec. 30. The native of Sumter, SC saved the lives of 379 passengers on a British Airways flight from London to Nairobi, Kenya. Bynum, asleep two rows from the cockpit, was jolted awake when the plane went into a nosedive. The pilots were screaming for help and Bynum came to the rescue.
He wrestled a madman to the floor, allowing the pilots to straighten out the plane. The man apparently wanted to kill himself and everyone in the plane. Later, the pilots told Bynum the plane was just three seconds from crashing. Bynum, 39, is an insurance agent and was traveling to Uganda with a small interdenominational organization called the African Christian Trust Service.
Bynum’s heroics were documented in USA Today and other national news agencies and he was interviewed by Good Morning America and the Today Show.
Bynum lettered four seasons for the Tigers from 1980-84. He started 23 games and played in 92 games overall for his career. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds, shot 73 percent from the foul line and 45 percent from the field. He started the first nine games of the 1980-81 season, a Clemson team that finished the year with 20 wins and an NIT bid. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the last week of the regular season that year, then scored 14 points in the NIT game against Temple. He had his best game as a Tiger against Austin Peay on Dec. 2, 1981 when he had 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
Bynum played his best basketball for Clemson during the team’s eight-games in the FIBA International World Cup in Spain in the summer of 1981. He averaged a team best 20 points per game and shot 58 percent from the field for the tournament. He scored 30 points against tournament champion Real Madrid. Bynum was honored by Clemson on Saturday, Jan. 27, prior to the Clemson vs. Virginia game.
Shyatt to Coach in Maccabiah Games Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt has been selected to coach the United States team in the 2001 Maccabiah Games in Israel. The games will be held next July 7-27. Shyatt has already started his preparation for the Games and had an August camp in New York for prospective players, who will mainly be players of Jewish heritage from college programs at all NCAA levels. The team will hold a pre-tournament camp at Clemson this summer prior to going to Israel. For more information on the team and the tournament, contact Andy Solomon at The Citadel. He will be the press officer for the team for the event.
Shyatt is in his third year as Clemson’s head coach, his fourth as a Division I head coach overall. He led Wyoming to a 19-9 record and the NIT in 1997-98. In his first year at Clemson he took the Tigers to the NIT Championship game, a first in Clemson history. The Tigers won 20 games that year and Shyatt became just the fourth coach in ACC history to win 20 games in his first year at a league school. Last year Clemson had a 10-20 record. Six players missed a combined 26 games due to injury during last year.
Shyatt has coached the ACC scoring champion each of his two years at Clemson. Terrell McIntyre led the league with a 17.9 average in 1998-99, then Will Solomon paced the conference with a 20.9 mark last year. Solomon continues to lead the league this year. Shyatt is in his second tour of duty at Clemson. He was Rick Barnes top assistant from 1994-95 through the 1996-97 season. His last year he helped the Tigers to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a #8 final national ranking in the USA Today poll, the highest final ranking in Clemson history.
Gilmore Has Torn ACL, Will Miss Season Starting Clemson forward Chucky Gilmore sustained a torn ACL on his right knee during a workout on Aug. 28. Examination by Clemson physicians revealed that Gilmore must have surgery to repair the injury. It is the second injury sustained by Gilmore since the end of last season. He sprained his medial collateral ligament on his left knee in May while playing in a pickup game in his hometown of Fayetteville, NC.
Gilmore, a 6-8 forward, started 23 games and played in 27 of Clemson’s 30 contests a year ago. He averaged 3.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last year. The rebound average was second best on the Clemson team.
Clemson ranked 21st in Sears Directors’ Cup Clemson is ranked 21st in the final fall standings for the Sears Directors’ Cup. Clemson accumulated 134 points in the fall season led by solid performances by the football and soccer programs. It is Clemson’s best fall finish since the 1993-94 academic year when Clemson was 16th after the fall results. Clemson also had its best overall finish in the Sears standings that year with a number-nine finish for the entire year.
Tommy Bowden guided the football team to a 9-3 record and a Gator Bowl appearance in his second season. The Tigers finished the season ranked 15th in the final Associated Press Poll, the highest ranking for the program since 1990.
The women’s soccer team finished its best season ever with a 19-3-1 record overall and a number five ranking in the final NSCAA poll. Clemson defeated eventual national champion North Carolina for the first time ever and claimed the ACC regular season championship. The Lady Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Eight this season before losing to UCLA 2-1.
The men’s soccer team finished the season with a 14-4-2 record overall and a number eight ranking in the final NSCAA poll. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final16 before losing to eventual national champion Connecticut. Clemson’s point total is the third highest in the ACC behind national leader North Carolina and 13th-ranked Wake Forest. Stanford has won six consecutive Sears Directors’ Cups. Awards points based on an institutions finish in up to 20 sports-10 for men and 10 for women. Points are awarded for final poll rankings and NCAA Tournament participation.
Clemson Announces Four Men’s Basketball Signees Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt announced the signing of four players to national letters of intent during the early signing period. The Clemson newcomers for the 2001-02 season include Sharrod Ford, a 6-9, 210-pound forward from Accokeek, MD, Olu Babalola, a 6-6, 245-pound forward from London, England, Chey Christie, a 6-4, 170-pound wing player from Biloxi, MS, and 6-10 Steve Allen, a center from Fort Lauderdale, FL.
“We are excited to add these quality players to our program,” said Shyatt, who is in his third year as Clemson’s Head Coach. “We covered some important needs. It is a balanced class with one player at each area of the team. This gives us back-to back top 20 recruiting classes and gives us some depth as we look to the future.” Hoop Scoop currently ranks Clemson’s class as #11 in the country. Christie is the brother of former Clemson starting forward Tony Christie. One of the top scorers in the state of Mississippi, he is currently at Biloxi High School in Biloxi, MS. He opened his senior season with a 30-point game. Last year as a junior, Christie averaged 25.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He shot 55 percent from the field and 78 percent from the foul line. He is ranked as the 37th best player in the nation according to Hoop Scoop.
Babalola is a native of London, England, but is playing at St. Augustine Prep in Richland, NJ this year. Last year he averaged 18.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. He shot 58 percent from the field and averaged 2.8 rebounds a game. He was a third-team All-State selection in New Jersey last year.
Ford is an inside player at Hargrave Military academy in Chatham, VA. He played his previous four years at Gwynn Park High in Brandywine, MD. Last year he shot 58 percent from the field, averaged 15.8 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. He also blocked 6.6 shots per game, including a season high of 11 in one game. He was named a first-team All-Metro selection by the Washington Post.
Allen averaged 12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots a game at Dillard High School. He was a first-team all-county and all-conference player. He shot 59 percent from the field and 72 percent from the foul line as a junior.
Five Former Tigers in the NBA Five former Clemson players are currently on NBA rosters. Four of the five would be considered starters for their respective teams. The list of former Tigers in the pros is led by Horace Grant, who is in his 14th year in the league. He is a starting forward with the Los Angeles Lakers and is the only former Tiger to win an NBA Championship ring. He did that with the Chicago Bulls 1991-92-93. Dale Davis and Elden Campbell led Clemson to the ACC regular season championship in 1990 and they are both still starters in the NBA. Davis, who was inducted into the Clemson Ring of Honor in September, is averaging 7.4 points and 7.3 rebounds a game with the Portland Trailbazers this year. He was named to the NBA All-Star team last year when he was playing for the Pacers.
Campbell, who was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame last year, is the starting center with the Charlotte Hornets. He is averaging 12.6 points and 7.8 rebounds a game this year for the Hornets. They played against each other in Charlotte on Jan. 11. Campbell had 23 points and 10 rebounds, while Davis had eight points and 15 rebounds. Chris Whitney and Greg Buckner, who both came to Clemson from Hopkinsville, KY, are both in the NBA. Whitney has been starting of late with the Washington team and scored in double figures in 10 straight games at one stretch. He has had three double-doubles in that time. He had 14 points and 13 assists in a recent victory over Minnesota, then had 27 points and 11 assists in a win over Boston. Whitney is fifth in the NBA in free throw percentage. Buckner was out of action between Dec. 6 and Jan. 25 due to an ankle injury.
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