Monday 01/22/2001
Jan. 22, 2001
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Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Series Clemson holds a 48-47 advantage in the series with Georgia Tech. That includes a 33-11 lead in games played at Clemson and a 24-4 margin in games in Littlejohn Coliseum. Tech last defeated Clemson at Clemson since the 1992-93 season when Tech ruined Chris Whitney’s “Senior Day” game by a 66-59 score. Clemson has won seven in a row over Tech in Littlejohn by an average of 13.4 points per game. Larry Shyatt has two wins over Tech in Littlejohn by a combined 40 points.
Clemson has won each of the last four games at home and five of the last seven by at least a dozen points. That includes Clemson’s 28-point victory in 1998-99, Clemson’ s largest victory margin over Georgia Tech since 1975-76. Clemson won the 1997-98 meeting at Clemson 76-62 behind 30 points from Greg Buckner on his “Senior Day”. Clemson has won 13 of the last 14 games played at Clemson between the two teams.
This has been a home team series, perhaps the most home team dominated series in the ACC the last 15 years. The home team has won 24 of the last 27 meetings. Two of the road wins in the series came in the same year. In 1992-93, Clemson won at Tech, 83-80, then lost at home, 66-59. The last win for the road team in the series took place in 1996-97 when Clemson won in Atlanta, 55-53.
The teams have each won on their home court in 11 of the last 13 years. The only season series sweep in the last 13 years took place in 1996-97 when Clemson won both games. Tech has not swept Clemson since the 1985-86 season, Mark Price’s senior year.
The series dates to the 1912-13 season, the second year in Clemson basketball history. That year, ironically, Clemson won at Tech, 26-22, but lost at Clemson 29-13. That was the first home loss in Clemson history after four straight home wins.
Last Year vs. Georgia Tech Clemson 70, Georgia Tech 58 Feb. 2 at Clemson, SC Andrius Jurkunas and Dustin Braddick both scored career highs in leading Clemson to a 70-58 victory over Georgia Tech on February 2, 2000. It was the 24th time in 28 meetings in Littlejohn Coliseum that Clemson had gained victory over the Yellow Jackets. Clemson led by as many as 20 points in the second half.
Jurkunas scored 21 points, the first 20-point game of his career, and hit 7-12 shots from the field. He also made 4-7 three-point goals and tied for the lead in rebounding with seven. It was the second time in four games that Jurkunas led Clemson in both categories in the same game. He made just 3-9 shots from the line or he would have had a 25-point game.
Braddick scored 14 on 4-5 shooting and also had seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in another fine all-around game for the 6-5 forward who did not play against North Carolina the last time the two teams met. Will Solomon had 15 points in the second half and 17 for the game. He also had a team best five assists. Ray Henderson led the bench with six points on 3-4 shooting.
Clemson held Georgia Tech in check, allowing just 34.5 percent shooting, including just 7-29 three-point shots. The Tigers were playing without Adam Allenspach for the first time in 55 games. The 7-1 center was out with a bulging disk, forcing Clemson to go with a small lineup. But, Clemson won the rebound battle 40-38.
Tech jumped out to a 7-2 lead early. Alvin Jones scored the first two baskets for the Yellow Jackets, then never scored another field goal. Clemson held Jason Collier, the second leading scorer in the league entering the contest, to 10 points and just three field goals. He took six shots in the first six minutes, then got just four shots the last 34 minutes.
Clemson went on 13-4 run to end the half and held a 23-18 lead at intermission. It was just 27-23 with 17 minutes left when Clemson went on a 13-3 run over four minutes to take a 14-point lead. It was 54-34 in favor of Clemson with 7:53 left. Tech never got the deficit under double figures the rest of the game.
Georgia Tech 85, Clemson 69 Mar. 4 at Atlanta, GA Georgia Tech downed Clemson in Atlanta on March 4, 2000. The victory was the final home game for retiring Tech Coach Bobby Cremins. He got a strong sendoff with the 16-point victory over the Tigers, who had won by 12 points at Clemson earlier in the year.
Jason Collier, playing in his final home game, had 24 points and seven rebounds, while Jason Floyd hit 4-7 three-point shots and scored 23. T.J. Vines added 11 off the bench. Will Solomon led Clemson with 30 points. He was the only Tiger in double figures. Andrius Jurkunas added eight, while Pash Bains had seven. Adam Allenspach had seven points and eight rebounds, but played just 19 minutes.
Tech won the battle of the boards 45-40 and shot 44 percent from the field. The turnover totals were tied at 14-14. Tech held a 38-27 lead at intermission.
WakeForest 71, Clemson 63 Wake Forest forced 21 Clemson turnovers to offset a 30-point performance by ACC leading scorer Will Solomon and defeated the Tigers 71-63 on January 21 at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC. Clemson fell for the 11th straight time at the Joel Coliseum. Wake Forest, ranked ninth in the USA Today Coach’s poll and 10th by AP heading into the game, improved to 14-3 with the victory.
Solomon made 9-17 shots from the field and 5-11 three-point attempts in registering his fourth 30-point game against a top 20 team this year. He had 17 points in the first half and 13 in the second half when he nearly brought Clemson all the way back from a 15-point deficit. Edward Scott had 10 points and seven assists, while Chris Hobbs collected 13 rebounds in a season high 36 minutes of play.
Clemson was without the services of starting center Adam Allenspach, who continued to miss playing time due to a back ailment. Wake Forest was led by Broderick Hicks, who scored a season high 18 points. He entered the game with just 12 made three-point goals, but hit 4-6 on long range in this game off the bench. Reserve A.W. Hamilton made 2-3 three-point shots to give support. Josh Howard added 16 points and 10 rebounds, the only player in the game to record a double-double.
Clemson was outstanding on offense to open the game. Clemson had a 20-11 lead in the first 8:10 of the contest as Solomon scored 13 of Clemson’s first 20 points. Clemson still had a 22-20 lead at the 8:45 mark. Wake Forest went on a 14-4 run and had a 36-27 lead at the 2:30 mark before the half. Clemson closed the gap to just three on a layup at the buzzer by Dustin Braddick.
Clemson hit a dry spell early in the second half and the Deacs opened the lead to 10 at the 14:24 mark. Clemson was 0-4 during the spurt and had five turnovers. Wake Forest moved the lead to 15 at 62-47 and still had a 64-50 lead at the 7:54 mark.
But, Clemson came back behind Solomon. He scored eight straight points to cut the margin to 64-58, then dove for a steal to give Clemson another possession with four minutes left. He then hit a three-point shot that would have cut the lead to three, but he was called for an offensive foul. It was a five point game at 66-61 with 2:33 left, but Clemson could get no closer.
Clemson made 14 turnovers in the second half and for the game Wake Forest had a 31-13 advantage in points off turnovers. Wake Forest all won the battle of the boards 40-31 and had a 15-6 advantage in second-chance points.
Solomon Outstanding vs. Ranked Teams Will Solomon has been outstanding against top flight competition this year. In six games against top 20 teams he has scored 155 points, a 25.8 average. In those six games he has shot 49 percent from the field, 47.3 percent on three-point attempts and 81.8 percent from the foul line. All those figures are better than his stats against unranked teams. Solomon has four games of at least 30 points this year and all have come against top 20 teams.
In his most recent outing, Solomon scored 30 points at ninth-ranked Wake Forest. He 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.
Hobbs Pulling in the Rebounds Clemson freshman Chris Hobbs has taken over the team lead in total rebounds this year with 109. 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. 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 four of the last five games, all against ACC competition. He is now averaging 8.6 rebounds per league game and that ranks fourth in the conference. Only Terence Morris (10.5), Travis Watson (9.2) and Lonny Baxter (9.0) are ahead of him in conference play. It is interesting to note that he does not have a large lead over the next best freshman. Michael Joiner of Florida State, another rookie, is at 8.2 rebounds per game in conference play.
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 2.65 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.
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 36.5 percent on three-point shots and limiting teams to 31.5 percent in that same category. Clemson is averaging 8.17 three-point 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, still 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 58 three-point goals in 17 games, 3.41 per game. Solomon’s 3.41 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
Three-point Shooting–Clemson has averaged 8.2 three-pointgoals a game, a record pace for the program, and is hitting .365 ona percentage basis. Clemson has three players hitting at least 38percent on three-point shots. Clemson is actually shooting 38.7percent on three-point shots in ACC games, ahead of its overallfigure. Free Throw Shooting–Clemson has made 70.5 percent of itsfree throws this year. No Clemson team has made 70 percent for aseason since the 1986-87 season, Horace Grant’s senior season.Leading the way are guards Will Solomon and Tony Stockman. Clemsonmade 17-20 on the road at Wake Forest in its most recent game.Defending the Three-Point Shot–Clemson opponents are shooting just31.5 percent from three-point range this year. Clemson has madeseven more three-point goals than its opponents while taking 42fewer three-point goal attempts.
Where Clemson has Struggled
Rebounding–We say this in the comparative sense becauseClemson has been so strong in rebounding for many years. Clemsonhas been first or second in the ACC in rebounding each of the lasttwo years. The Tigers are outrebounding the opposition for theseason, 40-39 (per game), but the opposition has 31 more offensiverebounds. The Tigers are limited in terms of post players due tothe season ending injury to Chucky Gilmore and Adam Allenspach’sback problems. Assist/turnover ratio–Clemson has 259 assists and298 turnovers so far this season. That includes a 56/94assist/turnover ratio in five ACC games. Clemson committed 20turnovers at North Carolina and 21 more in an eight-point loss atWake Forest The Tigers are averaging 16.6 turnovers per game andonly NC State is committing more per game (16.8).
Clifton Showing Improvement After scoring just seven points in the first six games of the season, freshman forward Dwon Clifton has scored 61 in the last 11 games. That includes consecutive games of nine points. He had nine on 4-6 shooting in the win over NC State, then had nine points on 3-4 shooting at North Carolina. The native of Louisburg, NC has made 8 of his last 14 shots from the field, including each of his last three three-point goal attempts. Clifton has just three turnovers in his last 90 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 36 rebounds in his last four games, 9.0 per outing. He has collected 39 rebounds in five ACC games in just 108 minutes. That would pro rate to 15 rebounds per 40 minute game.
Henderson had a career high 13 rebounds at Duke in just 19 minutes, he followed that with 10 rebounds in the win over NC 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 85 points and 85 rebounds, 5.3 per game in both areas.
Clemson Downs NC State Clemson 72, NC State 69 Will Solomon scored 29 points, including 25 in the second half and all seven of Clemson’s points in the final 2:41, leading the Tigers to a 72-69 win over NC State on January 13. The victory was the first of the season in conference play for the Tigers, who have now won five of six against the Wolfpack. The win was the 10th of the year for the Tigers, equalling the win total of last last year for Larry Shyatt’s team.
Clemson improved dramatically on defense in its win over NC State. The Tigers had given up 219 points in their first two ACC games and had allowed 54 percent shooting. But, Clemson held the Pack to 29.9 percent shooting, tying for the best field goal percentage defense of the year, and best in an ACC game since February of 1998 when Florida State shot just 26.8 percent against the Tigers in Tallahassee.
Solomon scored 25 of Clemson’s 43 second-half points, but he did have significant support from his teammates. Freshman forward Chris Hobbs had a double-double, accumulating 10 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. Ray Henderson, who started at center in place of the injured Adam Allenspach, had 10 rebounds and eight points in 26 minutes. Edward Scott had 10 points and just two turnovers in 38 minutes running the point. Dwon Clifton had nine points on 4-6 shooting in 22 minutes.
Scott was a key on defense, holding Anthony Grundy, NC State’s top scorer and a 49 percent field goal shooter, to 6-27 shooting. Damien Wilkins shot just 1-10 against the Clemson defense. Kenny Inge led the Pack with 19 points and 12 rebounds. The Pack made just 20-67 shots from the field, 8-32 on three-point goals. They entered the game shooting 42.5 percent on three-pointers. State played without Archie Miller, who was leading the nation in three-point percentage (.620) entering the contest.
The game was close throughout with few scoring runs. Over the first 35 minutes of the game the largest lead for either team was six points. The Pack had a 42-36 lead at the 16:05 mark when Kenny Inge made a conventional three-point play. The Tigers then went on a 20-8 run to take a 56-50 lead with 7:34 to play. Clemson expanded the lead to 60-52 at 5:53 when the Pack called timeout. Clemson’s largest lead was 65-56 with 3:22 to go.
But, NC State went on a 9-2 run, highlighted by a pair of three-point goals by Scooter Sherrill. Clemson led 71-69 with 16 seconds left, but Grundy was called for traveling with five seconds left. Solomon made one free throw and Clifford Crawford’s 40-foot three-point attempt missed at the buzzer.
Allenspach Questionable for Georgia Tech Clemson’s only senior on the roster, Adam Allenspach, did not play in Clemson’s win over NC State. He played just seven minutes and did not score at North Carolina, then missed the Wake Forest game altogether. The 7-1 center, who has played 110 games in his Clemson career, has missed time due to inflamation of the Sacroilliac Joint (where hip meeds the spine). The problem caused back spasms and a loss of motion and mobility. He is day to day and would be classified as questionable for the Georgia Tech game.
Allenspach had surgery this past summer to repair a herniated disk. He has been troubled by the back problems off and on since last year. He first went down due to the injury last year at Duke when he collapsed just six minutes into the game due to the pain.
Allenspach has had many highlight moments this year. He was still tied for first in the league in double-doubles with six heading into the Wake Forest game. He had four in succession until the streak came to an end against Cincinnati during a game in Puerto Rico.
Allenspach had scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds vs. Wofford Dec. 16 and had 15 points and15 rebounds at South Carolina, then 20 points and 10 rebounds vs. Winthrop. The last Tiger to post four consecutive double-doubles was Sharone Wright, who last did it his sophomore year in 1992-93.
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 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 three of his last four games and four of his last six. He has averaged 10 points a game during the six-game stretch. He has a 6.7 career average. Scott has improved his offensive production of late, hitting 10 of his last 29 three-point goals (.355) 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 84 assists and 47 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 84 assists in 592 minutes. Overall, Scott has six 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 1.79 so far this year. He has had more assists than turnovers in 15 of the 18 games. He has averaged a turnover every 12.6 minutes of play so far this year, a solid figure for a point guard who plays 32 minutes per game.
Solomon Productive in the Second Half Will Solomon still leads the ACC in scoring with a 22.1 average. He ranked 11th in the nation last week began. He was also 11th in the country in three-point goals per game. His rankings should increase this week.
Solomon had a 29-point performance against NC State. He scored 25 points in the second half, the third highest half of his career. Solomon is a player who likes the second half. He has nine career games in which he has scored at least 20 points and all nine have been in the second half of games. Four times he has scored at least 20 points in a half this year. He had 24 in the second half against Seton Hall, 21 in the second half against Cincinnati and 20 in the second half against Washington.
This year, Solomon has averaged 9.1 points in the first half and 13 points in the second half. Last year he averaged 7.8 in the first half and 13.0 in the second half. His highest scoring half as a Tiger is 29, the total he had in the second half against Virginia last year when he scored 43, his career high. He scored 26 in the second half of a 37-point effort against Penn State last year.
Solomon is ahead of his national finishes of last year. As a sophomore, Solomon averaged 20.9 points a game, good enough for 16th in the nation. He was 17th in three-point goals per game last year with a 3.2 figure. Solomon’s scoring ranking of 16 last year was the best by a Clemson player since 1968-69 when Butch Zatezalo was 14th in the country with a 25.8 mark. The highest scoring ranking in history for a Clemson individual is fourth. The late Bill Yarborough was fourth in 1954-55 with a 28.3 figure.
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 minutes a game this year). Additionally, his assist/turnover ratio is improved. As he did last year, his stats in ACC games are better than in non-conference games.
Solomon Moving up Career Lists Will Solomon had two three-point goals in the win over NC State and moved into second place on the Clemson all-time list in the process. The Tiger junior has 177 for his career, including a league best 58 this year. Terrell McIntyre is the career leader with 259.
Solomon has made 58-149 three-point goals this year, 39 percent. He is now hitting 36.6 percent for his Clemson career in that area and has made at least three three-point goals in 13 of his 17 games so far this season. He had a season high seven three-point goals against Maryland in the ACC opener, one off the Clemson single game record. That is a record is he co-holds with Terrell McIntyre, Chris Whitney and David Young.
Solomon now has 1216 career points, 18th best in school history. He needs 16 points to move into 16th place in Clemson history. If Solomon averages 20 points a game over the course of the rest of the regular season he will move into the top 10 in Clemson history. With his recent six-game streak of 20-point games, he now has 26 for his career, ninth in Clemson history. Eight of those 26 games he has scored at least 30, including four times this year. His career high is 43 against Virginia at Littlejohn Coliseum last year.
Solomon now averages 15.01 points per game for his career. He and Elden Campbell are the only Clemson players since the advent of eligibility for freshmen in 1972-73 that have averaged at least 15 a game for their career. Overall, Solomon’s scoring average is eighth best in school history on a career basis.
Solomon Had 6 Straight 20-point Games Clemson guard Will Solomon scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games between December 20 to January 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 talled 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 47 straight games, every game last year and all 17 games he has played so far this season. He has a streak of 22 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 47-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.
Solomon Named to All-Tournament Team Junior guard Will Solomon scored 82 points in the three games in San Juan to be named to the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. Solomon had 26 points in the Tigers lone win of the classic, a 94-81 decision over Florida Atlantic. He followed it up with a season-best 32 points in the 88-80 loss to #20 Cincinnati and 24 in the loss to Washington.
Solomon averaged 27.3 points per game, he shot 25-56 from the field, including 14-32 on three-point shots. He was 18 of 21 from the charity stripe (85.7 percent). Solomon also had nine assists, six steals and two blocks (both against Washington) in the three games.
Clemson Could Break Record for Ranked Opponents Clemson has played six top 20 opponents so far this year and Clemson is 0-6 in those games. But, the Tigers have played well in four of those games, having a chance to win each contest with under two minutes left. Clemson lost to 10th ranked Seton Hall 79-78 on November 21 in the second game of the season, then lost to 20th ranked Cincinnati by 88-80 on December 21 in San Juan. Maryland, ranked 17th at the time, downed the Tigers, 104-92 on January 2. Third ranked Duke defeated Clemson 115-74 on January 7.
Clemson lost to sixth ranked North Carolina on January 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 NC 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.
Individual Goals in earning a Paw 1. Hustle Plays–must accumulate a total of 10 of the following in a game: first to the floor, charges taken, ball pressure deflection, steal or blocked shot.
2. Rebounding–Must have 8 rebounds for a forward or center, 4 rebounds for a wing or guard.
3. Assist/turnover ratio–Must have a 2/1 ratio for a forward or center, 3/1 for a guard or wing.
4. Shooting Percentages–Must shoot 50 percent field the field (min 4 attempts), 40 percent on three-point shots (min 3 attempts), 80 percent from the foul line (min of 3 attempts).
5. Cluch performance–Making a game winning play on offense or defense.
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. The 23 points were the most points by a Clemson freshman since Terrell McIntyre scored 29 points in a home win over Florida State on Feb. 17, 1996.
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 17 points in the final five minutes of those games, second to Will Solomon’s 21.
For the year, Stockman is second on the team in scoring with a 11.9 average, even though he has played just 25 minutes per game. His 41 three-point goals rank second on the Clemson team and his 82.4 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.
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 11.9 average, including a 22-point outing at Duke on January 7, his fourth game of at least 20 points this year. Stockman’s 11.9 average is best among freshmen in the ACC. Stockman has 41 three-point goals so far this season, already third best in history by a Clemson freshman. Andrius Jurkunas has the record with 51 in 1995-96.
Chris Hobbs has four double-doubles so far this year fifth in the ACC in that area. The freshman from Chapel Hill has averaged 6.4 rebounds per game, second in the league among freshmen. His .509 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 January 2. He had another against an ACC opponent in the win over NC State on January 13. His 15 rebounds in the win over The Citadel were the most by a Clemson freshman since Tom Wideman had 17 at NC State in 1995-96.
Finally, Dwon Clifton, a freshman from Louisburg, NC, has moved into the starting lineup. He is averaging 3.8 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He is a capable rebounder, as his 12 rebounds against Washington showed this year. He had a season high nine pointson 4-6 shooting in the win over NC State. He added nine points in the game at North Carolina.
Free Throw Shooting at a 14-year High One area of improvement for Clemson this year is free throw shooting. The Tigers have made 70.5 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 .705 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 82 percent mark, while Will Solomon is at 80. Freshman center Chris Hobbs, who gets to the line often, has made .736 from the line. Edward Scott is at 79 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 77 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 94 points Clemson posted against Florida Atlantic were the most scored in the Larry Shyatt era at Clemson, besting the 92 points the team scored against Georgia Tech in 1999. The 94 points against Florida Atlantic were the most scored by the Tigers since Clemson won 102-67 against Western Carolina in 1998. Clemson added a 92-point outing against Maryland in the first ACC game.
Clemson has scored at least 80 points in eight 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 seven games in which four players have scored in double figures. That happened just twice all of last year.
Clemson’s shooting percentage is 43.5 percent, up from 40.4 last year.
Former Tiger Saves Nearly 400 Lives Former Clemson forward Clarke Bynum was in the national news on December 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 December 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.
It is interesting to note that Bynum’s host on his recruiting visit to Clemson the fall of 1979 was Bobby Conrad. Conrad, Clemson’s senior point guard that year, has also been in the news in the last year, serving as Chief of the United States Department Financing Task Force, an appointment made by Attorney General Janet Reno.
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 December 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 December 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.
In the second game of the year Clemson trailed a top 10 SetonHall team 61-50 with 11:18 left, then took a 76-74 lead with3:04remaining before losing 79-78. Clemson trailed a 20th rankedCincinnati team 58-40 with 13:08 left, then cut the margin to 71-69with 4:38 left. Clemson trailed Washington by 13 points, 56-43 with13:00 left, then rallied to take a 68-64 lead before losing inovertime. Clemson trailed 17th ranked Maryland 24-14 in the firstseven minutes, rallied to take a 73-71 lead in the second halfbefore losing 104-92.
Clemson was six points down in the second half against NC State, then came back to win by three points.
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.
Phillips Ranks In Vitale’s “Sweet 16” Clemson Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Phillips received yet another award for his expertise behind the microphone. He was recognized by Dick Vitale on his web site as one of his top 16 broadcasters around the country “The All-Cawood Ledford Team”, in honor of the legendary Kentucky broadcaster.
“They are the radio voices for their respective universities, and they know everything about those teams inside and out,”Vitale said. “They certainly follow the national scene too. Whenever I want a bit of information, I make sure I chat with many of these people.” The Youngstown, OH native is in his 33rd season behind the mic for the Clemson basketball team, a span that covers nearly 1,000 games. He has broadcast 387 Clemson football games and 955 Clemson basketball games.
Phillips is past president of the Atlantic Coast Conference Sportswriters Association. He is a five-time winner of the Sportscaster of the Year award in South Carolina. Six years ago, he was given the highest award a broadcaster in the state of South Carolina can receive. He was just the third recipient of the Master Broadcaster Award given by the South Carolina Broadcaster’s Association.
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 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 7.5 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 January 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 has scored in double figures in 10 straight games. 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. Buckner was an off and on starter for the Dallas Mavericks until he was injured in December. He is averaging 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds a game so far for Don Nelson’s Mavericks.
Tigers in the NBA (Stats through Jan. 15, 2001 Player, Team GP-S PPG RPG FG% FT% Greg Buckner, Dallas 10-3 7.2 5.7 .415 .720 Elden Campbell, Charlotte 36-36 12.6 7.8 .439 .650 Dale Davis, Portland 39-23 7.4 7.5 .507 .652 Horace Grant, LA Lakers 35-35 7.7 7.1 .462 .761 Chris Whitney, Washington 38-10 7.5 *3.7 .368 .881 * Denotes assist average
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