Clemson Opens ACC Play at Duke

Nov. 30, 2001

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It is early in the season, but Clemson opens ACC play Sunday at top-ranked Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Tigers are 5-1 for the second straight year after beating Coastal Carolina 83-54 Friday night in Clemson.

Last year, Clemson lost its seventh game of the season at rival South Carolina. Clemson was last 6-1 in 1998-99 when it opened the season with an 11-1 record. Clemson went on that year to play in the championship game of the NIT against California.

The Duke game on Sunday marks the earliest conference start for the Tigers since 1966-67 when Clemson opened the season on Dec. 1 at North Carolina. The Duke game will be the fifth road game for the Tigers who will be playing their seventh game of the season. Clemson also opens the ACC slate playing five of its first seven conference foes on the road. That includes the Duke game.

The Tigers have three players scoring in double figures with another pair averaging 9.8 and 9.3 points per game. Sophomore Chris Hobbs is leading Clemson with 12.0 points per game, followed by Ray Henderson’s 10.8 and Edward Scott’s 10.5. Jamar McKnight is averaging 9.8 points per game while Tony Stockman is averaging 9.3 points per game. Henderson is the team’s top rebounder with 8.5 rebounds per game and Scott leads the ACC in assists with 6.5 per game. The Tigers are scoring 77.2 points per game as a team and is outscoring their opponents 11.4 points per game. Clemson also has an advantage on the boards and is grabbing 11.0 rebounds more than its opponents.

After the Duke game, the Tigers return to Littlejohn Coliseum for five straight games, including a Dec. 8 matchup with rival South Carolina. The game will tipoff at 8:00 PM on Fox Sports Net South. Clemson’s next ACC game is not until Jan. 5 when the Tigers travel to Georgia Tech.

About the Blue Devils Duke is the top-ranked team in the nation according to both polls after a 5-0 start, including a 3-0 record in Maui, where it won the Maui Invitational by beating Seton Hall, South Carolina and Ball State. The Blue Devils have also beaten Portland and Iowa. Four Blue Devils are scoring in double figures with Jason Williams leading the way. He is averaging 18.0 points per game. Mike Dunleavy is averaging 17.8 points per game and is averaging 8.8 rebounds per game. Carlos Boozer is the top rebounder on the team with a 9.4 rebound average to go with 16.2 points per game. He is shooting 56.4 percent from the field and 82.6 from the free throw line. In five games, Duke has outscored its opponents by 98 points, including 51 points in the second half. They are shooting 47.4 percent as a team while holding opponents to 40.4 percent.

Last Year vs. Duke…

Duke 115, Clemson 74 Jan. 7 ,2001 at Durham, NC Duke’s starting front line of Carlos Boozer (25), Nate James (21) and Shane Battier (21) all scored at least 20 points in leading Duke to a 115-74 win over Clemson at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 7. It was the 50th win in 54 tries for Duke over Clemson in Durham. The Duke point total was the most against Clemson in 31 years. Duke shot 54.5 percent from the field and had 27 assists on 36 baskets as the Blue Devils ran their offense to perfection. They made just 1 of their first 8 three-point attempts, but finished by making 10 of their last 22. Duke had 14 steals, leading to 22 Clemson turnovers.

Clemson was led in scoring by Tony Stockman, who scored 22 points off the bench. The freshman had a season best six three-point goals in 12 attempts. Will Solomon was held to 13 points, he got just 12 shots in the contest, making five. It broke his streak of six straight games of at least 20 points, but it gave him 44 consecutive games of scoring in double figures. Dustin Braddick had his first double figure scoring game of the year with 10 points, while Edward Scott’s added 10 points and four assists against just two turnovers. Clemson had 7-5 lead early, but the Blue Devils went on a 11-0 run to take a 16-7 lead at the 15:22 mark. Duke had an 18-0 run from the 11:23 mark to the 5:48 mark to take a commanding 42-12 lead. It was 56-27 at intermission.

Duke expanded the lead to 44 points at 75-31 by the 15:47 mark of the second half. Boozer was outstanding on the inside for the Blue Devils. Clemson actually went on a 24-7 run to cut the advantage to 27 with 9:21 mark. But, that was as close as Clemson got as the Blue Devils continued to hit three-point shots down the stretch.

Duke 81, Clemson 64 Feb. 7, 2001 at Clemson, SC Duke went on a 22-9 run over the last six minutes of the game and went on to an 81-64 victory over Clemson on Feb. 7 at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers had closed to within four points, 59-55 on a jumper by Tony Stockman. Duke called timeout then immediately went on a 9-0 run on four field goals by four different players. Clemson made just 5 of its last 15 shots from the field to end the game. Clemson was led by Edward Scott’s, who had 15 points and a career-high eight rebounds in his 39 minutes. Stockman added 12 points and five assists against just one turnover in 36 minutes off the bench. Will Solomon and Chris Hobbs added 11 points apiece for the Tigers, who made just 1-12 three-point shots in the game. That 3-point shooting percentage of 8.3 percent was the worst by a Clemson team under Larry Shyatt. Clemson entered the game 16th in the nation in made three-point goals per game.

Duke was led by Nate James, the Clemson killer, who had 27 points in 39 minutes. He made 10-14 shots from the field. He had scored 21 points against the Tigers earlier in the season. Mike Dunleavy had 17 points and 17 rebounds, the most rebounds by a Duke player this year and the most against a Larry Shyatt-coached Clemson team. Shane Battier added 15, but the Tigers held Jason Williams, number-two scorer in the ACC to eight points on 3-11 shooting. Williams also had 10 turnovers, most against the Tigers this year. The sophomore did distribute 11 assists in his 35 minutes. Duke had 15 assists and 16 turnovers, one of just a handful of games this year Duke has had more turnovers than assists. Clemson made just 64 percent from the foul line, ending a streak of five straight games of at least 70 percent free throw shooting.

Clemson in ACC Openers This is the 49th season of ACC basketball and Clemson has been in the league since it was founded in 1953. Clemson is 15-33 in its previous 48 league openers. Clemson has lost three ACC openers in a row after having won four in a row from 1994-95 to 1997-98. Clemson had lost seven league openers in succession prior to that streak (1987-88 to 1993-94).

Clemson has faced Duke in its first league game eight previous occasions and the Tigers have a 2-6 record in those games. However, Clemson has won each of the last two ACC openers it has played against the Blue Devils, one at Duke and one at Clemson. Clemson won its first ACC game of the Rick Barnes era, 75-70 at Cameron in 1994-95. The Tigers won the league opener against Duke the following season, 51-48. This is the 22nd time Clemson has played its ACC league opener on the road. Clemson is just 3-18 in those games, but has won two of the last four. Clemson won at Virginia in 1996-97 in its league opener, in addition to the win at Duke in 1994-95. The only other time Clemson has won its ACC opener on the road was in 1984-85 at Georgia Tech, 90-81. That was the first ACC game of the Cliff Ellis era.

Clemson Veterans vs. Duke Ray Henderson had two double figure scoring games in his freshman year (1999-00) and both came against DukeŠ he had 10 points on 4-5 shooting and seven rebounds in the game at Clemson and 10 on 4-9 shooting and six rebounds in the ACC TournamentŠ Henderson had a career high 13 rebounds at Duke in just 19 minutes last yearŠ Edward Scott had one of his best all-around games against Duke in 1999-00 as he had 11 points on 4-5 shooting, including 3-3 on three-point shotsŠ he had a season high 15 points and a career high rebounds against Duke at Littlejohn Coliseum last yearŠ Tony Stockman had 22 points, his high in an ACC game last year, at Cameron Indoor StadiumŠ he made 6-12 three-point shots in the contest.

Tigers From North Carolina This Clemson team does not mind going to the Tar Heel state because four of Clemson’s 15 roster players are from North Carolina. The list includes four scholarship players. Starters Dwon Clifton (Louisburg), Chris Hobbs (Chapel Hill) are from the Tar Heel state. Walker Holt is a reserve guard from Greensboro. Clemson started an all North Carolina frontline in the win over N.C. State last year and that could be the case again at Duke on Sunday night. Dwon Clifton at small forward, Chris Hobbs at power forward and Ray Henderson at center against Penn State. This is not the largest contingent of North Carolina residents on the Clemson roster in history. Clemson had six roster players from North Carolina last year. Clemson will add another player from North Carolina next year as guard Shawan Robinson or Raleigh, NC will join the team.

Clemson Has 11 Wins Against Ranked Duke Teams Clemson has defeated a top-20 Duke team 11 times in its history, more than any other school. Clemson has 10 ranked wins over Maryland and North Carolina. Clemson had defeated a top-20 North Carolina team two of the last three years. Clemson has downed a ranked N.C. State team nine times, Georgia Tech eight times, Wake Forest six and Virginia five. Clemson has upset a top-10 Duke team eight times, also more than any other school. The last victory over a top-10 Duke team came in 1996-97 at Clemson, an 86-82 overtime win over a 10th-ranked Duke team. That was the third year in a row that Clemson defeated a top-20 Duke team. Larry Shyatt was Rick Barnes’s top assistant for all three of those wins, including a 75-70 win in Durham in 1995. Clemson also defeated a top-10 Duke team three years in a row between 1988-90. Dale Davis and Elden Campbell were common denominators on those teams. The 1990 victory clinched the ACC regular season championship for the Tigers. Clemson’s first ever win over a top-20 Duke team took place in the 1962 ACC Tournament. Duke was ranked 8th in the nation entering the game and Clemson had 10-14 record and had lost to Duke twice in the regular season by a total of 31 points. But, Clemson won the ACC Tournament game in Raleigh 77-72 behind 34 points by Jim Brennan.

Hobbs Returns to the Triangle Clemson forward Chris Hobbs is a native of Chapel HIll, NC and a graduate of East Chapel Hill High. He will return to his old stomping again this year. Hobbs was one of the top players in North Carolina as a junior averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. But, he suffered a torn ACL as a senior and played just two games. Hobbs has had a big impact on the Clemson program the last two years. He averaged 7.3 points and 6.3 rebounds last year in addition to shooting 56.6 percent from the field. He led the Tigers in rebounding and field goal percentage and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team. So far this year, Hobbs has averaged 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and has shot 54 percent from the field. He leads the team in scoring, is second in rebounding and field goal percentage. His 17 points and 10 rebounds were important to Clemson’s win over Penn State. Hobbs is familiar with Cameron Indoor Stadium. 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 as a youth Chris tagged a long to watch a game. Greg Hobbs will be at the game this weekend, but will not be shooting for Coach K’s show.

Clemson vs. Duke Series Duke has beaten Clemson 11 consecutive games, including seven in a row by double digits. Duke defeated Clemson three times in 1999-00, twice in 1998-99 and twice in 2000-01. Duke won three from Clemson in 1997-98, Rick Barnes final year, but those three losses were by a combined seven points. Clemson nearly overcame a 24-point deficit in the second half before falling at Duke in 1997-98, 81-80. Clemson had a pair of shots to win inside the last five seconds against the #2 ranked Blue Devils. Duke won on a last second shot in the ACC Tournament 66-64, that year. Duke has a 89-27 lead in the series, including a 50-4 margin in Durham. Coach K has a 19-2 record against Clemson in games at Duke and is 35-9 against the Tigers overall. Clemson has won at Duke just twice since 1978, the 1983-84 season and the 1994-95 season. The win in 1983-84 was the final year of the Bill Foster era and the 1994-95 season was the first year of the Rick Barnes era.

Clemson in Durham Clemson has a 4-50 lifetime record at Duke. Clemson lost its first 28 games at Duke before finally breaking through during the 1975-76 season, Bill Foster’s first year. Clemson won that game 90-89. After the game Foster noticed that sports information director Bob Bradley was especially excited after the victory. “I didn’t understand why Bob Bradley was hugging me until he said we had never won at Duke,” said Foster years later. “He had seen a lot of those losses. I really didn’t know it until after the game.” Clemson made it two in a row in Durham under Bill Foster in Tree Rollins’ senior year, 1976-77, a 80-73 Tiger victory. Foster has three of Clemson’s four wins at Duke and his third was one of the more unlikely Clemson victories in history. Playing a game on Feb. 29 is unlikely enough since the date only occurs every four years, but Clemson entered the game on an 11-game ACC losing streak. Clemson had not won a league game since Jan. 11 and Duke was ranked 15th in the nation and was a lock for the NCAA Tournament. On top of that, it was senior night at Duke.

Clemson played as well as it could play and had a 76-61 lead with six minutes left. A young freshman named Horace Grant had a perfect game, 6-6 from the field and 4-4 from the foul line. But, Johnny Dawkins led a furious comeback and outscored Clemson 15-1 down the stretch. Clemson’s only score was a Mike Eppley free throw. Duke had a final shot in the final moments, but Dawkins shot from the right corner missed and Clemson had the victory. It would be the last ACC game for Foster, who went to restart the University of Miami’s basketball program the following year. The same can probably be said for most teams, but Duke is certainly more dominant in the series at Cameron Indoor Stadium than at Clemson. Over the last six years, Clemson is 2-4 against Duke at Littlejohn Coliseum and 0-6 away. Duke has an average scoring margin of 7.5 points per game in games at Clemson and 23.3 points per game in the six games at Duke. Larry Shyatt has lost three games by 102 points in his three previous trips to Duke.

Clemson’s Last Win in Durham…

Clemson 75, Duke 70 Jan. 4, 1995 at Durham, NC Clemson’s most recent victory at Duke was an upset of a #9 Duke team. It was the ACC opener for both schools and the first time in eight years (1986-87) that Clemson had won its ACC opener. It was just the second time in 12 years that Duke had lost its ACC opener, and just the sixth loss for the Blue Devils in their last 88 home games. Clemson had not won at Duke in 11 seasons. Rayfield Ragland scored 16 points in the last 16 minutes of the game, 11 in the last five, to lead five Clemson double figure scorers in a 75-70 Clemson held the lead for exactly 32 of the 40 minutes, including all but one of the media timeouts. The Tigers had a lead of 45-33 early in the second half, but Duke cut the margin two at 60-58 with 3:57 left. Duke had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead with a three-pointer, but the Clemson defense responded and Duke missed from the outside. Rayfield Ragland then hit a jumper and a three-pointer to bring the Tigers back to a seven-point margin and

Duke never got closer than five points. Supporting Ragland were Merl Code with 13 points and nine assists, Bill Harder with a season high 12 points, Greg Buckner with 11 points, six rebounds and three steals and Bruce Martin with 11 points, all in the first half. Martin is now an assistant athletic director for men’s basketball at Clemson. All seven Tigers who played hit at least one three-point shot, as Clemson made 10-15 threes in the game and shot 55.3 percent overall. Clemson hit 55.3 from the field, 66.7 on three-pointers and 76 percent from the foul line. Duke shot 41 percent from the field, 37 percent on threes and 83 percent from the line. Clemson had just 10 turnovers in the game. Clemson’s defense was outstanding against the Duke post players. Cherokee Parks and Erik Meeks were a combined 5-10 from the field and did not make a field goal the last 32 minutes of the game.

Clemson Looks for a Top-Five Win Clemson has had a history of upsetting top teams over the years. There have been 15 wins over teams who have been ranked in the top five in the nation entering the game. The most shocking upset in Clemson history took place last year when the Tigers defeated #1 ranked North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2001. North Carolina entered the game with an 18-game winning streak, a number-one ranking and a full week to prepare for the game. Clemson was on an eight-game losing streak and had just lost by 34 points at N.C. State the previous game. Clemson’s only other win against number-one took place in 1980 against Duke, an 87-82 win in overtime. Clemson has never beaten the number-one team away from home. The closest Clemson has come to that accomplishment was in the 1998 ACC Tournament when Duke defeated Clemson 66-64 in Greensboro. William Avery hit a shot with one second left to give Duke the win. Clemson’s first win over a top five team in Littlejohn Coliseum took place in 1974-75 when a Clemson team led by Skip Wise defeated Maryland, 83-82. Maryland was ranked third in AP and fourth by UPI entering that contest. Clemson has three top five wins on the opponents home court in history, one of those was at Maryland, 82-77 over #2 Terps in 1975-76. Clemson has five top five wins away from home altogether with the last coming against #3 Kentucky in 1996-97. Clemson has defeated a top five Duke team twice, in 1979-80 when Duke was ranked first and in 1990 when Clemson needed the win to gain its only ACC championship.

Winning in the Triangle Over the years Clemson’s basketball team has viewed traveling to the North Carolina Triangle like sailors view boating through the Bermuda Triangle. Clemson had won just nine regular season games in 135 contests at North Carolina, N.C. State and Duke heading into the 1994-95 season. Since that year Clemson has a 5-15 record at Duke, N.C. State and North Carolina combined, so the mark is now 14-139 at those three sites combined. The 1994-95 season was the first time in Clemson history that the Tigers had won their first two games in the Triangle and it was just the second time Clemson had won at least two games in the Triangle in the same year. Clemson also won at Duke and N.C. State in 1976-77, Tree Rollins’ senior season. Clemson has never won at North Carolina and obviously has never swept all three games in the North Carolina Triangle. Clemson’s overall record in the North Carolina Triangle, including conference tournaments (ACC or Southern) is now is 23-159. Cliff Ellis won in the Triangle just twice in 30 games, both at N.C. State (1986-87 and 1993-94, his last appearance in the triangle). Bill Foster has five of the 14 regular season Clemson wins in the Triangle. Rick Barnes had four triangle wins in his four years as head coach. Larry Shyatt defeated N.C. State in Raleigh his second year. Clemson has a lifetime record of 10-42 at N.C. State, 4-50 at Duke and 0-47 at North Carolina in regular season play. The list below does not count ACC or Southern Conference Tournament games played in Raleigh. Clemson has won nine games in conference tournaments in Raleigh, including its most successful Southern Conference and ACC Tournaments in history. Clemson won the Southern Conference Tournament in Raleigh in 1939, its only conference tournament championship in history. In 1962 the Tigers advanced to the finals of the ACC Tournament at the Reynolds Coliseum with victories over N.C. State and Duke. It is Clemson’s only appearance in the ACC Tournament Championship game.

Ranked Road Wins for Tigers Clemson has 10 wins over ranked ACC teams in its history. Duke is ranked first in both polls this week. Clemson has three wins over ranked teams on the road in the last eight years. Clemson never beat a ranked ACC team on the road until the 1975-76 season, Bill Foster’s first year at Clemson. He actually defeated two top-five ACC teams on the road in his first two ACC road games, winning at fifth-ranked Wake Forest and second-ranked Maryland. Foster has five of Clemson’s 10 wins over ranked ACC teams on the road in school history.

Clemson Cruises Past Coastal Carolina Chris Hobbs scored 13 points and Ray Henderson tallied 10 as Clemson claimed an 83-54 victory against Coastal Carolina Friday at Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers improved to 5-1 on the year as 13 of the 14 Tigers who played in the game scored at least two points. Edward Scott’s, Chey Christie and Jemere Hendrix each scored nine points apiece. Clemson shot 48.3 from the field and held the Chanticleers to 35.7 percent shooting. The Tigers also forced 24 turnovers, the most by Clemson since forcing 26 against Western Carolina on Nov. 19, 1998. Clemson got to the line for 32 free throw attempts and made 24 of them for 75.0 percent. Coastal Carolina was just 8-14. Through the first six games this season, Clemson has made more free throws (109) than its opponents have taken (106). The Tigers have never finished a season with more makes from the charity stripe than their opponents have had attempts.

Clemson out-rebounded Coastal Carolina 40-32, but the Chants had the game’s top rebounder as Anthony Susnjara grabbed eight. In all six games this season, the Tigers have equaled or bettered their opponents rebound total and are averaging 11.0 more rebounds per game than their opponents. Henderson was Clemson’s top rebounder with seven, but at least five Tigers had five boards. After trailing at the half in the its last three games, including the last two by double-digit totals, Clemson sprinted to a 44-17 halftime lead on 53.3 percent field goal shooting while holding the Chants to just 26.7 percent from the floor. After the Tigers increased their lead to 30 with 17:16 left to play, the Chanticleers put together a 10-0 run. But Coastal Carolina could get no closer than 20 points the rest of the way. Coastal Carolina, which fell to 1-3 on the year, was led by Brandon Newby with 13 points and Derrick Robinson with 12. Clemson improved its all-time record against Coastal Carolina to 4-0.

Tigers Comeback for Road Win at Penn State Chris Hobbs had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Clemson to a 79-66 victory over Penn State Wednesday in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in State College, PA. The Tigers came back from a 10-point halftime deficit thanks to 59.1 percent shooting in the second half and a 20-7 run in the final 10 minutes of the game. Clemson held Penn State to just 22.7 percent shooting in the second half as the Nittany Lions made only 5 of 22 shots. The first half was much different as Penn State erupted to an early 23-9 lead. The Nittany Lions made their first 10 shots from the floor and finished the first half shooting 61.5 percent from the field compared to Clemson’s 38.2 percent. Coupled with Clemson’s comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit vs. Wofford on Saturday, the comeback from the 10-point halftime deficit to Penn State on Wednesday marked the first time in school history that Clemson has overcome double-digit halftime deficits to win in consecutive games. The double-double by Hobbs was his first of the season and the seventh of his career. Freshman Chey Christie had 16 points and three steals and two rebounds in 34 minutes. Clemson, which improved to 4-1 for the second straight season, had a total of five players in double figures and all eight Tigers who played finished with at least one field goal, one free throw, two rebounds and one steal. Junior captain Edward Scott’s finished with eight points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals after playing all 40 minutes. Clemson outscored the Nittany Lions 20-4 in the paint and converted 17 Penn State turnovers into 15 points. Penn State was led by Jamall Tate with 18 points as the Nittany Lions fell to 1-3 on the season. Clemson out-rebounded Penn State 46-22 and had 22 offensive rebounds. The rebound margin of +24 was the largest by Clemson under head coach Larry Shyatt, who is in his fourth season. The Tigers shot 1-10 from the three-point arc while Penn State hit 8 -23. Penn State extended its lead to 11 in the second half before Clemson mounted its comeback. Thomas Nagys’ fast-break layup with 12:22 remaining capped a 20-6 Clemson run and gave Clemson a 57-54 lead. Nagys finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.

Five Tigers in Double Figures vs. Penn State Clemson had five players in double figures in its victory at Penn State on Nov. 28. That marked the first time since Dec. 3, 1998 that Clemson has had five double figures scorers in the same game, and just the second time in the Larry Shyatt era. Shyatt is in his fourth season as Clemson head coach. Leading the balanced effort for the Tigers was Chris Hobbs with 17 points, while freshman Dwon Clifton had his second straight double figure outing with 10, while Tomas Nagys (11) and Sharrod Ford (10) scored in double figures off the bench. Clemson has three players averaging in double figures with a fourth and fifth player scoring 9.8 and 9.3 points per game. No team in Clemson history has had five players average in double figures during the course of the season. In fact, the last Clemson team to have four players score in double figures for the course of the season was the 1971-72 team. That year David Angel led the way with a 13.9 average. Denny Odle averaged 13.2, followed by Mike Browning’s 11.9 average. Terrell Suit, a fourth starter, averaged 11.2.

Clemson Wins Rebound Margin by 24 Clemson won the battle of the boards against Penn State, 46-22. The Tigers were +12 in rebound margin in each half. That was the best rebound margin for a Clemson team in the Larry Shyatt era and the best since Clemson beat Wofford by 46-20 mark on Dec. 20, 1996. It was a balanced effort for the Tiger carom collectors as Chris Hobbs led the way with 10, followed by Tomas Nagys, who had nine. Nagys recorded that total in just 18 minutes. Point guard Edward Scott added seven. All eight Clemson players had at least two rebounds in the 13-point win. The +24 rebound margin was the second best margin in Clemson history on an opponent’s home court. The only margin that is greater took place at Furman in 1975-76, Tree Rollins’s junior year. Clemson had a 62-34 advantage in that game. Clemson now has a +11.0 rebound margin for the season and has had at least a double-digit margin in half of the games this season. Clemson has not been out-rebounded all year. LaSalle and the Tigers tied at 33 rebounds apiece in Clemson’s victory in the Virgin Islands. Clemson has been especially efficient in terms of offensive rebounds. Clemson has 33 more offensive rebounds than its opponents in the first six games combined. Chris Hobbs each have 17 to lead the way. Freshman Sharrod Ford has 17 total rebounds in just 96 minutes.

Clemson Outscored 87-18 on Three-Point Shooting, But Wins Three Times Clemson has made just six three pointers in its last three games, but have claimed victory in each of the contests, including the first two of those in come-from-behind fashion. In those two games, the Tigers were outscored -69-9 by opponents. Clemson made just 2-15 three-point shots in its victory over Wofford, including an 0-5 performance in the second half. The Terriers shot lights out, hitting 15-32, or 46.9 percent. Wofford’s total tied for the third most three-point goals in Clemson history against the Tigers. Only Duke with 17 in the 2000 ACC Tournament, and Georgia Tech with 17 at Clemson last year, are higher figures. Clemson followed that with a 1-10 three-point shooting performance at Penn State. That one three-point goal was a big one, however. Dwon Clifton nailed a three on the first Clemson possession of the second half to cut the 10-point margin to seven. The Tigers took that momentum from there. Against Coastal Carolina, the Tigers were 3-17 from long distance getting three-pointers from Dwon Clifton, Jermel Douglas and Tony Stockman, who was seeing his first action since knee surgery on Nov. 23. The last three games combined, opponents have made 29 three-point goals, while the Tigers have made just six. That is 87-18 in terms of total scoring from three-point land. Yet, the Tigers have three victories. A victory for the Tigers with a three-point goal percentage less than 20 percent is a rarity. In fact, the Tigers had lost 12 straight games when failing to hit at least 20 percent from three-point range prior to the Wofford game. Now, Clemson has won three in a row when failing to shoot 20 percent on three-point shooting. The Tigers were 0-11 under Larry Shyatt when failing to hit 20 percent from behind the arc prior to this year. Clemson was 2-21 between 1993-94 and 2000-01 when it failed to connect on at least 20 percent of its three-point shots. Of course, Clemson’s overall outlook as a three-point shooting team is not that bad. The Tigers had been without Stockman against Wofford and Penn State. Stockman made 10-20 three-point shots in the first three games of the season. He missed the Wofford and Penn State games because of injury.

Iron Man Scott When Tony Stockman missed the Wofford and Penn State games because of a knee injury, Edward Scott’s stepped up to go the distance. He played all 40 minutes in each contest and is averaging 34.2 minutes per game for the season. That is up from last year when he played 33.3 minutes per game. Scott played exactly 1,000 minutes in 30 games last year. Scott has been very efficient in running the Clemson offense this year. Through five games he has 39 assists and just 17 turnovers. That is a 2.83 assist/turnover ratio. Scott leads the ACC in assists with 6.5 per game. In the last four games combined the Clemson captain has 32 assists. He never had more than seven assists in a game over his first two years. He has had at least nine in three of the last four games. He had a career high 11 in the win over Wofford on Nov. 24.

Scott is dealing out assists at quite a rate. His 6.5 per game rate would be fourth best in Clemson history. Grayson Marshall, Clemson’s all-time leader in assists, averaged a record 7.71 per game in 1985-86 and followed that with 7.37 per game in 1986-87. Those are the only averages over seven assists per game in school history. Scott has been contributing in all phases of the game so far this year. In addition to his 6.5 assists per game, he is also scoring 10.5 points a game and contributing 4.3 rebounds from his point guard position. In the win over Penn State he had eight points, nine assists and seven rebounds. It marked the second time in his career he had at least six in each category. He had 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds at Coastal Carolina last season.

Clemson Overcomes Double Digit Halftime Deficit Clemson has overcome a double-digit halftime deficit to gain victory in two of its last three games. That was the first time in school history that Clemson had done that in consecutive games. Clemson overcame a 14-point first half deficit and an 11-point halftime deficit to defeat Wofford on Nov. 24, 85-82. It marked just the second time since 1990 that Clemson had overcome a double-digit deficit at intermission to gain victory. It marked just the fifth time since 1990 that Clemson had overcome a deficit of at least 14 points at any juncture of the game to gain victory. Clemson followed that up with a just as impressive comeback at Penn State. Clemson trailed by 14 points in the first half, 26-12, and trailed 44-34 at halftime. The Tigers won the second half 45-22 to claim a 79-66 win. That marked just the third time in school history that Clemson has overcome a double digit halftime deficit to win a road game. The others took place at Coastal Carolina last year and at Furman in 1973-74, Tree Rollins’s freshman season. Clemson overcame a 13-point deficit in that game. The greatest halftime deficit overcome to gain victory took place in the 1990 NCAA Tournament when Clemson defeated La Salle. The Tigers trailed the Explorers 43-27 at intermission before winning 79-75. Clemson trailed by 19 points in the first half of that game. The greatest comeback in school history took place in 1978-79 against The Citadel. Clemson found itself down by 20 points at 26-6 in the first half before rallying for a 71-58 win at Clemson. Clemson has outscored the opposition by 37 points in the second half this year, a key to its 5-1 record. Clemson shot 57.6 percent from the field, had a +11 rebound margin and scored 51 points in the second half of the win vs. Wofford. Clemson followed that with a 59 percent field goal accuracy, a +12 rebound margin and 45 points in the second half at Penn State.

Big Ten/ACC Challenge Clemson improved to 2-1 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with the 79-66 win at Penn State Nov. 28. Clemson lost at Penn State, 85-75, in inaugural ACC/Big Ten Challenge during the 1999-00 season, but responded in 2000-01 with a 57-44 victory vs. Northwestern at Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson improved to 5-11 all-time against the team that make up the Big Ten. The ACC won the challenge against the Big Ten for the third straight year. After winning 5-4 each of the past two years the ACC claimed this year’s games by a count of 5-3. Clemson was one of two schools to win on the road and the only school in the ACC. Indiana won at North Carolina. The Michigan State vs. Virginia game was not finished because of excessive condensation on the floor at the Richmond Coliseum.

Tigers Rally to Beat Wofford Edward Scott’s added 11 points and 11 assists as Clemson rallied to beat Wofford 85-82 in the home opener Nov. 24 at Littlejohn Coliseum. Henderson was 10-12 from the field and had 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and just the fourth of his career. The double-double by Scott was the first of his career. Dwon Clifton had 14 points and Chey Christie added 13 for the Tigers, which improved to 3-1. Clemson trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half before making a run in the second half. Wofford led 45-34 at intermission, but an 8-2 Clemson run in the first five minutes of the second half pulled the Tigers within 49-44. The Terriers stretched their lead to nine again with 12:24 to play before a Dwon Clifton jumper, a pair of Henderson free throws and three straight baskets by Christie gave the Tigers a 61-60 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game. There were just two ties the rest of the way as Clemson clawed its way to an eight-point advantage (79-71) with 1:39 to play. The Terriers pulled within two points with just under one minute in the game thanks to two three pointers and a layup by Mike Lenzly. After a pair of free throws by Scott, Nixon hit another three to pull within one point with 11 seconds to go. Christie converted two free throws and a Lenzly three-pointer fell short at the buzzer that would have tied the game. Clemson shot 52 percent from the field compared to just 46 percent by Wofford. The Terriers were 15 of 32 from behind the arc, but Clemson dominated the boards, 43-29. Wofford, which fell to 2-2 on the season, was led by Nixon’s 25 points. Lenzly scored 20 and Justin Stephens had 18. Lenzly was 6-12 from three-point range and Nixon and Stephens each had four three-pointers. Clemson connected on just two of 15 three-point attempts.

Scott Records Double 11 Junior captain Edward Scott’s had 11 points and 11 assists in helping the Tigers to an 85-82 victory over Wofford on Nov. 24. It was the first double-double for Scott in his career. His 11 assists were a career high, in fact two more than any other game in his career. He had nine assists and no turnovers over the last 30 minutes of the game. His previous assist high was nine against Miami (FL) in the championship game of the Paradise Jam on Nov. 20. Scott’s assist total was the highest by a Clemson player since Terrell McIntyre had 11 against Butler in the 1999 NIT game at Clemson. That was also the last time a Tiger guard had a double-double with assists. Will Solomon had double-doubles in his career, but they were with rebounds. Scott was one turnover away from tying the Clemson record for the most assists in a game without a turnover. Grayson Marshall, Clemson’s career leader in assists, still has that mark. He had 11 assists without a turnover in a game at N.C. State in 1986-87.

Henderson Records Career Highs Clemson center Ray Henderson continued his improved play with another double-double on Saturday against Wofford. It was the best all-around game of the junior’s career. He established career highs for field goals made (10), points scored (23) and tied his career high for rebounds (13) and blocked shots (4). He did all of that in just 28 minutes. His previous career high in scoring was just 15 points, set last year in the ACC Tournament win over Florida State. He had never made more than six field goals in a game before recording 10 against Wofford. Henderson is now averaging a double-double for the season. No Tiger has averaged a double-double for a season since Sharone Wright averaged 15.4 points and 10.6 rebounds in 1993-94.

Clifton Establishes Career High A second Tiger to record a career high point total in the win over Wofford. Dwon Clifton, who entered the starting lineup in light of the knee injury to Tony Stockman, scored 14 points in 30 productive minutes against Wofford. Clifton had just one double figure scoring game in 31 appearances last year, a 10-point effort against Virginia in Charlottesville. Clifton was 4-8 from the field and 5-8 from the line. He had two assists and just one turnover in his 30 minutes. It was a strong effort for Clifton, who was told just over a month ago he might not be able to play basketball this year, or possibly the rest of his life. But, tests at Emory Hospital in Atlanta, GA, revealed he did not have a heart disorder and he has been cleared to play for the Tigers this year.

Tony Stockman Undergoes Surgery, Out 2-4 Weeks Clemson sophomore guard Tony Stockman, the top returning scorer from last year’s Tiger squad, missed just one week of action after a knee injury. The native of Medina, OH had arthroscopic surgery to repair of damaged cartilage on Nov. 23. Stockman suffered the injury in the first half of the La Salle game in Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands Nov. 19. He played just 13 minutes in that contest, an 81-69 Tiger victory. He started in the championship game against Miami (FL), but was only able to play 17 minutes in Clemson’s two-point loss. Stockman had an MRI on Friday morning and the exam revealed that he had a “Bucket Handle Tear of his medial meniscus in his right knee,” said Clemson basketball trainer “Raz” Razayeski. The surgery was performed by Clemson team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bowman at the Oconee Memorial Hospital in Seneca. Stockman scored 23 points in the season opener against Morris Brown. He hit a career high seven three-point goals in that game, just one off the Clemson single game record. He also had six assists and three steals. He added eight points on 3-4 shooting in the first half against LaSalle. For the three games in The Virgin Islands, Stockman scored 11.3 points a game and shot 50 percent on three-point goals, hitting 10-20 from long range. He also had eight assists and just two turnovers. Stockman returned against Coastal Carolina Friday night, but played only 17 minutes against the Chanticleers going 1-6 from the field, all on three-point attempts. He added three assists, one rebound and one steal.

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

Clemson Finishes Second in Virgin Islands Clemson took wins over Morris Brown and La Salle to meet Miami (FL) in the championship game, where the Hurricanes claimed a two-point win. The game recaps are below…

Clemson Opens with 70-57 Win Over Morris Brown Clemson sophomore guard Tony Stockman hit seven three pointers and scored 23 points as the Clemson men’s basketball team opened the season with a 70-57 victory over Morris Brown in the first round of the Paradise Jam at the University of the Virgin Islands Sport and Fitness Center Nov. 17. Stockman connected on seven of 13 three-point shots in an 8-15 overall effort from the floor. He also dished six assists to go with three steals and just one turnover in 32 minutes of action. Sophomore Dwon Clifton added two three-pointers as Clemson finished with nine threes as a team. Clifton scored eight points on the night. Ray Henderson was the only other Tiger in double figures. He scored 14 points on 6-11 shooting and had 11 rebounds for a double-double. Clemson was 25-59 on the night for 42.4 percent compared to 42.2 percent on 19-45 shooting for the Wolverines. The Tigers also won the rebound battle, taking a 41-24 advantage on the boards. Clemson had 19 offensive rebounds and turned them into 15 second-chance points. Each team had 15 turnovers, but the Tigers had 15 assists compared to five by Morris Brown. Thirteen Tigers played in the game, but only eight scored as the team scored 23 points off the bench. Clemson scored 28 points in the paint.

Clemson Wins St. Thomas Bracket with La Salle Victory Junior point guard Edward Scott’s and senior forward Jamar McKnight combined for 38 points and both registered career highs in leading Clemson to an 81-69 victory over La Salle in the second round of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on Nov. 19. Scott scored 25 points on the night, seven more than his previous high of 18 set against Penn State during his freshman year. McKnight added 13 points on 5-9 shooting, one higher than his previous high of 12 set last season against Western Carolina. Ray Henderson was also in double figures with 10 points and he was the team’s leading rebounder with eight.

Clemson Falls to Miami (FL) in Paradise Jam Championship Chris Hobbs both scored 19 points Nov. 20, but it was not enough as Miami (FL) defeated Clemson 67-65 in the championship game of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Clemson had possession of the ball with 4.5 seconds left, down two. But, Chris Hobbs’ shot fell off the rim and the Hurricanes came away with their first ever win over the Tigers. The Tigers had won the first five meetings in the series. McKnight had 17 of his career-high 19 points in the first half. It was his second straight double-figure scoring game, as he had scored 13 against La Salle on Monday. Hobbs had 14 of his 19 after halftime. Those were the only players in double figures for the Tigers.

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

Robinson, Akingbala Sign with Clemson Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt has announced the signing of his first two members of his 2002 freshman class. On Nov. 14, the first day of the early signing period, 6-2 guard Shawan Robinson and 6-9 forward Akin Akingbala each signed a national letter of intent. Robinson attends Leesville Road High School in Raleigh and is considered one of the top players in North Carolina and a top-100 player nationally. He averaged 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game last year. Robinson is ranked in the top 100 in the nation by All-Star Sports and by Hoop Scoop. A first-team all-conference player the last two years, he combined with current Florida State freshman Anthony Richardson to lead Leesville Road to the state championship game last year. His father, Darryl Robinson, is the Leesville Road High School head coach.

“Shawan will be a tremendous asset to Clemson University and our basketball program,” said Shyatt. “He comes to us from a wonderful family and is an excellent student. You can tell he is the son of a coach. He is an excellent combo guard who will help us immediately as a primary ball handler and deep shooter.” Akingbala, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, is a senior at The Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT. He averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots per game a year ago. He had a high of 11 blocked shots in a game and shot 68 percent from the field. Akingbala led his team to a 19-6 record last year and a runner-up finish in the New England Prep School Championships. The Brunswick School won the New England Championship his sophomore year. Akingbala was ranked among the top 100 rising seniors for 2001-02 by Hoop Scoop this past summer. “Akin is an athletic and enthusiastic leaper,” said Shyatt. “He has excellent desire, especially on the defensive end where he is an intimidating shot blocker. His athletic ability on the soccer field and in basketball is eye-catching. He too fits exactly what we are looking for in our program. He has excellent academic credentials.”

Clemson Goes 2-0 in Exhibition Season The Tigers went 2-0 in the exhibition season with wins over Nike Elite and the EA Sports Central All-Stars. Tony Stockman scored 19 points and Jamar McKnight added 18 to lead Clemson to a 98-85 basketball victory over the Nike Elite in the team’s first exhibition (Oct. 31) and then Freshman Chey Christie scored 24 points, while Ray Henderson and Chris Hobbs each had double-doubles, leading Clemson to a 94-76 victory over the EA Sports Central All-Stars (Nov. 12).

Scott Named Clemson Captain Junior point guard Edward Scott’s was named the captain of the Clemson men’s basketball team for the 2001-02 season. Head Coach Larry Shyatt made the announcement in August on the first day of school. It marked the first time Shyatt has named a captain in the preseason. Scott is the first underclassman on record to be named sole captain of the team and the first sole captain of the Clemson basketball team since Grayson Marshall in 1987-88. Scott bounced back from an injury-plagued freshman campaign to lead the Tigers in durability last season. His ability to distribute the ball as well as defend the great point guards of the ACC will be counted on again this season. Scott led Clemson in assists last season and averaged one turnover every 13.5 minutes, the fifth best ratio for a point guard in school history. He had 127 assists against just 74 turnovers for the season and shot 82.1 percent from the foul line. The native of Eastover, SC and Lower Richland High School averaged 7.3 points per game and 3.4 rebounds per outing in starting 30 contests. At one stretch he made 23 consecutive free throws, the longest streak by a Clemson player since 1984. His contributions both on and off of the stat sheet made the designation of captain an easy one for Shyatt. “Through a lot of hard work, quality minutes and a high level of respect from both his teammates and his coaches Ed Scott has earned the responsibility of serving as our team captain. This team is looking for a leader and for somebody who has experienced the ups and downs, who’s overcome obstacles and in particular has shown a consistent work ethic in the classroom and on the court these last two years.”

Clifton Cleared to Play Clemson sophomore forward Dwon Clifton has been cleared to return to practice and play for the Tigers this year, Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt announced Oct. 26. Initial tests indicated that Clifton, a sophomore from Greensboro, NC, had a heart abnormality called Long QT Syndrome, a problem that inhibits the repolarization process in the heart, a condition that would have prevented Clifton from playing competitive basketball. But further tests conducted during a two-week period showed that Clifton does not have Long QT Syndrome. A fainting spell earlier this fall was the result of extreme fatigue. Clifton had a final battery of tests at Emory Hospital in Atlanta on Oct. 25. Doctors at Emory gave him the green light to return to practice immediately.

“The tests revealed that Dwon does not have any structural cardiac abnormalities,” said Clemson basketball physician Dr. Len Reeves. “He had a different battery of tests at Emory that showed he does not have Long QT Syndrome. He has Vaso-Vagal Sycope, which is a common problem that can lead to fainting spells, as the result of relative dehydration and extreme fatigue. We will continue to monitor Dwon. He is not on any medication.” Clifton was pleasantly surprised at the result of the tests. “I was shocked because I had prepared myself for the worst,” said Clifton. “I was prepared to be told that I could not play. This experience has made my beliefs in God even stronger. I received all kinds of e-mails and calls from Clemson fans who said they were praying for me. I want to thank them. This is a blessing.” Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt, who went to Emory on Thursday to be with Clifton during the medical testing was excited with the news. “Of course we are very happy for Dwon and his family. It is reassuring that the Clemson University medical staff took the safe approach the last three weeks. There were tears of joy at Emory Hospital.” Clifton started 17 of Clemson’s 31 games last year. He and classmate Tony Stockman were the only Tigers to play in every game last year as freshmen. The 6-5 native of High Point, NC averaged 3.9 points and 2.6 assists per game a year ago. His top game was a 10-point, seven-rebound outing at North Carolina late in the year. He had a season high 12 rebounds against Washington in a tournament in Puerto Rico.

Tigers Tied for 10th in Producing NBA Talent Clemson has seven of its former players on NBA rosters this year, tied for the 10th highest total in the nation. This also ties for the most NBA players Clemson has had in a single season. North Carolina leads the way nationally with 12 former players, while ACC rival Duke is second with 11. A third ACC school, Georgia Tech, is tied with Arizona and Kentucky for third with 10 former players apiece. Michigan State has nine, while Georgetown, Michigan and UCLA are tied with eight players apiece. Clemson, Cincinnati, UConn, UNLV and St. John’s all have seven, while Kansas and Maryland have six apiece. California and Villanova round out the top 18 schools with five apiece. Horace Grant is the veteran of the former Tigers in the NBA. The 1987 ACC MVP, the only Clemson player to win that honor, is now in his 14th year in the NBA. He has won four NBA World Championship rings, including last year with the Los Angeles Lakers. The native of Sparta, GA has more World Championship Rings than any other former Clemson athlete in any sport. Grant is now on his second tour of duty with the Orlando Magic. He has averaged 6.1 points and 5.6 rebounds a game as a starter in each of the first eight games this year with the Magic. Dale Davis and Elden Campbell, who combined to lead the Tigers to the 1990 ACC Regular season championship and the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, are both still starting in the NBA. Davis, in his 10th year in the league and is the starting center for the Portland Trailblazers. The native of Toccoa, GA has averaged 7.8 points and 8.1 rebounds a game through the first eight contests with the Trailblazers. He had 15 rebounds in a win over the Pistons on Nov. 11. Campbell is in his 11th year in the NBA, his third with the Charlotte Hornets. He has the best stats among former Tigers in the league, nearly averaging a double-double on the young season. He had a 14.2 scoring average to go with 9.8 rebounds per game through games of November 12. Greg Buckner and Chris Whitney, two former Tigers from Hopkinsville, KY, are also in the NBA this year. Buckner is a reserve with the Dallas Mavericks, while Whitney has been an occasional starter for the Washington Wizards. Whitney, who has been in the league since 1993-94, has averaged 10 points per game for the Wizards, including an 18-point effort in the season opener. Harold Jamison is a sixth former Tiger in the NBA. A rookie with the Miami Heat two years ago, he was recently activated by the Los Angles Clippers, but has yet to play in a game. Will Solomon, Clemson’s leading scorer last year with a 19.7 average, has played five games with the Memphis Grizzlies, including one start. He has averaged two points and 1.2 rebounds in his limited action so far this year. He had a high of seven points in a recent game against the Los Angles Lakers.

Hobbs and Stockman Named to College Basketball News All-Freshman Team Last Year Chris Hobbs were recognized by College Basketball News’ All-Freshman Team for 2000-01. Stockman was named to the sixth team, while Hobbs was chosen to the eighth team. Duke’s Chris Duhon – a fourth team selection – was the only other player honored from the ACC. “Stockman to Hobbs” became an increasingly frequent tandem throughout the 2000-01 Clemson season. Besides Clemson, no team had two representatives on the ACC All-Rookie team. The pair accounted for 26 percent of Clemson’s offensive production. Stockman was Clemson’s second leading scorer, finishing behind Will Solomon with a 12 points per game average. The freshman was never scared to let it go from deep, connecting on 75 of 196 three-point attempts. He broke the freshman record for three pointers when he shot 4-9 from behind the arc in the victory over top-ranked North Carolina. Stockman was also the Tiger’s best bet from the charity stripe, hitting 84 percent of his free throws. Hobbs led all ACC freshmen in double-doubles. He and Adam Allenspach shared the team lead with six. On 10 occasions Hobbs led the Tigers in rebounding. His 28-point, nine-rebound effort against Virginia may have been the finest all-around game played by a Tiger last season. At one point in that game he connected on seven consecutive field goals. That point total is the highest by a Clemson freshman frontcourt player since 1982-1983 when Anthony Jenkins had 30 against Duke. He led the Tigers in field goal percentage and was first in rebounding.

Christie Named to All-Tournament Team Clemson first-year freshmen Chey Christie and Sharrod Ford both led the United States team in statistical categories during the Global Games in Dallas, TX last summer. Christie led the team in three-point shooting, connecting on 11-18 from long range in the five games he played in the event. The 6-4 guard averaged 15 points per game and shot 29-49 from the field overall, 59.2 percent. He also had 12 rebounds and five assists against just three turnovers. Christie had a high of 23 points in the opening game of the tournament against Puerto Rico. He made 9-12 shots from the field overall, including 5-5 on three-point shots. His three-point goal in the last few seconds sent the game into overtime before Puerto Rico came away with a 112-110 victory. All of his three-point goals in that game came in the second half. It was one of three games in which Christie led the United States team in scoring. His 15.0 average for the event was second best on the team. Ford led the team in field goal percentage with a 75 percent mark (12-16). He scored 25 points in the five games and also had eight rebounds and three blocked shots. He had a 4-4 shooting night against Puerto Rico in the final game of the tournament.

Hobbs Pulled in the Rebounds as a Freshman Chris Hobbs was Clemson’s top rebounder last year with 190 and a 6.3 average. He was the first freshman to lead Clemson in rebounding since Harold Jamison led the 1995-96 team as a rookie. Hobbs had 13 at Wake Forest, his second highest total of the year. He had 15 in a game against The Citadel earlier, most by a Clemson freshman in five years. He was very efficient at Georgia Tech with 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes. He had nine rebounds in 31 minutes at Virginia. 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 3.09 minutes. Hobbs is ahead of the freshman pace set by such greats as Dale Davis, Elden Campbell, Horace Grant, Sharone Wright and Larry Nance.

Stockman Sets Record for 3-Point Goals Freshman guard Tony Stockman scored 20 points in the regular season finale against Florida State and led the Tigers in scoring in two of the last five games. He 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. He added 16 points in his second ACC start, the 75-65 win over North Carolina. 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. His three-point goal with 44 seconds left iced the win over #1 North Carolina and was listed as the Jefferson Pilot ACC Play of the Week. Stockman ranked second on the Clemson team in points scored in the last five minutes of games decided by 10 points or less. For the year, Stockman was second on the team in scoring with a 12.0 average, even though he has played just 27 minutes per game. His 75 three-point goals established a Clemson freshman record, and his 83.6 percent free throw shooting mark was first on the team. Stockman had the best season by a Clemson freshman guard since Terrell McIntyre in 1995-96. In some ways, Stockman’s stats were even better. And, he has averaged six less minutes per game than McIntrye played as a freshman.

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

Fans in Greenville and Spartanburg Counties Have Two Options to Listen to the Tigers Flagship station WCCP-FM 104.9 in Clemson can be heard throughout Pickens, Anderson and most of Greenville counties and will air every basketball game this season. Also, WAGI-FM in Gaffney 105.3 carries all basketball games and can be heard in Geenville and Spartanburg counties as well as many other counties in the Upstate. It possess one of the strongest signals in South Carolina.