Game Notes: Clemson vs. FSU

Feb. 22, 2002

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Clemson vs. Florida State Series

This is the 36th meeting between Clemson and Florida State inmen’s basketball. The Seminoles hold a 20-15 lead. The Seminoleshave won five of the last seven meetings. Florida State won earlierthis year in Tallahassee by a 68-63 score. Clemson last won againstFSU in the 2001 ACC Tournament in Atlanta, 66-64. Three of the lastfour meetings between the two teams have been decided by fivepoints or less. Clemson has a 3-11 all-time record in Tallahassee.The wins came in 1961-62 (82-77), 1996-97 (76-70) and 1997-98(78-49). Florida State has beaten Clemson by six points or less sixof the last eight games at the Leon County Coliseum. In fact, eachof Florida State’s last six wins over Clemson in Tallahassee havebeen by six points or less. Larry Shyatt has lost four games by 18points in Tallahassee in his four trips to the state capital.Clemson’s 78-45 win over Florida State at Littlejohn Coliseum in1998-99 was the second largest margin of victory in Clemson historyin an ACC game. The Tigers led by 22 at the half. Over the last 12meetings, Florida State has won seven games and Clemson has wonfive. Clemson’s average margin of victory in those five wins is 22points a game. Florida State’s average margin in its sevenvictories in that time is 5 points per game. That includes earlierthis year when Florida State won by exactly five points. Clemsonswept Florida State with two of its most impressive games of the1997-98 season. Clemson won the game at Clemson, 86-65, its highestscoring ACC game of the season. Florida State was ranked 17th inthe nation entering the contest. Clemson won at Tallahassee 78-49,the largest margin of victory in an ACC road game in schoolhistory. Clemson has not won in Tallahassee since that game.Clemson and FSU first met in the 1952 Gator Bowl Tournament inJacksonville, FL. The Tigers won 62-56 and in fact won the firstthree games of the series, one in Jacksonville, one in Charlotteand one in Clemson. Since Florida State joined the ACC in 1991-92,the Seminoles have won 16 of the 24 meetings. Clemson’s top victoryin that time came in the 1993 ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Clemsondefeated a 10th ranked Florida State team, 87-75. That victory, ledby Clemson future NBA players Sharone Wright, Chris Whitney andDevin Gray, broke a 27-game Clemson losing streak in the Tournamentas a lower seeded team. All three scored at least 20 points, thelast time Clemson had three 20-point scorers in the same game untilthis year’s game against Wake Forest. Clemson is 2-1 againstFlorida State in the ACC Tournament, including 1-1 against LarryShyatt. Each of Clemson’s two wins over Florida State in the ACCTournament came in seasons the Tigers lost both regular seasongames to the Seminoles. Florida State has not won an ACC road gamesince the Seminoles won at Clemson last March 3.

Kennedy and Maravich Coached at Midcourt One of the more unique games of the series took place before Florida State was in the ACC. On January 8, 1962, Clemson defeated FSU 75-69. In that game, both coaches, Bud Kennedy of Florida State, and Press Maravich of Clemson, sat side-by-side at mid-court while the game was in progress.

Both coaches, who were good friends, had dinner together the night before the game at Sports Information Director Bob Bradley’s home in Clemson and decided to watch the game together. During timeouts they huddled with their team, then returned to their chairs at mid-court. Clemson defeated a 15-8 Florida State team twice that season.

Clemson on “Senior Day” Clemson senior Jamar McKnight will be playing his final home game when the Tigers meet Florida State on Saturday afternoon at High Noon at Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson has been very successful on “Senior Night” since the 1971-72 season. In that time, the Tigers are 24-6 in the final home game for the regular season. That record included a couple of years when Clemson did not have a senior, the most recent being 1995-96. This will be the third straight year Clemson has had just one senior for its “Senior Night” activities.

Clemson is 13-6 over the last 28 years in “Senior Night” games against ACC teams. Clemson has won just 33 percent of its ACC games during that time span, so it does appear that “Senior Night” has an impact. The stretch includes a 92-64 win over Georgia Tech in 1998-99. Senior Terrell McIntyre had 22 points and 10 assists, while senior Tony Christie had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Clemson’s only “Senior Night” losses since 1972 have come to an eighth-ranked North Carolina team (1997), a number-one ranked Duke team (1992 and 1986), to a fourth-ranked Duke team (1999-00) to an unranked Georgia Tech team (1993) and to an unranked Florida State team last year.

Overall, Clemson is 63-27 in the final regular season home game.

First Meeting vs. Florida State Florida State 68, Clemson 63 Jan. 24, 2002 at Tallahassee, FL Florida State outscored Clemson14-3 over the last seven minutes of the game and went on to a 68-63 win in Tallahassee on Jan. 24, 2002. It was Clemson’s fourth straight loss overall and its fourth straight loss to the Seminoles in Tallahassee. All four of those defeats in Tallahassee have been by seven points or less.

Clemson was led by Tony Stockman, who had 22 points, including 20 in the game’s first 12:19 of the game. Jamar McKnight added 13 points, but those were the only double figure scorers for Clemson. Edward Scott scored nine and added eight assists and six rebounds. Ray Henderson had just four points, but pulled in nine rebounds. Florida State was led by Monte Cummings with 17 points, while Antwuan Dixon added 15, including three three-point goals in the last 12 minutes of the game.

Clemson shot just 27.6 percent in the second half, including 1-10 on three-point goals. The Tigers made just 1 of their last 14 shots over the last nine minutes of the contest. Clemson was 0-8 inside the last five minutes. The Tigers held the lead in the game from the 15:17 mark of the first half until the 5:02 mark when the score was tied at 60.

Stockman made seven of his first 10 shots from the field, including 6-8 on three-point attempts in the first 12:19 to lead Clemson to a 10-point advantage at 30-20. Clemson advanced the lead to a game high 34-22 with 5:27 left. But, FSU cut the lead to one with nine seconds left in the half. Then, Scott hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to give Clemson a 41-37 lead at intermission.

Normally the first five minutes of the second half will have a big bearing on the final outcome. That was not the case in this game. Clemson brought the lead to 47-37 three minutes into the second half on a jumper by Ray Henderson. Clemson still led by eight at 58-50 with 9:19 left on a dunk by freshman Sharrod Ford off a feed from Scott. But Clemson would score just one field goal by Ford the rest of the game, as the Seminoles turned up the defense.

It was still a 60-60 game at the final media timeout, but FSU went on an 8-3 run to close the game. Monte Cummings made 4-4 free throws down the stretch that were key to the FSU win.

Clemson won the rebound battle 42-39 and won the offensive rebounds 17-11. Despite this offensive rebound margin, Clemson scored just four second-chance points the entire game. FSU scored 11.

The Seminoles attempted 28 free throws and made 17, while Clemson attempted just 10 and made seven. It was the 18th straight loss for Clemson when the opposition made more free throws than Clemson attempted. Florida State was whistled for just 13 fouls the entire game and Clemson never got into the 1-1 until the final 2:18 of the game.

Last Year at Clemson vs. FSU Florida State 75, Clemson 63 March 3, 2001 at Clemson, SC Florida State went on a 30-9 run over the last 8:43 of the first half and went on to a 75-63 win over Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum on March 3, 2001. It was the final game of the regular season for the Tigers who fell to Florida State for the second time in 2000-01. Tony Stockman led Clemson with 20 points in just 25 minutes. The freshman made 6-10 three-point shots and had three steals to go with two assists and just one turnover. Will Solomon had 11 points, but all 11 came in the first half. Ray Henderson scored all nine of his points in the second half. Clemson shot 37.5 percent from the field for the game. The Tigers committed just nine turnovers, their second lowest single game total of the season.

It was a disappointing Senior Day for Clemson’s only senior Adam Allenspach. The 7-1 center had been limited by back ailments since Christmas. He started this game, but could play only three minutes as he re-injured his back and spent the rest of the game getting therapy in the training room.

Florida State had a balanced attack led by freshman Michael Joiner, who scored 14 points. Mike Mathews added 13 points off the bench, while Antwuan Dixon added 10 points and eight rebounds. Florida State made 84 percent of its free throws and hit 7-19 three-point shots. State won the rebound battle, 36-32.

Clemson had a 22-20 lead at the 9:48 mark of the first half. Clemson made 7 of13 shots from the field to open the game and Solomon had 11 of those 22 points. But, Florida State hit 10 of its last 12 shots of the half and had a 50-31 lead at intermission.

Behind freshmen Tony Stockman, Dwon Clifton and Chris Hobbs, the Tigers cut the margin to 10 points by the 12:19 mark of the second half. Freshmen scored 11 of the 13 points. Florida State made just 1 of its first 10 shots of the second half.

But, Florida State would not allow the Tigers to get closer than nine points (61-52) the rest of the way. A seven-point flurry highlighted by a three-point goal and drive for a layup by Delvon Arrington gave Florida State a 71-55 lead with three minutes left.

Last Time Out Maryland 84, Clemson 68 Maryland outscored Clemson 53-33 in the second half and went on to an 84-68 win over Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum on Feb. 20th. It was the eighth straight win for the Terps over Clemson. All of the point margins have been between nine and 17 points.

Clemson was led by Tony Stockman, who scored 19 points, including a 5-9 night on three-point shooting. Unfortunately, those were the only three-point goals for the Tigers as the rest of the team was 0-9 from long range. Edward Scott added 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while Jamar McKnight added 10 points.

Ray Henderson added nine points apiece and held Lonny Baxter to just three field goals and 10 points. Henderson had a team best 11 rebounds in just 27 minutes. But, Juan Dixon scored 21 points, including 14 in the second half. Chris Wilcox continued his fine play with 14 points, while Byron Mouton scored 13, including his 12th three-point goal of the year. Five of the 12 threes have been against Clemson.

Clemson had a 33-25 lead with four minutes left in the first half. Clemson held Maryland to 7-27 shooting from the field at the outset, including 2-11 from three-point range. Clemson led 35-31 at intermission.

But, Maryland outscored Clemson 16-8 over the first 4:35 of the second half and turned a four-point deficit into a four-point lead. Maryland went on to make 12 of its first 14 shots of the second half. Clemson trailed by just three points, 52-49, with 12 minutes left. But, Maryland went on an 11-0 run in a three minute span to put the game out of reach. Clemson never got the lead under double digits the last 10 minutes of the game.

A key to the game was Maryland’s three-point shooting in the second half. The Terps made 5-7 from long range. Wilcox made 5-5 from the field overall in the second half, as the Terps made 19-30 as a team after halftime, .633.

Hobbs Coming on Strong Clemson forward Chris Hobbs has been coming on strong of late. Over the last four games the 6-7 sophomore has scored 61 points and pulled in 28 rebounds. He has shot 22-37 from the field over that time. Hobbs had his top all-around game as a Tiger in Clemson’s 118-115 double overtime victory He scored 24 points and pulled in a career high 17 rebounds. Hobbs made 8-11 field goals and his two free throws with 12 seconds left gave Clemson a three-point lead.

Hobbs has 16 double figure scoring games this year, including four games with at least 20 points. He has three double-doubles this year and nine for his career. He is shooting 55 percent from the field this year and 55.5 percent for his career. He is just five made field goals short of qualifying for Clemson’s career field goal percentage list. His 55.5 percent accuracy would be sixth best in school history if he had nine more made field goals.

Clemson Has Played Well vs. Ranked Opponents Clemson’s game against Florida State on Saturday will be its first against an unranked opponent in five games. Clemson played four straight against top 25 teams from Feb. 10-20, just the fifth time in school history that has happened. Clemson was 1-3 in the four games. The last time Clemson had faced four straight ranked opponents was the 1992-93 season when Clemson played a record five in a row between Feb. 8, 1993 and Feb. 24, 1993. Clemson had a 1-4 record in those five games with the only win a victory over a second-ranked North Carolina team.

Clemson is 2-7 against top-25 teams this year. The victories have come over a #5 Virginia team and a #17 Wake Forest team. Clemson and Virginia have the same amount of ranked wins this year. It marks the first time since the 1997-98 season that Clemson has beaten at least two top-25 teams in one year. The 1997-98 Tigers defeated three top-25 teams that year. The single season record is six, set in 1979-80 when Bill Foster’s Tigers went to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Larry Shyatt has two wins over top-five teams since he has been at Clemson. He beat a #1 ranked North Carolina team last year and the win over #5 Virginia earlier this year. He is already ahead of his predecessor Rick Barnes in that department. Barnes had just one win over a top-five team in his four years at Clemson, a victory over #3 Kentucky in 1996-97. Cliff Ellis, Clemson’s coach prior to Barnes, had just two top five wins in his 10 seasons. Bill Foster holds the Clemson coaching record for career wins over top five teams with six.

Clemson Streaks

Chris Hobbs has made 22 of his last 37 shots from the field andis averaging 15.1 points a game in his last four contests. JamarMcKnight has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 14 gamesand has averaged 16 points a game over his last 13 outings. He hasmade at least one three-point goal in 12 of his last 13 games.Sharrod Ford has made 15 of his last 24 shots from the field andhas 21 rebounds over his last four games. Edward Scott has had atleast eight assists in eight of his last 10 games. He has averaged9 assists over his last 10 contests. Scott has had more assiststhat turnovers in 14 straight games. Tony Stockman has averaged14.8 points a game over his last nine games. However, over his lastnine games he has five games with at least 19 points and four gamesin which he has failed to score in double figures. The oppositionhas made more three-point goals than the Tigers in each of the lastseven games. Over the last five games the opposition has made 58three-point goals to just 25 by the Tigers.

Clemson 118, Wake Forest 115 (2OT) Feb. 13, 2002 at Clemson, SC Clemson ended an eight-game losing streak with a 118-115 double overtime victory against Wake Forest on Feb. 13, 2002. The remarkable contest was the second highest scoring game in ACC history for two teams combined and featured five players who scored 24 points or more. Clemson had three of the five as the starting backcourt of Tony Stockman and Chris Hobbs added 24 points and 17 rebounds, while Jamar McKnight added 15. Scott’s 30-point evening included a career-high 16 assists, while Stockman did not have a turnover in his 43 minutes of play and he added a career high tying six assists. Scott’s performance set a Clemson record for points scored by a player who had double figures in assists.

Wake Forest was led by Craig Dawson, who scored 38 points, including 11 made three-point goals, tying an ACC record. Darius Songaila added 24 points before fouling out. Broderick Hicks had 16 points and six assists before he fouled out.

Wake Forest made 19-42 three-point goals, an all-time ACC record for made three-point goals in a game. The Deacons 115 points scored were the most ever for a losing team in an ACC game. Clemson’s 118 points scored were a school record for points in an ACC game.

Clemson shot 55.8 percent from the field for the game. The Tigers made 55.9 in the first half, 53.6 in the second half and 60 percent in the overtime periods. The Tigers had a season high 26 assists and made 9-20 three-point goals. Clemson could have won the game in a rout had it made free throws. The Tigers were just 23-45 from the line for the game, 6-16 in the overtimes.

The two teams battled on even terms the first 10 minutes of the game. Wake Forest held a 23-19 lead with 8:37 left in the first half. But, the Tigers went on a 21-5 run over the next six minutes and led 40-26 with 2:20 left on a three-point goal by Dwon Clifton, his first three-point goal of 2002. Clemson still led 46-34 at intermission. The margin varied between 8-12 points the first 14 minutes of the second half as both teams executed their offense. Edward Scott caught fire late in the game and scored 14 consecutive points to give the Tigers a 81-66 lead with 3:48 remaining.

But, Wake Forest would not die. It was still an 86-75 Clemson lead with 63 seconds left. But, the Deacs made five three-point goals in the last minute, including a four-point play by Dawson that cut the lead to 86-79. Another three-point goal by Dawson after a Clemson turnover made it 86-82. Wake Forest sent the game into overtime on a three-point goal by Taron Downey with 0.6 seconds left.

After losing an 11-point lead with a minute left, most figured the Tigers would falter in the overtime. Wake Forest did take a 99-96 lead, but Clemson eventually tied the game at 101 on a layup by Chris Hobbs with 55 seconds left. Clemson then had the last shot, but Edward Scott attempt rimmed out.

Clemson took control in the second overtime, leading 116-111 with 20 seconds left on two free throws by Stockman. Wake Forest scored a field goal by Downey. Clemson could not get the ball in bounds and called timeout, a timeout the Tigers did not have.

Dawson went to the foul line and made two free throws to cut the margin to one point with 13 seconds left. Wake Forest fouled Hobbs on the in-bounds. The sophomore from Chapel Hill had made just 6-17 free throws at that point in the game, but calmly made both to give Clemson a three-point lead. Wake Forest never got off a three-point attempt on its last possession and Clemson had the victory, its first win since January 8th.

Unusual Occurrences of Feb. 13, 2002

Clemson missed 22 free throws, yet won the game. Clemson was23-45 from the line for the contest. The Tigers were just 6-16 fromthe foul line in the two overtimes combined. Wake Forest made 19three-point goals, yet lost the game. The Deacons hit 19-42three-point goals in the contest, beating the ACC record by one. Itwas the most three-point goals ever made against Clemson. WakeForest’s Craig Dawson made 11 three-point goals, tying the ACCrecord for made three-point goals by an individual in a singlegame. Dennis Scott also made 11 against Houston in the RainbowClassic in 1988. Clemson gave up 28 points in the last 3:40 andblew an 11-point lead with 63 seconds remaining, yet won the game.Wake Forest made five three-point goals in the last 63 seconds andtied the game with a three-point goal with 0.6 seconds left. ButClemson overcame the emotion change in the overtime periods.Clemson had lost eight straight games, while Wake Forest had wonfour straight conference games. Wake Forest won the first meetingby 41 points, the worst margin of defeat for Larry Shyatt as a headcoach.

Clemson Gains Win in Overtime Clemson defeated Wake Forest 118-115 in double overtime on Feb. 13 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was Clemson’s first overtime victory since a 78-65 win over Maryland at Littlejohn Coliseum during December of 1997, Rick Barnes’s last year at Clemson. Clemson had lost six straight overtime games prior to the Feb. 13 game.

It was Clemson’s first double overtime victory since Clemson defeated a 13th-ranked Georgia Tech team in double overtime 97-94 at Littlejohn Coliseum during the 1987-88 season. Overall, it was just the 15th double overtime game in Clemson history. The Tigers are now 9-6 in double overtime games in history. Clemson has played two triple overtime games and lost both. Clemson is now 52-45 all-time in overtime games, including 26-23 in games played at Clemson and 16-14 in overtime games in Littlejohn Coliseum.

Starting Backcourt Scored 60 Points When Clemson’s starting backcourt of Tony Stockman both scored 30 points against Wake Forest it marked the ninth time in Clemson history that two players had combined for at least 60 points in a game. It was the first time the starting backcourt had scored at least 30 points apiece, and just the second time in school history that two players on the Tiger team had gone for at least 30 in the same game.

The only other time Clemson has had a pair of 30-point scorers in the same game was on Dec. 1, 1993 when Rayfield Ragland scored 32 and Devin Gray added 30 in a 120-103 Clemson victory in Charleston. That was the highest scoring game for two teams combined in Clemson history prior to the game of Feb. 13.

The Clemson record for points scored by two players combined is 74. You have to go back to the first day of Clemson basketball to find that record. On Feb. 9, 1912 J.O. Erwin scored 58 points and J.W. Erwin added 16 in a 78-6 win over the Butler Guards. Apparently the Butler Guards didn’t guard anyone that day.

In the modern era, the record for points scored by two Tigers in the same game is 64. Butch Zatezalo scored 46 and Dave Thomas added 18 in a game against Wake Forest on Feb. 18, 1969.

Wake Forest had two players combine for 62 points in the game as Craig Dawson scored 38 and Darius Songaila added 24. It was the most points by two Clemson opponents in the same game since the 1997 NCAA Tournament two Minnesota Players (Jackson and Jacobson) combined for 64. That game also went double overtime.

Career Highs Set vs. Wake Forest The Clemson vs. Wake Forest game of Feb. 13 might have set a career high for players recording career highs in a single game. Six different players established 16 career highs. Here is a list of player career highs in that game:

Edward Scott-Career-high 11 made field goals, career-high 30 points scored , career -high 16 assists, played a career-high 47 minutes. Tony Stockman-Scored a career-high 30 points, tied a career-high with 10 made free throws, tied a career high with six assists, played a career-high 43 minutes, had a career-low zero turnovers.

Sharrod Ford – Had a career-high 10 rebounds. Ray Henderson – Played a career-high 32 minutes Jamar McKnight – Played a career-high 40 minutes Chris Hobbs – Pulled in a career-high 17 rebounds, including a career-high six offensive rebounds, he played a career -high 39 minutes and attempted a career-high 19 free throws.

Clemson Ends Eight-Game Losing Streak “Eight is Enough” was a popular television program of the 1980s and it is an appropriate slogan for two major Clemson victories over the last two seasons.

Last year Clemson had lost eight consecutive games before upsetting then #1 ranked North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2001 by a 75-65 score. Clemson’s losing streak had begun with a 27-point point loss at North Carolina in January.

Similarly, Clemson had endured an eight-game losing streak heading into the Feb. 13 game with 17th-ranked Wake Forest. Clemson had begun the losing streak with a 41-point loss at Wake Forest in early January, the worst margin of defeat for Larry Shyatt as a head coach. But, just as it had done the previous year, Clemson overcame the odds and defeated a top 20 Wake Forest in a thrilling game, 118-115 in double overtime.

Ford and Christie Contributing Clemson guard Chey Christie had his best game in two months in the game at Virginia. The freshman from Hartford, CT scored 14 points on 6-12 shooting in 26 minutes. He also added three steals, an assist and made 2-4 three-point goals. He was a leader in Clemson’s comeback from a 10-point deficit early in the game.

That was Christie’s first double figure scoring game since he had 21 against #1 Duke in Durham on Dec. 2. It was his fourth double figure scoring game of the year. Christie has gotten additional minutes of late, as an injured ankle is finally healthy. For the year Christie is averaging 5.2 points a game, first among the Tiger freshmen. Christie’s stats are better on the road than at home this year. He has scored 7.5 points a game on the road compared to just 4.5 a game at home. He has made just 2-23 three-point shots at home and is 6-16 on the road.

Freshman forward Sharrod Ford has been among Clemson’s most productive players this season. In the victory over Wake Forest, Ford had a career-high 10 rebounds, including four offensive, helping Clemson to a 62-48 rebound advantage. He added six points and five rebounds in just 18 minutes against #2 Maryland on Feb. 20th. Ford has played 13 minutes per game, but still ranks in the top 15 in the ACC in blocked shots. The native of Maryland had one of his best games of the year against #1 Duke on Feb. 2 when he had 10 points on 4-6 shooting and added three rebounds in 18 minutes.

Ford has shot over 58 percent from the field and has pulled in 3.4 rebounds and scored 4.3 points per outing. He has held his consistency in ACC games, scoring 4.5 a game against the league. He had 11 points at Wake Forest on Jan. 12 for his third double-figure scoring game of the season, his first in ACC play. Earlier this year he made 4-4 from the field and had 10 points and four rebounds in a win at Penn State. He also had 10 points in the win at Hartford. Like Christie, Ford plays better on the road than at home. As noted above, three of his four double-figure scoring games have taken place on the road. He averages 6.0 points a game on the road and just 4.2 at home this year.

Ford attended Gwynn Park High School in Maryland where he played for Steve Matthews. He averaged 15.8 points, 12 rebounds and 6.6 blocked shots per game. That blocked shot figure seemed high, but based on what he has done on a per minute basis this year, it is certainly realistic. Ford came to Clemson from Hargrave Military in Virginia where he helped that team to a 26-1 record last year by averaging a double-double.

Clemson Competitive vs. #1 Duke Duke 98, Clemson 88 Feb. 2, 2002 at Littlejohn Coliseum Tony Stockman and Edward Scott both scored 20 points to lead five Tigers in double figures in Duke’s 98-88 win at Clemson on Feb. 2. The contest was the first game of the second half of the ACC season for both clubs. The number-one ranked Blue Devils led the Tigers by just two points with five minutes remaining of the game that was played in front of a sellout crowd at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Duke also had five players in double figures. In fact, 93 of Duke’s 98 points were scored by the starters. All-American Jason Williams had his best ever game against Clemson with 28 points and seven assists to go with six rebounds. Mike Dunleavy added 22 points and seven rebounds.

Both teams played at a high level offensively. The Tigers hit 48.7 percent from the field, including 51.4 percent in the second half when Clemson outscored the Blue Devils 49-48. Duke shot 49.2 percent from the field and hit 11-28 three-point goals, including 9-20 in the first half. Clemson won the rebound battle 39-35, but the Tigers committed 20 turnovers.

The two teams were tied in the first nine minutes of the game at 18-18. Duke then went on a 16-4 run to take a 34-22 lead with 6:53 left. Duke got consecutive three-point goals by Daniel Ewing, Jason Williams and Mike Dunleavy to highlight the streak. Duke got the lead to 50-35 with 16 seconds left, but the Tigers scored four points in the last second on a field goal by Sharrod Ford, then a followup by Hobbs when Ford missed a free throw in his attempt at a three-point play.

Clemson battled back from the 11-point halftime deficit to tie the score at 60 with 13:54 left. Tony Stockman combined to score 17 points over the first six minutes of the second half to get Clemson back in the game. Clemson took a 66-65 lead with 11:23 left on a layup by Tomas Nagys.

Duke took the lead back by six points at 75-69 before Clemson cut the margin to 77-76 with five minutes left. But, the Tigers went cold, missing five straight field goal attempts once the clock got inside the five-minute mark. Duke went on a 13-2 run to take a 90-78 lead with 1:41 left. A dunk by Dahntay Jones with 3:26 left was a key during the streak.

The Unusual Occurrences of Jan. 15, 2002 Clemson suffered a heart-breaking defeat against N.C. State on Jan. 15, 80-79 at Littlejohn Coliseum. There were many noteworthy accomplishments for the Tigers, figures that usually are not characteristics of a Clemson loss, or a loss for any team for that matter.

Clemson had five players in double figures, yet lost the game.Clemson had not lost a game in which it placed five players indouble figures since the 1998 NCAA tournament, a 75-72 loss toWestern Michigan. That was Rick Barnes final game as Clemson headcoach. Clemson out-rebounded N.C. State by +12, 32-20. Clemson hadwon nine of its last 10 games when out-rebounding the opposition bydouble digits. Clemson shot 61.2 percent from the field. It wasjust the fifth time in history that Clemson had shot 60 percentfrom the field, yet lost the game. Clemson is now 40-5 in itshistory when it shoots 60 percent from the field. Clemson made morefree throws than N.C. State attempted (14-12). Clemson had an 18-2record under Coach Shyatt and had won nine straight games when itmade more free throws than the opposition attempted. Clemson shot75 percent from the field in the first half (12-16), yet trailed by11 points at intermission. Clemson committed 13 turnovers in thefirst half and that was the reason Clemson had the large deficiteven with the strong shooting numbers. It was the first time sincethe 1983-84 season that Clemson shot 75 percent in a first half,yet trailed at intermission. Clemson shot 80 percent at Virginiathat year, yet trailed 39-32 at halftime.

Tigers Shoot 60 Percent from Field…And Lose Clemson made 30 of 49 field goal attempts in its loss to N.C. State on Jan. 15. That computes to a 62.1 field goal percentage. Clemson had lost just one game since the 1986-87 season when it shot at least 60 percent from the field.Ironically, that loss was at home to N.C. State in 1997-98. That year, Rick Barnes’s final season as Clemson head coach, the Tigers shot 31-50 from the field, yet lost to the Pack, 82-80. Clemson is now 21-2 since 1986-87 when it makes at least 60 percent of its field goal attempts and both losses are to N.C. State.

Clemson actually shot well in all three of the shooting areas against the Pack. Clemson was .621 from the field, .417 on three-point shots and .700 from the foul line, a 50-40-70 game. Clemson is now 26-7 all-time when it shoots at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from behind the arc and 70 percent from the foul line, all in the same game.

Clemson actually has lost two games in a row when shooting that well in all three areas. Clemson shot 52 percent from the field, 50 percent on three-point attempts and 81 percent from the foul line, yet lost to Georgia Tech, 111-108 last year at Littlejohn Coliseum. How good was Clemson’s 1986-87 team? That squad led by Horace Grant finished with a 25-6 record. It had 11 games that season in which it shot at least 50-40-70 in the three shooting areas. There have been just 22 such shooting games by the Tigers in the other 14 seasons of the three-point shot combined.

McKnight Stats Much Improved Jamar McKnight, Clemson’s only senior, is following a tradition of second-year improvement by Tiger junior college players. This season, McKnight has scored13.1 points a game and averaged 4.2 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 48 percent from the field and a team best 40 percent from three-point range. He has led Clemson in scoring in six of the last 12 games and has scored in double figures 13 of the last 14 games. He has made at least one three-point goal in 12 of the last 13 games. He is trying to become the first Clemson player to shoot over 40 percent from three-point range for the course of a season (given 50 made three-point goals) since Terrell McIntyre in 1998-99 Last year, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds all year in 20 games. This year he has 327 points and 106 rebounds in 25 games. He missed two games due to injury earlier this year and played just two minutes in a third. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest year ago. Thus, McKnight has tripled his scoring average and rebound average between his junior and senior seasons. He has scored in double figures in every ACC game except the Duke game in Durham when he played just one minute due to injury.

McKnight might have played his best game as a Tiger when Clemson defeated Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 5. The native of Zachery, LA who was playing in front of family and friends who had made the trip from Louisiana, had 22 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes of play. He made his last five shots from the field and shot 9-12 overall.

He added to his growing fan base with a 25-point performance against fifth-ranked Virginia. McKnight made 9-20 shots from the field, 3-7 on three-pointers and scored 18 points in the second half. He scored six of Clemson’s final 10 points down the stretch. He did not have a turnover in his 33 minutes of work and added seven rebounds, one off his career high.

Most junior college transfers make improvement from year one to year two. But, McKnight is doing it at a record pace. Billy Williams holds the Clemson standard for scoring average improvement for a junior college transfer from his first year to his second. Williams average went from 5.6 a game in 1977-78 to 13.4 in 1978-79, a 7.6 points per game improvement. He went on to average 17.6 points a game and earn first-team All-ACC honors in 1979-80. McKnight stands at a +9.7 points per game improvement this year over last season, so he is ahead of Williams improvement rate. The improvement would be the fifth best in Clemson history if the season ended today.

The overall Clemson record for improvement in scoring from one season to another is held by Will Solomon, who improved by 14.6 points a game from his freshman year to his sophomore year. That is an ACC record.

Jamar McKnight Improvement ChartCategory        2000-01 2001-02Points/Game     3.4     13.1Rebounds/Game   1.3     4.2Field goal %    .429    .4833Pt FGs/Game    0.45    1.723pt Goal %      .391    .398Minutes/Game    9.4     25.4

Clemson’s Top Scoring Improvements in Consecutive Seasons Player First Year Second Year Imp Will Solomon 99-98 (6.3) 99-00 (20.9) +14.6 Bill Yarborough 53-54 (15.7) 54-55 (28.3) +12.6 Earle Maxwell 58-59 (3.2) 59-60 (13.8) +10.6 Michael Tait 85-86 (2.5) 86-87 (12.9) +10.4 Elden Campbell 86-87 (8.8) 87-88 (18.8) +10.0 Glenn Corbit 83-84 (1.8) 84-85 (11.7) +9.9 Jamar McKnight 00-01 (3.4) 01-02 (13.1) +9.7 Trip Jones 66-67 (0.8) 67-68 (10.0) +9.2 David Brown 74-75 (2.9) 75-76 (11.6) +8.7 Larry Nance 77-78 (3.1) 78-79 (11.1) +8.0

Clemson In February Clemson finished the month of January with a 2-6 record, victories over Georgia Tech and Virginia on Jan. 5 and 8, respectively. Having a losing record in the month of January is nothing new for Clemson. Historically it has been a difficult month for the Clemson program. Dating to the beginning of the ACC in 1953-54, Clemson has had a winning record in January just 13 of 49 seasons. This year marks the fifth straight year Clemson has won just two games or fewer in the month.

Clemson is just 7-33 over the last five years in January, including this year. That includes a 2-6 record in January 1998, a year Clemson went on to make the NCAA Tournament. Clemson has had a better record in February than January each of the last four years. Larry Shyatt hopes the trend continues this year.

The same holds true when comparing the first half of the ACC schedule to the second half. This year the end of the first half coincides with the change from January to February. Over the last four years Clemson is 6-26 in games played in the first half of the ACC schedule, but 12-20 in the second half of the league schedule. In other words Clemson has a winning percentage 100 percent better in the second half than the first half.

Clemson has had an improved or at least the same record in the second half as compared to the first half 35 of the previous 48 seasons. Clemson has had at least the same record in the second half as compared to the first half in each of the last four years and 10 of the last 12.

Three-Point Shooting Has Been Important Three-point shooting has become more and more important in basketball at all levels. Each of the top nine three-point shooting teams in the NBA were the top nine teams in terms of winning percentage entering last week’s play.

North Carolina made 11 three-point goals in its win over Clemson on Jan. 26, while the Tigers made just five. The six made field goals from three-point range equaled the scoring difference in the game. The same was true in the Duke game on Feb. 2 as the Blue Devils made 11 three-point goals to just six for the Tigers, a 15-point difference, a key to the 10-point Duke victory. That was again the case against Georgia Tech, who had 11 three-point goals to just four for the Tigers and the 21-point difference in made three-point goal points nearly equaled the final margin (74-50). N.C. State made 12 threes compared to just one for Clemson last Sunday. For the 14 ACC games, the opposition has made 52 more three point goals than Clemson, 156 additional points.

When Clemson defeated Virginia earlier this year the Cavs made just 2-25 three-point goals compared to 8-19 for the Tigers. When Wake Forest defeated Clemson in Winston-Salem the Deacs made 9-20, while Clemson was just 3-12. When N.C. State downed Clemson in Littlejohn the Wolfpack made 15-31 threes compared to 5-12 for Clemson. Clemson made 15-28 threes at Maryland, a big reason Clemson was in the game the entire time at College Park.

The team with the higher three-point goal percentage has won 11 of the last 14 Clemson games. One of the exceptions was the recent Wake Forest game when Wake Forest hit 19-42 three-point goals for 45.2 percent, yet lost to the Tigers. Clemson did make 9-20 three-point goals in that game.

Christie and Buckner Return to School Former Tigers Tony Christie and Greg Buckner are both pursuing their degrees from Clemson. Christie, who played for the Tigers from 1995-99, is the brother of current freshman Chey Christie. Tony was a member of three NCAA Tournament teams and an NIT finalist. He played this past fall with the Greenville team in the NBA’s development league. He enrolled in the second semester at Clemson and is anticipating a graduation in August.

Buckner, who has started half the games this year with Dallas and is shooting over 50 percent from the field, played for the Tigers from 1994-98. He was back at Clemson this past summer and will return at the conclusion of the NBA season to finish his degree.

Both Buckner and Christie had big contributions to wins over North Carolina in their careers. Buckner made the most famous dunk in Clemson history in the 1996 ACC Tournament when he dunked with six seconds left to give Clemson a 75-73 victory. It is Clemson’s only ACC Tournament win over the Tar Heels. Christie scored 15 points in Clemson’s 15-point win over a ninth ranked North Carolina team in 1998-99, his senior season.

Scott Second in Nation in Assists Clemson guard Edward Scott was second in the nation in assists through games of Feb. 18. A new ranking is issued every Tuesday afternoon. Scott now averages 8.1 assists per game, thanks in part to his 16-assist performance against Wake Forest on Feb. 13. That is the high mark in the ACC this year. He added 30 points in that game, becoming just the second player in ACC history to have a 30-point, 15-assist game. Kenny Anderson of Georgia Tech had 32 points and 18 assists against Pittsburgh in 1989-90. Scott had 8.1 average through games of Feb. 12, second only to Texas guard T.J. Ford.

Scott has had at least eight assists in eight of the last 10 games, including 13 against N.C. State on Jan. 15. He is on pace to set a Clemson single season record. Grayson Marshall averaged 7.71 per game in 1985-86 and that is the record for the course of an entire season. Grayson Marshall is the only Clemson player to rank in the top 25 in the nation in assists over the course of a season. Marshall was 20th as a freshman, 13th as a sophomore and 16th as a junior (1984-85 through 1986-87). Scott leads the ACC in assists per game, just ahead of Steve Blake of Maryland. Clemson player has ever led the ACC in assists over the course of the season.

NCAA Assist Leaders (Through Feb. 18, 2002) Player School GP Ast /G T.J. Ford Texas 24 211 8.8 Edward Scott Clemson 26 210 8.1 Steve Blake Maryland 24 184 7.7 Matt Montague BYU 24 179 7.5 Sean Kennedy Marist 25 185 7.4 Chris Thomas Notre Dame 25 180 7.2 Reggie Kohn S. Florida 25 176 7.0 Guilheme DaLuz Furman 26 183 7.0 Brandin Knight Pittsburgh 26 177 6.8 Brandon Pardon Bowling Green 25 170 6.8

Scott Moves to Fourth on Clemson Assist List Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had five assists against N.C. State on Feb. 16 and moved into fourth place on the Clemson all-time assist list. He now has 411 for his career, ahead of Bobby Conrad, who had 401 between 1976-80.

Scott has seven games of double figures in assists and 16 with eight or more this year, including eight of the last 10. That includes the win over Wake Forest when he had a career-high 16 assists. That set a Clemson record for an ACC game and ranked in a tie for third best in Clemson history for a single game. It was the high total by a Tiger since the 1985-86 season when Grayson Marshall had a record 20 assists against Maryland-Eastern Shore.

Scott has been improved in a number of areas this year, including scoring. He has averaged 10.8 points a game this year and has had four 20-point scoring nights, the first four of his career. He recently netted 20 points, including a career high five three-point goals, in a loss at #3 Maryland, then had 20 on 10 field goals against #1 Duke two weeks later. His top game was against Wake Forest when he had 30 points and 16 assists.

“Edward Scott was terrific,” said Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He really did a good job pushing the ball up. Obviously (Tony) Stockman made a lot of shots, but I really admire what Scott did tonight.”

Scott has had more turnovers than assists in just two games all season and has had more assists than turnovers in all 14 ACC games. He has done that in 14 straight games overall.

Scott had 25 points on 8-12 shooting in the win over LaSalle in The Virgin Islands in the second game of the year, and had 21 points and 11 assists in a victory over Elon. That was the first time since the 1998-99 season that any Clemson player had 20 points and double figures in assists in the same game. He had 17 against Virginia on January 8, his career high against an ACC opponent.

And, Scott’s rebound average of 4.8 this year is ahead of his career 3.8 figure. In fact, his 4.8 rebounds per game is the best for a Clemson point guard since Doug Hoffman had a 6.0 average as the point guard in 1957-58. Scott had 10 rebounds in the loss to Yale, his career high. He had an unusual double-double in that game with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but just one point.

Seven times this year Scott has had at least six rebounds, assists and points in the same game, including the Maryland game of Jan. 20 when he had 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.

Clemson Career Leaders in Assists/GameRk.     Name            Yrs     Years   Ast     GP      A/G1.      Grayson Marshall 4      1984-88 857     122     7.022.      Chris Whitney   2       1991-93 354     58      6.103.      Marion Cash     2       1988-90 335     64      5.234.      Edward Scott    3       1999-02 411     81      5.085.      Terrell McIntyre 4      1995-99 577     126     4.586.      Derrick Johnson 4       1975-79 476     111     4.297.      Lou Richie      2       1992-94 239     57      4.198.      Chris Dodds     3       1979-82 325     83      3.929.      Mike Eppley     4       1980-84 268     69      3.8810.     David Young     4       1988-92 330     97      3.40

Clemson Career Leaders in Total Assists Rk. Name Yrs Years GP A/G Ast 1. Grayson Marshall 4 1984-88 122 7.02 857 2. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 4.58 577 3. Derrick Johnson 4 1975-79 111 4.29 476 4. Edward Scott 3 1999-02 81 5.08 411 5. Bobby Conrad 4 1076-80 116 3.47 402 6. Marc Campbell 4 1980-84 106 3.43 364 7. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 6.10 354 8. Vincent Hamilton 5 1980-85 116 2.91 337 9. Marion Cash 2 1988-90 64 6.23 335

Scott Has had 20 Points, Double Figure Assists Twice Clemson guard Edward Scott has had two games this year in which he has had at least 20 points and double figures in assists. That is a rare occurrence. In fact, he joins Chris Whitney and Terry McIntyre as the only other players in Clemson history to do it. Whitney was the first Clemson player to do it in March of 1993 in the ACC tournament when he had 20 points and 10 assists against Florida State in the ACC Tournament. McIntyre did it three times in 1998-99, then Scott did it twice this year.

Scott had 21 points and 11 assists in a win over Elon in December, then had the incredible 30 points and 16 assists in the 118-115 win over Wake Forest this past Feb. 13. Clemson is now 5-1 in games it has had a player record at least 20 points and double figures in assists in the same game.

Scott became just the second ACC player in history have have at least 30 points and 15 assists in the same game when he had the 30/16 game against Wake Forest. Kenny Anderson of Georgia Tech had 32 points and 18 assists (plust 12 rebounds) in a win over Pittsburgh on December 28, 1989.

Clemson Players 20 points, 10 assists in Same GamePlayer                  Opponent        Date            Pts     AstChris Whitney           Florida St.     3-12-1993       20      10Terrell McIntyre        Georgia Tech    2-28-1999       22      10Terrell McIntyre        Florida State   3-4-1999        28      10Terrell McIntyre        Butler          3-18-1999       21      11Edward Scott            Elon            12-15-2001      21      11Edward Scott            Wake Forest     2-13-2002       30      16

Clemson 68, #5 Virginia 52 Jan. 8 at Littlejohn Coliseum Jamar McKnight and Edward Scott combined for 42 points, including 26 in the second half, to lead Clemson to a 68-52 victory over fifth-ranked (USA Today) Virginia on Jan. 8 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was Clemson’s first win over the Cavaliers since the 1998-99 season, Larry Shyatt first year as Clemson head coach. It was also the highest ranked Virginia team Clemson has defeated in history. McKnight scored a career-high 25 points in the contest. He scored nine field goals for the second straight game, including three three-point shots. The only senior on the Clemson team had 18 points in the second half, including six of Clemson’s final 10 points. It was his second consecutive 20-point scoring game.

Scott scored 17 points, his high point total in an ACC game to that point in his career. He scored 7-13 from the field, including 3-4 on three-point shots. All three of the three-point goals were near the 25-foot range.

Tony Stockman added 10 points and four assists, while Ray Henderson had eight points and nine rebounds. Clemson shot 42.1 percent from the three-point arc to raise its record to 5-0 in 2001-02 when shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range. The Tigers employed a match-up zone the entire game and Virginia made just 2-25 three-point shots against that defense. Virginia came into the game shooting 38.8 percent on three-point shots, best in the ACC.

Roger Mason, Jr. was the only Cavalier to score in double figures as he contributed 19 points. Travis Watson, who came into the game averaging a double-double, had just six points and six rebounds. Both teams struggled offensively at the outset. The Tigers made just 1 for their first 12 shots from the field, while Virginia was just 6 for their first 18. Clemson held a seven-point lead at 19-12 at the 9:35 mark on a three-point goal by Stockman. Virginia came back to tie the contest at 25 on a free throw by Keith Jennifer at the 1:20 mark. Clemson led at intermission, 27-25 on a field goal by Scott with 1:05 left.

Mason scored four of the six Virginia field goals over the first nine minutes of the half. Clemson had a 44-38 lead with 11 minutes left. But, Clemson then went on a 14-3 run from the 10:35 mark to the 6:53 mark and had a 58-41 lead on a three-point goal by McKnight. Virginia never got closer than 15 points the remainder of the night.

Clemson Has Balanced Team Clemson has a much more balanced team offensively than it has had in each of the last two years. The previous two seasons Will Solomon averaged around 20 points per game. The Tigers had just one other double figure scorer in each of those seasons. A year ago Solomon scored 26 percent of Clemson’s points. In 1999-00, he scored 32 percent.

Clemson has four players averaging in double figures and five players averaging over 8.4 points per game this year. No Clemson team has had four players average in double figures over the course of the season since 1965-66.

The balance has continued in ACC play as four players have scored in double figures on a per game basis in the conference games. Jamar McKnight leads the way in league games with a 14.8 average, while Tony Stockman is at 13.2 and Chris Hobbs stands at 12.6. Clemson has four players averaging at least 12.1 a game in conference play. Clemson averages 74 points a game in ACC games and 74.4 in overall games.

Tigers Won Consecutive ACC Games Jan. 5-8 Clemson won consecutive ACC games against Georgia Tech (83-76) and Virginia (68-52) in January. This was the first time since the 1998-99 season that Clemson won consecutive ACC contests. Clemson defeated Florida State (78-45) and Virginia (88-65) in consecutive games Feb. 14-17 that year.

In case you were wondering, the Clemson record for consecutive wins over ACC teams is seven, set in 1966-67 season. The Tigers won seven straight against ACC teams from Feb. 4, 1967 through Feb. 25, 1967. Virginia broke the streak on Feb. 27 in a “Senior Night” game at Fike Fieldhouse, 73-71. Clemson finished with a 17-8 record that year, but was not invited to postseason play. In those days only the ACC Tournament champion could go to the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson on the ACC Road Clemson returns to the ACC road Feb. 27 when it travels to North Carolina for its final road game of the year. Overall, Clemson has had just 58 ACC road wins in the 49 years of the league. Clemson is now 58-265 in its history in ACC road games, a winning percentage of 18 percent. That includes the win at Georgia Tech in early January. Clemson has won two or less ACC road games in 10 of the last 11 years and 42 of the previous 48 seasons. Clemson has had a winning record on the road in the ACC just twice in history, 1976-77, when Clemson was 4-2 with center Tree Rollins, and 1986-87 when Clemson was 5-2 with center Horace Grant.

Bruise Brothers Leading Inside Game Clemson frontcourt players Ray Henderson and Chris Hobbs have been a strong duo on the inside this year. They combined for 23 points and 22 rebounds against third-ranked Maryland on Jan. 20. They had 32 points and 24 rebounds in the double overtime win over Wake Forest. They were especially outstanding in overtime. Henderson had eight points and six rebounds in overtime, while Hobbs had 10 points and three rebounds in the extra 10 minutes.

Hobbs ranks second on the team in scoring with a 12.2 average, while Henderson is fifth on the team with an 8.4 average. They are the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson has an 8.9 rebounding average and Hobbs is at 6.1 per game. Henderson is second in the ACC in rebounds per game. Both are shooting at least 55 percent from the field.

Both had a strong impact on Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech. Hobbs had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Henderson added nine points and six rebounds. Collectively, they shot 13-21 from the field and pulled in 16 rebounds to go with 34 points.

Both have double-double potential. Henderson already has eight double-doubles this year, more than he had all of last year and second best among ACC players. Hobbs has three double-doubles, including the win over Georgia Tech and the win at Penn State. He had a monster game against Wake Forest on Feb. 13 with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Henderson and Hobbs, both from the state of North Carolina, are the major reason Clemson is out-rebounding the opposition by 6.2 rebounds per game.

With both players at roughly the same size, 6-7 and 255 pounds, Coach Larry Shyatt has begun to call them the'”Bruise Brothers” when he refers to Hobbs and Henderson in interviews. They are reminding some of a powerful frontcourt duo that led the Tigers to the ACC regular season championship in 1989-90.

That year, Elden Campbell and Dale Davis both were named first-team All-ACC, the only year in school history Clemson has had two first-team selections. Campbell and Davis combined for 30.7 points and 19.3 rebounds per game on Clemson’s 24-8 squad that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

Campbell and Davis were known as the “Duo of Doom” as the 6-11 frontcourt players struck fear in opposing players who drove the lane against them. Both are still in the NBA 12 years later. Campbell is the starting center for the Charlotte Hornets, while Davis is the starting center for the Portland Trailblazers.

Below is a comparison between Davis-Campbell and Hobbs-Henderson. It looks at the year 1988-89 for Campbell and Davis, the year they were juniors and sophomores, respectively, the same class and level of experience for Henderson and Hobbs. Campbell and Davis scored at a higher rate, but Hobbs and Henderson are holding their own in terms of rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, despite playing fewer minutes.

Bruise Brothers vs. Duo of DoomCategory        1988-89 2001-02        Campbell-Davis  Hobbs-HendersonPoints/Game     30.8    20.6Rebounds/Game   16.6    15.0Field Goal %    .594    .558Free Throw %    .666    .660Minutes/Game    51.7    49.5

Stockman Second in Three-Point Goals/Game Clemson sophomore Tony Stockman is now second in Clemson history on a per game basis in three-point goals per game and fifth in overall three-point goals. He made five in the 10-point loss to Duke recently and connected on six at Maryland and at Florida State. Stockman now has 143 three-point goals for his career, fifth in school history. He needs four against Florida State to move ahead of Andrius Jurkunas for fourth place. Remember he is just a sophomore.

It took him just 43 games to reach 100 three-point goals, second fastest in Clemson history behind Chris Whitney. Of course, Whitney was a junior college transfer, so Stockman is the first to reach 100 as a sophomore just 43 games into his career.

Stockman now has 143 three-point goals in just 56 games, an average of 2.55 per game. That is second best in Clemson history on a per-game average, behind Whitney’s 2.88 per game achieved between 1991-93. Whitney had 167 threes in 58 career games. He is now a starting guard with Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards. Stockman is making threes at a higher rate than former teammate and Will Solomon, Terrell McIntrye.

Stockman had a career game against Wake Forest on Feb. 13 with 30 points, six assists and no turnovers in 43 minutes. It was the most minutes played in Clemson history for a player who did not have a turnover.

Clemson Career Leaders in Three-Point Goals/GameRk      Name            Yrs     Years   Md      GP      3G/G1.      Chris Whitney   2       1991-93 167     58      2.882.      Tony Stockman   2       2000-02 143     56      2.553.      Will Solomon    3       1998-01 214     94      2.284.      Michael Tait    2       1985-87 70      31      2.265.      Terrell McIntyre 4      1995-99 259     126     2.066.      Marc Campbell   4       1980-84 37      19      1.957.      Anthony Jenkins 4       1982-87 91      47      1.948.      Jeff Brown      2       1992-94 82      55      1.499.      Bruce Martin    4       1991-95 129     88      1.4610.     David Young     4       1988-92 138     97      1.42

Clemson Career Leaders in Total Three-Point Goals Rk. Name Yrs Years GP Att 3Gls 1. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 696 259 2. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 94 585 214 3. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 404 167 4. Andrius Jurkunas 4 1995-00 115 414 146 5. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 56 386 143 6. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 138 7. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 88 336 129 8. Merl Code 4 1993-97 97 371 125 9. Andre Bovain 4 1990-94 108 326 107 10. Tony Christie 4 1995-99 115 315 106

Clemson Rebounding Second Best in School History Clemson has been strong on the glass this year. The Tigers have been out-rebounded just five times in 27 games this season. Clemson has a +5.8 rebound margin over the first 27 games, a figure that would be second in Clemson history.

The Clemson record for rebound margin over the course of a season is +8.2 per game, a mark established by Larry Shyatt first Clemson team (1998-99). That team ranked eighth in the nation in rebound margin. Harold Jamison led that club with a 9.9 figure, 18th best in the country. This year”s team has been in the top 25 all year and stands 25th through games of Fe. 18.

Ray Henderson has done his best to impersonate Jamison on this Clemson team. The junior from Charlotte has averaged 8.8 rebounds per game, second best in the ACC. He is a big reason Clemson is among the ACC leaders in rebounding. Henderson’s rebound stat is impressive considering he plays just 23 minutes per game. Jamison played 29 minutes a game when he averaged 9.9 rebounds per contest in 1998-99. Clemson had a 62-48 rebound margin in the win over Wake Forest. That tied for the most rebounds in a game by a Clemson team since 1970.

Clemson’s top Rebound Margin Seasons Year Mar 1998-99 +8.2 2001-02 +5.8 1975-76 +5.8 1985-86 +4.9 1984-85 +4.9 1974-75 +4.9 1989-90 +4.5 1996-97 +4.5

Clemson Downs Georgia Tech Jan. 5, 2002 at Atlanta, GA Jamar McKnight added 22 to lead Clemson to an 83-76 victory over Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Jan. 5, 2002. It was Clemson’s third win in Atlanta since the 1987-88 season (15 seasons) and broke a streak of nine consecutive ACC road losses for the Tigers.

Hobbs had a double-double as he added 10 rebounds to his point total. The 25 points tied his season high and his 10 rebounds tied a season high. He connected on 9-15 field goals in the contest. His only disappointing stat line was free throws, where he made just 7-13. McKnight was a perfect 5-5 on field goal attempts in the second half on the way to the second highest point total of his career. He also added a career-high eight rebounds in his productive 32 minutes.

Edward Scott added his second straight double-double with 12 points and 11 assists. He also added six rebounds as he continued to grab over five rebounds per game for the season. Tony Stockman scored 11 points and added five assists. Clemson starters scored 79 of the 83 points. Tony Akins led Tech with 20 points, while Marvin Lewis scored 19. Lewis made just 4-13 shots from the field.

Clemson shot 51 percent from the field and won the rebound battle, 43-35. Clemson also outscored Tech on fast break points 18-6, and won the second-chance points by a 15-8 margin.

The two teams went back and forth over the first half. Clemson had a 29-23 lead on a steal and dunk by freshman Olu Babalola. But, Tech went on a 9-0 run and held a 32-29 lead with 1:13 left on a jumper by Robert Brooks. The score was tied at 34 when Edward Scott hit a 25-foot three-pointer with four seconds left in the half, giving Clemson a 37-34 lead at intermission. His longest career made field goal ended a 0-18 slump from the field for Scott over three games. Scott’s shot seemed to give the Tigers momentum as it went into the locker room. Clemson went on a 14-6 run to open the second half to extend the advantage to double figures, 51-40 with 15:21 left. The margin grew to 14 points at 57-43 on a layup inside by Hobbs, who scored nine points in the first eight minutes of the second half. Tech closed the margin to three points at 70-67 with five minutes left, but that was as close as the Yellow Jackets could get. A three-point goal by Scott with 3:10 left gave Clemson a seven-point lead and the margin grew back to 10 points with 40 seconds left on a free throw by Ray Henderson. Tony Akins hit a three-point goal at the buzzer to bring the margin back to seven points.

Clemson Wins at Tech in Football and Basketball Clemson recorded victories at Georgia Tech in football and men’s basketball this academic year. This is the first time since 1986-87 and just the second year in history that Clemson has won in Atlanta in those two high profile sports in the same year. In 1986-87, Clemson won the football game by a 27-3 score, then won the basketball game behind Horace Grant and a late shot by Michael Tait, 67-66.

Earlier this year Clemson defeated Georgia Tech on the gridiron at Grant Field, 47-44 in overtime. At the end of the first half of that game, Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler scored on a 38-yard run on the last play of the half, giving Clemson momentum going into the locker room. Edward Scott recorded the basketball version of that play when he made a 25-foot three-point shot to end the first half of the basketball game on Jan. 5. Clemson went on to win the basketball game by a touchdown, 83-76.

Clemson 9-4 in Non-Conference Clemson concluded its non-conference portion of the schedule with a 9-4 record. Clemson began the season with a 2-1 record at the Paradise Jam in The Virgin Islands, victories over Morris Brown and La Salle and a two-point loss to Miami (FL). The Hurricanes won their first 14 games of the year and have been in the top 25 most of the season, and Clemson gave them their closest game, 67-65. The Tigers had possession underneath their own hoop with four seconds left and a chance to tie, but the shot missed.

Another highlight of the non-conference schedule was a 79-66 win at Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Clemson is now 2-1 in that event. Chris Hobbs led five Tigers in double figures. Clemson won the game without the services of Jamar McKnight, who were both nursing knee injuries. Clemson had a 46-22 rebound margin in that game, second best on school history on an opponent’s home court.

Clemson plays five of its first seven games away from home this year and already has won five of the first seven with the only losses coming at Duke and to Miami in The Virgin Islands. Clemson also must play five of its first seven ACC games on the road, the only school in the ACC that must do that this year. Clemson will have six of eight conference games at home between Jan. 27 and Feb. 23. The only two road games in that near month time period will be at Virginia (Feb. 10) and at N.C. State (Feb. 16).

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 Nov. 28 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 Nov. 24, the comeback from the 10-point halftime deficit to Penn State 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 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 finished with eight points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals after playing all 40 minutes. 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.

Clemson Overcomes Double-Digit Halftime Deficit Clemson overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to gain victory to beat both Wofford and Penn State. 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.

Clemson nearly overcame a double-digit halftime deficit against N.C. State on Jan. 15. Clemson trailed 44-33 at halftime before losing by just 80-79.

Clemson's Largest Halftime Deficits Overcome to Gain VictoryDate            Half    Site    Opponent        Final   Mar3-17-1990       27-43   N       LaSalle         79-75   -162-28-1970       43-56   H       Wake Forest     105-95  -1312-29-1973      31-44   A       Furman          73-67   -1312-30-2000      28-41   A       Co. Carolina    81-68   -132-1-1977        18-30   H       N.C. State      60-59   -1212-29-1978      28-40   N       Texas Tech      58-57   -1211-24-2001      34-45   H       Wofford         85-82   -1111-28-2001      34-44   A       Penn State      79-66   -10

Tony Stockman Rebounds in One Week After Surgery 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 and returned Nov. 30 against Coastal Carolina. It is believed to be the quickest comeback from a meniscus surgery by a Clemson football or men’s basketball player.

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 the morning of Friday, Nov. 23, 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 tied a career high with 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.

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 (pronounced: Val-dass Key-a-sus), a friend of his from Lithuania. Kiesus was kidnapped about a year ago. His body was found in mid-November. 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 The Virgin Islands Clemson opened with a 70-57 win over Morris Brown thanks to 23 points by Tony Stockman, who hit seven three pointers. Stockman was 7-13 from three-point range and 8-15 overall. He had six assists and had three steals with just one turnover in 32 minutes. Ray Henderson added 14 points.

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. 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.

McKnight and Chris Hobbs both scored 19 points, but it was not enough as Miami (FL) defeated Clemson 67-65 in the championship game. Clemson had possession of the ball with 4.5 seconds left, down two. But, two shots fell off the rim and the Hurricanes came away with their first ever win over the Tigers. McKnight had 17 of his career-high 19 points in the first half. It was his second straight double-figure scoring game.

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.

Paradise Jam All-Tourney Team Ricky Cottrill, Eastern Michigan Eric Bush, UAB Rasual Butler, La Salle Darius Rice, Miami (FL) Chris Hobbs, Clemson MVP: John Salmons, Miami (FL)

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.”

Hendrix Withdraws from Clemson Clemson forward Jemere Hendrix has decided to withdraw from school and return home for family reasons. Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt made the announcement Feb. 4.

Hendrix suffered a stress fracture of his right foot earlier in the season and had not played since Jan. 12. It was recently determined that he would miss the rest of the season due to the injury.

This past weekend he decided to withdraw from school and return home. He plans on attending a different school next year. “I have decided to leave Clemson for family reasons,” said Hendrix. “I enjoyed my time at Clemson. I appreciate the opportunity Coach Shyatt gave me, but this decision is what is best for me and my family at this time.” “Jemere’s injury caused some frustration the last few weeks,” said Shyatt. “We will help him any way we can to have a successful future.” Hendrix played 43 minutes in eight games this season. He was 5-7 from the field and 9-14 from the foul line for 19 points in his limited action. He also pulled in 12 rebounds, including seven off the offensive boards. He had a season high nine points in 10 minutes of play against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30. He scored five points and had three rebounds in four minutes of action at Wake Forest on Jan. 12 in his most recent action.

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.

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. He had 25 points and 16 rebounds on 12-16 shooting in a win over Milwaukee on Nov. 30.

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 recently had a 26-point and 13-rebound performance for the Hornets.

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, and is the starting point guard on Michael Jordan’s Wizard team. Buckner was injured much of this year, but returned with an 18-point performance against the Knicks in late December. He has been in the starting lineup of late.

Harold Jamison is a sixth former Tiger in the NBA. A rookie with the Miami Heat two years ago, he was activated by the Los Angles Clippers, and had played in four games through January 3. Will Solomon, Clemson’s leading scorer last year with a 19.7 average, is averaging 10 minutes per game with Memphis. He recently had a career-high 23 points against Orlando in 38 minutes on Jan. 19.

Tigers in the NBA in 2001-02(Stats as of Feb. 17, 2002)Player               Team            GP      Min     PPG     Reb     FG%     FT%Greg Buckner    Dallas          22      20.7    6.0     4.0     .519    .654Elden Campbell  Charlotte       51      30.0    15.1    7.5     .495    .784Dale Davis      Portland        49      30.6    9.7     8.9     .541    .714Horace Grant    Orlando         48      28.8    8.0     6.3     .511    .722Will Solomon    Memphis         38      11.2    4.3     1.1     .333    .643Chris Whitney   Washington      50      26.5    9.8     *3.4    .400    .906Harold Jamison  LA Clippers     11      5.0     1.1     1.1     .429    .000*Denotes Assist average

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.

Clemson Tigers Sports Properties Affiliates Station Location On the Dial WAJY Aiken 102.7 FM WBAW Barnwell 99.1 FM WCAM Camden 1590 AM WPUB Camden 102.7 FM WSC Charleston 730 AM WCCP Clemson 104.9 FM WZMJ Columbia 93.1 FM WJMX Florence 970 AM WAGI Gaffney 105.3 FM WGTN Georgetown 1400 AM WCRS Greenwood 94.1 FM WBHC Hampton 92.1 FM WWKT Kingstree 99.3 FM WLSC Loris/Myrtle Beach 1240 AM WRNN Myrtle Beach 99.5 FM WIGL Orangeburg 102.9 FM WRHI Rock Hill 1340 AM WIBZ Sumter 95.5 FM WGOG Walhalla 96.3 FM WLXN Lexington, NC 1440 AM