Monday 02/04/2002
Game 23: Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2002 7:00 PM (EST) Littlejohn Coliseum (11,020) Clemson, SC
TV: None
Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports PropertiesPlay By Play: Jim Phillips* Color Analyst: Tim Bourret
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500th Game in Littlejohn Coliseum Wednesday Night Wednesday evening’s game with Georgia Tech will be the 500 Clemson men’s basketball game in the history of Littlejohn Coliseum. Ironically, Clemson faced Georgia Tech in the first game in the history of the facility on Nov. 30, 1968, a 76-72 Clemson victory. This is the 34th season of the facility, as it was first used for the 1968-69 season. The second game in the history of the facility featured an LSU team that defeated Clemson, 86-85. Pete Maravich, who grew up in Clemson, was the star player for LSU in that game. Maravich scored 38 points in the LSU victory.
Here are some facts about Littlejohn Coliseum through 499 games:Clemson Record: 362-137Record in ACC Games: 124-109Non-conference Record: 238-28Clemson Wins over Top 25 Teams: 46Clemson Wins over Top 10 Teams: 20
First basket: On Nov. 30, 1968, a jumper by Dave Thomas of Clemson at the 18:37 mark of the first half against Georgia Tech. Named in Honor of: J.C. Littlejohn, a long time Clemson University employee who form many years served as the school’s business manager. Record Crowd: 13,863 on Jan. 9, 1980 for a Clemson vs. Duke game. Duke was ranked #1 that night and Clemson pulled off an 87-82 upset in overtime.
Longest Clemson Winning Streak: 29 from Jan. 7, 1989 until a Dec. 15, 1991 loss to UNC-Charlotte.
Longest Shot by Clemson Player: Halfcourt by Walker Holt vs. Appalachian State, Jan. 19, 2000
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech Series
Clemson and Georgia Tech are tied in the all-time series at49-49. Clemson broke a three-game losing streak with an 83-76 winin Atlanta on Jan. 5, 2002. Tech swept Clemson last year, the firsttime Tech swept the Tigers since 1985-86. A win on Wednesday wouldgive Clemson its first sweep over Tech since the 1996-97 season.Clemson has a 33-12 lead in games played at Clemson and a 24-5margin in games in Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson has won 13 of thelast 15 between the two teams played at Clemson, but Tech defeatedClemson at Clemson last year, 111-108. Tech had not downed Clemsonat Clemson since the 1992-93 season when Tech ruined ChrisWhitney’s “Senior Day” game by a 66-59 score. Clemson won inAtlanta earlier this year, but this has been a home-team series,perhaps the most home-team-dominated series in the ACC the last 16years. The home team has won 25 of the last 30 meetings. Two of theroad wins in the series came in the same year. In 1992-93, Clemsonwon at Tech, 83-80, then lost at home, 66-59. Prior to 2000-01, thelast win for the road team in the series took place in 1996-97 whenClemson won in Atlanta, 55-53. Clemson’s only sweep in the seriessince 1987 took place in 1996-97, Clemson’s Sweet 16 NCAATournament season. Clemson won 55-53 in Atlanta that year. Clemsonhas just four wins at Georgia Tech in the last 18 years, includingthe victor earlier this year. The 55-53 win in 1996-97, the 83-80win in 1992-93 and the 67-66 win in 1986-87 are the others.Overall, Clemson is 16-35 in games played at Tech. There has been ahome team victory season split 12 times since 1982-83. Clemson won14 in a row in the series from 1971-72 to 1981-82. The series datesto the 1912-13 season, the second year in Clemson basketballhistory. That year, ironically, Clemson won at Tech, 26-22, butlost at Clemson 29-13. That was the first home loss in Clemsonhistory after four straight home wins.
Earlier This SeasonClemson Downs Georgia Tech Jan. 5, 2002 at Atlanta, GA Chris Hobbs scored 25 points and 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 an 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.
Last Year vs. Tech at LittlejohnGeorgia Tech 111, Clemson 108 Jan. 24, 2000 at Clemson, SC Will Solomon scored 41 points, the sixth highest single game and just the seventh 40-point scoring game in school history, but it was not enough as Georgia Tech outlasted Clemson 111-108 on Jan. 24, 2000 at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson was playing without starting center Adam Allenspach, who missed his second straight game with a back ailment, and starting point guard Edward Scott, who missed the game with a case of the flu. Alvin Jones had perhaps his finest all-around game at Tech as the senior had 26 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 30 minutes. Jones, a 61.5 percent free throw shooter entering the game, made 14-19 from the foul line. He was supported by Shaun Fein, who made 7-9 three-point shots and scored 23 points in just 25 minutes. Halston Lane scored 17 points in just 21 minutes off the bench to provide support.
Both teams shot over 50 percent from the field overall and from three-point land. Both teams scored at least 50 points in each half. Tech made 17-31 three-point shots, a school record for three-point goals in a game, while Clemson made 14-28, the third most made three-point goals in Clemson history. The Tigers made 34-42 from the foul line, including 14 in a row to open the game, and 81 percent for the contest. It was just the second time since 1969 that Clemson made 34 free throws, yet lost the game.
Tony Stockman supported Solomon with 20 points and six assists. He scored 18 points in the second half. Pasha Bains scored 12 points, all in the second half, on a perfect 4-4 shooting night. Starting center Ray Henderson added 12 points, including a career best 6-6 from the foul line.
Both teams scored in bunches. Tech scored 36 points in the first 10 minutes and had a 14-point lead. It was a 16-point lead at 48-32 at the 6:12 mark on a three-point shot by Lane. Tech made 13 of 20 three-point goals in the first half alone, but the Tigers scored 23 points in the last 7:21 to get within six at intermission. Solomon scored 26 points in the first half for the Tigers, but he could not counteract the three-point shooting by Tech. The Yellow Jackets had five different players make at least two three-point goals in the first half alone.
Clemson again fell behind by 16 in the second half, first at 92-76, then by a 97-81 score with 6:49 left. But, Clemson scored 27 points in the last 6:42 of the game. A Pasha Bains three-point goal with 1:23 left cut the margin to 105-104. It was 110-108 with 25 seconds left when Clemson got the ball back with a chance to tie, but Will Solomon’s jumper missed. Solomon had a three-pointer to tie with five seconds left, but the shot missed and Tech held on.
Clemson saw both of its top big men, Chris Hobbs, foul out, but Clemson still won the rebound battle, 36-27. Tech scored 111 points, but starting point guard Tony Akins did not score before he fouled out. The 108 points were the most by the Tigers in the Larry Shyatt era, the most by any Clemson team since the Tigers scored 120 in a 120-103 win over Charleston Southern in 1993-94. That is the only game in Clemson history in which more points were scored by both teams combined.
Last Time Out#1 Duke 98, Clemson 88 Feb. 2, 2000 at Littlejohn Coliseum 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. Chris Duhon scored 15 and Dahntay Jones added 16. 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. Edward Scott and 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.
Clemson scored 10 points in the last 1:31, but it was not enough as Duke gained the 10-point victory, its 20th win of the season.
Clemson Has Played Well vs. Duke and Maryland Clemson has lost six in a row and has an 11-11 record, but the Tigers have played well against top five teams so far this season. In four games against top five teams the Tigers are 1-3. The three losses have been by an average of 11.7 points per game. The Tigers defeated a fifth ranked Virginia team by 16 points at home on Jan. 8. Clemson has already faced #1 ranked Duke twice this year and lost by 16 in Durham and by 10 at Clemson. Clemson lost by nine at #3 Maryland on Jan. 20.
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 4.4 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 48 percent from the field and a team best 41 percent from three-point range. He has led Clemson in scoring in four of the last seven games and has scored in double figures nine straight games.
Last year, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds all year in 20 games. This year he has 262 points and 87 rebounds in 20 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.
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 13.2 in 1978-79, a 7.6 points per game improvement. He went on to average 17.6 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 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 4.4Field goal % .429 .4803Pt FGs/Game 0.45 1.793pt Goal % .391 .407Minutes/Game 9.4 24.7
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 (13.2) +9.8 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 Enters 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 this week’s play.
North Carolina made 11 three-point goals in its win over Clemson last Sunday, 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.
When Clemson defeated Virginia 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 seven of the last eight Clemson games. Clemson is last in the ACC in three-point shooting, hitting just .316 for the season.
Clemson Schedule Notes Clemson has lost six in a row since a 16-point win over Virginia on Jan. 8… Clemson had not lost consecutive games over the first 17 games of the season, now has lost six in a row… Clemson began the season with five of its first seven ACC games on the road, the only ACC team that has that kind of a schedule… it is the first time Clemson has played five of its first league games on the road since 1987-88… still, Clemson’s 2-6 league record is its best in the first half of the schedule since 1997-98 when Clemson was 3-5 for the first half of the schedule… Clemson had been 1-7 in the first half each of the last three years… the North Carolina game began a stretch of six games at home in an eight-game period… Clemson has just three ACC road games left, at Virginia (Feb. 10), at N.C. State (Feb. 16) and at North Carolina (Feb. 27)… Clemson has just one more ACC road game left during the week.
Clifton Has More Steals Than Turnovers Clemson reserve forward Dwon Clifton has struggled from the field of late, but he has contributed when it comes to defense and ball handling. Entering the Georgia Tech game, Clifton has 41 steals and just 40 turnovers for his 53-game career as a Clemson player. How rare is it to have more steals than turnovers? Only one other player in Clemson history who has played at least 15 games has more steals than turnovers in a career. Sean Tyson, who played for the Tigers from 1987-91, had 104 steals and just 97 turnovers for his 72-game career. The only other player who was close was Greg Buckner, who had 179 steals and 182 turnovers between 1994-98. Buckner is now with the Dallas Mavericks.
This year Clifton has 22 steals, third best on the team and just 16 turnovers. He has a 25/16 assist/turnover ratio for this year.
Character Building Return Trip from Florida State Clemson lost at Florida State 68-63 on Jan. 24. The loss was frustrating enough as Clemson held the lead for three-quarters of the game. But, the trip home might have been even more frustrating. The Clemson bus pulled up to the airport in Tallahassee at 10:45 PM and the plane that was to transport the Tigers back to Greenville was no where to be seen. A call inside the terminal revealed that the plane had left at 10:30 PM, bound for Greenville… without the Tigers. A phone call to the company headquarters revealed that the plans had been issued incorrectly. The company thought they were supposed to pick up the Clemson team in Greenville and bring them to Tallahassee on Thursday evening.
When the plane first arrived in Greenville at 11:30 the bus driver and air crew met and asked each other, “Where is the team?” When the error was discovered, the plane returned to Tallahassee and picked up the Clemson team at 1:30 AM. The team had been waiting at the Tallahassee airport since 10:45 PM. The plane arrived at Greenville at 2:30 AM. The team arrived at Littlejohn Coliseum at 3:30 AM and the Clemson players were back in their rooms a little before 4:00 AM. This is the second year in a row the Clemson team has had to “survive” a rough trip returning from a road game just prior to meeting North Carolina. Last year, after a loss at N.C. State, a game that had begun at 9:00 PM, the team actually boarded the plane in Raleigh, then was told it would have to bus to Clemson due to fog in Anderson and Greenville. The team left the airport in Raleigh at 12:45 PM and arrived back in Clemson at 5:30 AM. Clemson did not have a hangover from that trip, and upset the #1 ranked Tar Heels 75-65 the following Sunday.
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.
Clemson at Maryland Review Maryland 99, Clemson 90 Jan. 20, 2002 at Cole Fieldhouse Clemson placed all five starters in double figures and made a school record tying 15 three-point goals, yet lost to third-ranked Maryland in College Park, 99-90 on Jan. 20. Clemson also had a +10 rebound margin and blocked six shots defensively.
Tony Stockman led the Tigers with 22 points, including 6-13 on three-point goals. Edward Scott contributed 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in playing all 40 minutes. The scoring total was his top effort in an ACC game as a Clemson player.
Jamar McKnight scored 10 points in the game’s first five minutes and finished the game with 19. He also had six rebounds, added a career-high four assists and was 3-4 on three-point shooting. Ray Henderson added his eighth double-double of the season as he collected 11 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Chris Hobbs had 12 points and nine rebounds to round out Clemson’s double-digit scorers.
Maryland was led by Juan Dixon with 23 points, while Lonny Baxter added 21. Chris Wilcox was the top Terp overall with 17 points and a game high 14 rebounds. Drew Nicholas added 14 points and six assists off the bench. Steve Blake scored just three points, but had 13 assists in running the Maryland offense. Byron Mouton scored 14 points, including 4-6 on three-point goals. Mouton had made just seven three-point goals all year entering the game.
The contest was close throughout as there were 19 lead changes and 13 ties in the game, including 15 lead changes in the first half. Clemson made 7 of its first 8 shots from the field and led 24-23 at the 12:32 mark of the first half.
McKnight, Scott and Stockman connected on long-range jumpers, while Maryland scored from the inside. Tiger turnovers were a key in the first half as Maryland had a 19-1 lead in points off turnovers at intermission. It was a 52-48 lead for Maryland at intermission. Clemson made 11-16 three-point attempts in the first half, a school record for made three-point goals in a half.
Maryland pushed the lead to 11 points at 62-51 at the 16:07 mark of the second half and it appeared the Tigers were wilting. But, Clemson struck back and tied the score at 67 on a layup by Dwon Clifton. The score remained close the rest of the game. The contest was tied at 72, 74, and 80. Clemson took an 83-82 lead with 4:41 left on a layup by Chris Hobbs.
But, Maryland made some clutch three-point baskets down the stretch, one by Nicholas and one by Dixon and held a 93-86 lead with 1:49 left. Clemson cut the lead to six in the final minute, but could not get a stop and the Terps had a nine-point win.
Maryland’s ability to control the ball had a lot to do with its victory. The Terps had a 27-6 assist/turnover ratio for the night, fourth best ratio ever against the Tigers.
Clemson Starting Backcourt Had Pair of 20-Point Scorers Clemson got 20 points apiece from its starting backcourt of Tony Stockman (22) and Edward Scott (20) in the Maryland contest. It was the first time both have scored at least 20 in the same game. It was the first time Clemson’s starting backcourt has each scored 20 in the same game since last year’s Georgia Tech contest when Stockman had 20 and Will Solomon scored 41 in a 111-108 loss to the Yellow Jackets in Littlejohn Coliseum.
Both scored 20 in the loss to Duke on February 2 at Littlejohn Coliseum. Four times this year Clemson has had a pair of 20-point scorers. In the win over Georgia Tech on Jan. 5, Chris Hobbs tallied 25 and Jamar McKnight added 22, the only time this year the Clemson starting forwards scored at least 20 in the same game. The other occurrence came at Duke when Hobbs had 25 and Chey Christie scored 21 off the bench.
Jamar McKnight scored 19 points at Maryland, nearly giving Clemson three 20-point scorers in the same game. Each of the last two times Clemson has had three 20-point scorers in the same game the opponent was Florida State. In 1992-93 Clemson got 24 points from Sharone Wright, 23 from Devin Gray and 20 from Chris Whitney enabled Clemson to gain a 87-75 win in the ACC Tournament. Earlier that year at Tallahassee, Clemson also had three 20-point scorers in a loss to the Seminoles.
Tigers net 15 Three-point Goals at Maryland Three-point shooting had been a problem for Clemson much of the season, but that was not the case when Clemson played its final game ever in Cole Fieldhouse on Jan. 20. The Tigers tied a school record with 15 three-point goals in the 99-90 loss to Maryland. Clemson converted 15-28 from long range, a .565 mark.
Clemson entered the game having made just 5.3 three-point goals per game and had connected at a .303 clip, worst in the ACC. Clemson had made just 29 percent on the opponent’s home court. Clemson made 11 of 16 in the first half, a school record for made three-point goals in a half. The Tigers missed their last four three-point attempts when they were forcing threes in the final minute.
Edward Scott hit 5-8 and Jamar McKnight made 3-4 in the contest. Even Tomas Nagys made his first three-point goal of the year.
Clemson’s 15 three-point goals were the most by the Tigers since Larry Shyatt became head coach. It was the highest figure since Clemson made15 against Evansville in the 1993 Rainbow Classic. The Tigers also made 15 at Virginia in 1982-83, the year the ACC used a 17-9 three-point goal line. Clemson has now made 15 three-point goals in a game three times and lost all three.
Tiger Stats Outstanding Against N.C. State and Maryland Here are some facts and figures about Clemson in its two losses Jan. 15-20, losses to N.C. State (80-79) and at third-ranked Maryland (99-90).
Clemson had five players score in double figures in both games,yet lost both contests. Clemson had not lost a game under LarryShyatt when it had five players in double figures, now has lostconsecutive games in that situation. Clemson was +22 in terms ofrebound margin for the week. Clemson out-rebounded N.C. State by 12on Jan. 15, then out-rebounded the Terps by 10 on Sunday night.Clemson also has had more offensive rebounds than the opposition,26-23. Clemson shot 52 percent from the field over the two games,including 20-40 on three-point attempts. Five different playersaveraged at least 11 points a game over the last two contests,including a 20-point average for Tony Stockman and an 18.5 averagefor Jamar McKnight. Edward Scott had a 21/8 assist/turnover ratioover the last two contests. The Bruise Brothers, Chris Hobbs, shot19-31 from the field over the two games combined, .613. The duocombined for 50 points and 40 rebounds in the two games combined.
The Unusual Occurrences of Jan. 15 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, thehighest team field goal percentage by an ACC squad this year. Itwas just 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, the best single game field goal percentage by an ACC team this year. 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 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 40-5 all-time.
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 combined.
Ford Has Been Top Clemson Freshman Clemson reserve forward Sharrod Ford has been among Clemson’s most productive players this season. He has played 12.5 minutes per game, but still ranks in the top 13 in the ACC in blocked shots. He has 22 in the first 22 games in just 12.5 minutes per contest. Ford 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 almost 58 percent from the field and has pulled in 3.0 rebounds and scored 4.1 points per outing. 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.
Unlike most freshman, 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 6.1 points a game on the road and just 3.3 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.
Scott Second in Nation in Assists Clemson guard Edward Scott was second in the nation in assists through games of Jan. 28. A new ranking is issued every Tuesday afternoon. Scott had a 7.82 average through games of Jan. 28, second only to Texas guard T.J. Ford. Scott had 13 assists on Jan. 15 against N.C. State and eight against Maryland. Grayson Marshall averaged 7.71 per game in 1985-86 and that is the record for the course of an entire season. He has made eight assists in each of the last four games.
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. Delvon Arrington of Florida State is seventh, giving the ACC three of the top seven assist makers in the country. No Clemson player has ever led the ACC in assists over the course of the season.
Scott Moves to Fifth on Clemson Assist List Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had eight assists against Duke on Feb. 2 and moved into fifth place on the Clemson all-time assist list. He now has 368 for his career, good enough for fifth place as he recently moved ahead of Chris Whitney and Marc Campbell. His eight assists against North Carolina allowed him to jump ahead of Chris Whitney, who is now starting with the Washington Wizards.
Scott has six games of double figures in assists and 13 with eight or more this year. That includes the win at Georgia Tech when he had 11 assists to go with 12 points. He had 10 points and 13 assists against State for a double-double. It was his fifth double-double of the season. In his first two years he never had more than seven assists in a single game. He had a career-high 14 assists against Charleston Southern on Dec. 22, the most assists by a Tiger since Chris Whitney had 14 against Liberty on Dec. 5, 1992.
Scott has been improved in a number of areas this year, including scoring. He has averaged 10.4 points a game this year and has had three 20-point scoring nights, the first three 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.
“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 had 25 points on 8-12 shooting in the win over La Salle 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 Jan. 8, his career high against an ACC opponent.
Scott averages 7.9 points per game over his career, but has the 10.4 average this year. He has averaged 4.84 assists per game for his career, fourth best in school history.
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.
Six 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 1999-02 368 76 4.845. 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. Bobby Conrad 4 1076-80 116 3.47 402 5. Edward Scott 3 1999-02 76 4.84 368 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
Clemson Looks to Reach Last Year’s win Total Clemson will be looking to equal its victory total of all of last year with a triumph over Georgia Tech. Clemson has an 11-11 record and the Tigers won just 12 games all of last season. Clemson did not win its 12th game last year until the ACC Tournament, a victory over Florida State. Clemson has already equaled its regular season ACC victory total from last year. Clemson had two conference wins in the regular season last year, then won two of its first three this season.
Clemson Downs Fifth-Ranked Virginia 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 total in an ACC game 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 and is now 5-0 this season when shooting at least 40 percent from long range. The Tigers employed a matchup 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.
Everyone expected Virginia to finally start hitting some outside shots early in the second half, but it never happened. In fact, 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 Beaten a Ranked Team 16 Straight Years Clemson’s victory over fifth-ranked Virginia continued the school’s streak of consecutive years with at least one win over a top-25 team. Clemson has beaten at least one top-25 team every year since 1986-87, a streak of 16 consecutive years.
The victory over fifth-ranked Virginia was the highest ranked Cavalier team Clemson has beaten in history. It was the first Clemson win over a top-20 Virginia team since Jan. 19, 1980 when Clemson defeated the Cavs 88-68. Virginia was led by Ralph Sampson and Jeff Lamp that year. This was just the sixth time Clemson has beaten a top 25 Virginia team, its low total among ACC teams.
The win over Virginia was the 16th top-five victory in Clemson history, but just the fifth in the last 20 years. Larry Shyatt has now coached two of Clemson’s five top five wins since the 1981-82 season. The others are a win over #4 Duke to win the ACC regular season championship in 1990, a win over second-ranked North Carolina in 1994, Cliff Ellis’s final season, and a win over #3 Kentucky in Indianapolis to open the 1996-97 season. Larry Shyatt had a hand in that game also, as he was Rick Barnes’s associate head coach that year.
Shyatt Has Five Top-10 Wins Larry Shyatt now has four wins over top-25 teams since he has been at Clemson, and three of those are top 10 wins. He defeated a ninth-ranked North Carolina team in his first year, 78-63, a 21st-ranked N.C. State team in his second year, 59-42, and a number-one ranked North Carolina team, 75-65 last year. Combined with the 16-point win over Virginia, all of Shyatt’s top-25 wins have been by double digits and the average margin has been 14.5 points. Shyatt had two wins over top 10 teams when he was the head coach at Wyoming, victories over New Mexico and eventual national finalist Utah. That means Shyatt now has five top 10 wins in his five years as a head coach.
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 9.1 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 15.8 average, while Tony Stockman stands at 13.8.
Tigers Won Consecutive ACC Games 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 this week when it travels to Virginia for a game. Overall, Clemson has had just 58 ACC road wins in the 49 years of the league. Clemson is now 58-263 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.
Clemson Wins on the Road… in January Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech was a landmark victory for the Tigers. The 83-76 victory was Clemson’s second ACC road win in the last four years, the first since winning at N.C. State by a 66-63 score on Feb. 27, 2000.
It was the first Clemson ACC road win in the month of January since Jan. 15, 1997 when Clemson at 11th-ranked Maryland by a 67-63 score. That was Clemson’s third straight ACC road win that year, the last time Clemson has won three straight ACC road games. Clemson has struggled on the road historically, but especially in the month of January in recent years. Clemson had lost 16 straight January ACC road games prior to the Georgia Tech game. Clemson had been 6-44 in ACC road games in January dating to the 1987-88 season.
Each of the last two years Clemson has won an ACC road game in January it has gone on to win two. Clemson was 2-1 in ACC January road games in 1996-97, and 2-2 in 1994-95, Larry Shyatt first year with the program (as an assistant under Rick Barnes). Clemson had been shutout when it comes to ACC January road games nine of the last 11 years.
Bruise Brothers Leading Inside Game Clemson frontcourt players 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 January 20.
Hobbs ranks second on the team in scoring with a 12.0 average, while Henderson is fifth on the team with a 9.1 average. They are the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson has a 9.4 rebounding average and Hobbs is at 6.0 per game. Henderson is third in the ACC in rebounds per game. Both are shooting at least 54 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 two double-doubles, including the win over Georgia Tech and the win at Penn State. Henderson and Hobbs, both from the state of North Carolina, are the major reason Clemson is out-rebounding the opposition by 8.0 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 21.1Rebounds/Game 16.6 15.4Field Goal % .594 .558Free Throw % .666 .648Minutes/Game 51.7 48.8
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 is sixth 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 133 three-point goals for his career, sixth best in school history. He needs just six against Georgia Tech to move ahead of David Young, who played at Clemson from 1988-92.
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 133 three-point goals in just 51 games, an average of 2.61 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.
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 2000-02 133 51 2.613. 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. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 138 6. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 51 352 133 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 Near a Record Pace Clemson has been strong on the glass this year. The Tigers have been out-rebounded just twice in 22 games this season. Clemson has a +7.6 rebound margin over the first 21 games, a figure that would be second in Clemson history. Clemson was 19th in the nation in rebounding as a team through games of Jan. 28.
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.
Ray Henderson has done his best to impersonate Jamison on this Clemson team. The junior from Charlotte has averaged 9.4 rebounds per game, third 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. The only teams to beat Clemson on the boards over the first 20 games are South Carolina, who had a 46-37 advantage in rebounding and Wake Forest, who had a 56-48 advantage. Clemson has had a double-digit rebound margin advantage in 10 of its 22 games so far this year including the losses to N.C. State and Maryland.
Clemson’s top Rebound Margin Seasons Year Mar 1998-99 +8.2 2001-02 +7.6 1975-76 +5.8 1985-86 +4.9 1984-85 +4.9 1974-75 +4.9 1989-90 +4.5 1996-97 +4.5
Consecutive Wins by 30 Points Clemson had consecutive wins by 30 points or more heading into the Yale game. The Tigers were coming off an 82-45 win over Charleston Southern and a 78-48 win over Hartford. It marked the first time since the 1998-99 season that Clemson had consecutive wins by at least 30 points. That year, Larry Shyatt first at Clemson as head coach, Clemson defeated Kansas State by a 79-45 count, then defeated Radford 70-37 the very next game.
Since 1990, the only other time Clemson has had consecutive wins of 30 points or more took place in 1995-96 when Clemson defeated its first two opponents that year, UNC-Asheville and Appalachian State, by 42 and 36 points, respectively.
The last time Clemson won three in a row by 30 points or more was in the 1989-90 season. Clemson’s only ACC regular season championship team defeated Georgia State (117-59), Western Carolina (97-61) and Hofstra (91-58) in consecutive contests.
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).
Chey Christie Named ACC Rookie of the Week Clemson’s Chey Christie was tabbed as the ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 3) after averaging 15.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in the Tigers’ three games the previous week. The Hartford, CT, freshman scored a career-high 21 points at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the 96-80 loss at top-ranked Duke on Dec. 2. Earlier in the week, Christie was Clemson’s second-leading scorer with 16 points in the win over Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30, Christie tallied nine points with three assists and three steals.
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 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.”
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 Jan. 29, 2002)Player Team GP Min PPG Reb FG% FT%Greg Buckner Dallas 20 22.1 6.5 4.4 .514 .654Elden Campbell Charlotte 44 30.0 14.7 7.6 .488 .781Dale Davis Portland 41 30.0 9.6 8.4 .532 .695Horace Grant Orlando 44 28.8 8.1 6.4 .505 .721Will Solomon Memphis 30 11.0 4.4 0.7 .326 .625Chris Whitney Washington 42 26.4 9.5 *3.3 .394 .903Harold Jamison LA Clippers 4 5.0 1.5 0.8 .429 .000*Denotes Assist average
Clemson Tigers Sports Properties Clemson Men’sBasketball on Clemson Tiger Sports Properties can be heardthroughout South Carolina, as well as portions of North Carolinaand Georgia on a strong lineup of radio affiliates. Each CTSPbroadcast is also carried live on the Internet onClemsonTigers.com. CTSP begins coverage of each men’s basketballgame 30 minutes before tip-off with the Countdown to Tip-Off Show.There will be a half hour post game show featuring comments fromHead 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
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