Monday 11/15/1999
Nov. 15, 1999
Clemson junior Andrius Jurkunas showed improvement over the last 13 games of 1998-99. He scored in double figures in seven of those 13 games, including a 16-point effort against Georgia and a 14-point performance against Rutgers in the NIT. He averaged 10.6 points a game for the NIT, third on the team in that category. Jurkunas rebounding figures improved also as he had at least six rebounds in five of the last eight games. He had just three games of six rebounds in the first 27 games.
In the home win over Virginia on Feb. 17, Jurkunas played a solid game as he was a perfect 5-5 from the field (including 3-3 on threes). He finished the night with 13 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and no turnovers in 22 minutes.
Jurkunas is a red-shirt senior in 1999-2000 and is the leading returning scorer off his 7.6 average in 1998-99. He is also the team’s leading returnee in three-point goals with 51, in rebounding at 3.8, and in free throw percentage at .695. He started 24 of the 35 games last year and is the only returning starter in 1999-00. He shot 46 percent on three-point shots in ACC play last year, fourth best in the ACC for league games.
Clemson Puts 38-game Non-Conference Home Streak on line
Clemson finished its 1998-99 season 15-3 in non-conference games regardless of site. Illinois (at the BiLo Center in Greenville), Michigan (in the Maui Classic) and California in the NIT finals were the only non-conference teams to beat Clemson in 1998-99. The Tigers are now 60-13 the last five years in non-conference games including regular season and postseason.
Clemson was 9-0 in 1998-99 in non-conference home games in Littlejohn Coliseum and has a 38-game winning streak in non-ACC games in the Littlejohn dating to the 1993-94 season. South Carolina defeated Clemson in Littlejohn that year, but Clemson has won every non-conference home game at Littlejohn since then. The Gamecocks will get a chance to defeat Clemson in Littlejohn this year on December 16.
The Tigers are 73-3 in non-conference games in Littlejohn Coliseum in the 1990s with the only losses coming to South Carolina in 1993-94, and to UNC Charlotte and Temple during the 1990-91 season. The 1998-99 Clemson seniors were 29-0 in non-conference games at home and 50-10 in non-conference games regardless of site.
The Tigers are now 340-115 in Littlejohn Coliseum overall (ACC and non-conference), a .748 winning percentage. That includes a 222-20 mark in non-conference games, a .917 winning percentage over 31 years.
Clemson will play two home non-conference games this weekend to open the season, November 19 against East Tennessee State and November 21 against Wofford.
Jurkunas Needs 2 Threes to break former teammate’s Record
Clemson senior Andrius Jurkunas needs just two three-point goals in the season opener against East Tennessee State to become Clemson’s career leader in three-point goals by a forward. He has 105 for his career, just one behind the total of former teammate and roommate Senior Tony Christie.
Jurkunas had 51 three-point goals as a freshman and as a junior. Injury problems on 1996-97 gave him shooting problems all year and he made just 3-38 from long range. Christie finished his career with 106 three-point goals. Both played together at St. John’s at Prospect Hall in 1994-95.
Overall, Jurkunas is eighth in Clemson history in career three-point goals. If he makes 50 his senior year, he will rank third in Clemson history trailing only Terrell McIntyre and Chris Whitney, both point guards.
Clemson Career Three-Point Goal Leaders
Rk Name Yrs GP Att Gls 1. Terrell McIntyre 4 126 696 259 2. Chris Whitney 2 58 404 167 3. David Young 3 91 402 138 4. Bruce Martin 4 88 336 129 5. Merl Code 4 97 371 125 6. Andre Bovain 4 108 326 107 7. Tony Christie 4 115 315 106 8. Andrius Jurkunas 3 89 294 105 9. Anthony Jenkins 4 47 199 91
Jurkunas Over 100 Three-Point Goals
Clemson forward Andrius Jurkunas will have 105 career three-point goals when he enters his senior year in 1999-00. The native of Lithuania made 51 three-point goals in 1998-99, the exact same number he scored as a freshman in 1995-96. Jurkinas has now made 105 of 297 career three-point goals, a .357 accuracy mark. That includes a 3-38 shooting slump in 1996-97 when he played a limited role due to a knee injury.
Jurkunas stands 6-9 and is an unusual player in that he is capable of defending on the inside, but its also a capable scorer and on the outside. Jurkunas is now one of just four players in ACC history standing 6-9 or taller to make over 100 three-point goals in a career. The others to do it are Tom Gugliotta of NC St, Michael Maddox of Georgia Tech, and Danny Ferry of Duke.
Jurkunas has 56 blocked shots to go with his 105 career three-point goals. He enters his senior year at Clemson as one of just 10 players in ACC history with at least 100 three-point goals and at least 50 blocked shots. No player in ACC history has had at least 100 three-point goals and 100 blocked shots. Jurkunas would need 44 blocked shots his senior year to do it. Maddox of Georgia Tech came the closest with 133 three-point goals and 93 blocked shots.
ACC Players with 100 Career 3s and 50 Blocked Shots
Player School Hgt 3pt Shooting BS Andrius Jurkunas Clem 6-9 105-294 56 Laron Profit MD 6-5 105-326 76 Michael Maddox GT 6-9 133-353 93 Johnny Rhodes MD 6-4 186-557 62 Harold Deane VA 6-1 237-693 61 Danny Ferry Duke 6-10 108-278 71 Quinn Snyder Duke 6-2 108-303 59 Dennis Scott GT 6-8 351-831 51 Walt Williams MD 6-8 154-429 81 Tom Gugliotta NCS 6-9 183-448 62
Clemson Personnel Update
Clemson will gain the services of two guards in December. Freshman Edward Scott suffered a broken fifth metatarsal bone during practice of October 27th. He has not practiced since and probably will be out until at least December 1 when Clemson meets Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in State College. Scott was named the 4A Player of the Year in South Carolina last year when he helped lead Lower Richland High School to the State Championship.
Pasha Bains, a transfer from Wyoming who entered Clemson in January of last year, will be eligible under the transfer rule on December 11 when Clemson meets South Carolina State in a game at Clemson. Bains averaged 38 points a game as a senior in high school when he was named Player of the Year in Canada.
Clemson Exhibtion Game Reviews
Clemson Defeats California South All-Stars, 81-60
November 5, 1999
Adam Allenspach, Will Solomon and Andrius Jurkunas combined for 60 points Friday night, leading Clemson to an 81-60 victory over the California South All-Stars. It was the first exhibition game for the Tigers, while California fell to 0-2. In their only previous game they were defeated by Kentucky in Lexington, 73-66 last Tuesday evening.
Allenspach led the Tigers in scoring on Friday with 22 points and he added 11 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Solomon had 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Jurkunas added 17 points and eight rebounds. He nailed 4-7 three point goals.
Freshman Tomas Nagys led the freshmen with 11 points on 5-9 shooting and he also had six rebounds, including four offensive. Chucky Gilmore added six points and five rebounds, all off the offensive board
California was led by Eddie Shannon with 15 points on 6-8 shooting, including 3-5 on three-point shots. Derrick Hiddings added 12 points, as did Mark Sanford. Clemson did a good job holding Sanford, who made just 5-20 shots from the field. He was coming off a 23-point, 14-rebound performance against Kentucky on Tuesday evening.
California jumped out to a 20-15 lead 10 minutes into the game behind balanced scoring. Clemson then went on a 19-2 run over the next eight minutes. Nagys provided a spurt off the bench for the Tigers, as he had five points, three rebounds and drew two charges during that eight-minutes. Fellow Lithuanian Jurkunas had six points in the run.
Clemson held a 38-25 lead at intermission behind 11 points by Jurkunas and 10 from Solomon. However, California nailed four three-point goals in the first six minutes of the second half and cut the advantage to 51-46 at the 14:08 mark.
But, Allenspach got untracked and scored six straight points at one point. Clemson went on a 14-4 run to take a 65-50 lead with 6:12 left. California cut the margin back to 10, with four minutes left, but never got the margin under double digits the rest of the night. Clemsons’ largest lead was the final score.
Clemson won the battle of the boards 48-37, including a 24-13 margin in the second half, and had a 19-6 advantage in terms of second-chance points. The Tigers hit 47 percent from the field overall, including 41 percent on three-point shots. California connected on just 33 percent against Clemson’s defense, including just 24 percent on three-point shots.
“After watching videotape of their game with Kentucky, we felt our defensive transition and blocking out would be important,” said Head Coach Larry Shyatt, in his second year as head coach of the Tigers. “Offensively we just wanted to get some open looks. It has been tough in practice because, with all the injuries, we have been practicing against walkons. But, overall we got good looks at the basket.
“We said in the offseason that we needed Will to control the perimeter and for Adam to control the inside, and Jurkunas to help control both. Those were keys in this game. None of them are well known ACC players, and we need balance between them, which we got tonight. We were three or four turnovers too high, we must improve in that area.”
Tigers Defeat Down Under Bandits
November 9, 1999
Clemson, SC – Will Solomon led four Clemson starters in double figures with 21 points and eight assists, while Adam Allenspach scored 18 points in just 19 minutes Tuesday night, leading Clemson to an 85-62 victory over the Down Under Bandits, a professional team from Australia. The Down Under Bandits fell to 0-5 on their tour. It was their fifth straight game against an ACC team in one week. They had earlier lost to Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and Duke.
Solomon, playing the point guard for much of the night, shot 9-18 from the field, had five rebounds, eight assists against no turnovers and registered four steals in a fine all-around performance. Allenspach shot 9-11 from the field and was unstoppable most of the night, but did have four fouls, which limited his playing time.
Chucky Gilmore had his finest game in a Clemson uniform. The sophomore from Fayetteville, NC made 7-8 shots from the field, scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, including six offensive in 29 minutes.
The Down Under Bandits were led by guard Allen McCowan with 16 points, while Ryan Stolberg and Scott Mitchell added 13 apiece. The Down Under Bandits made 11 of 33 three point goals, but Clemson won the battle of the boards, 43-21. Four Tigers, had five rebounds apiece to support the 10 caroms from Gilmore.
Clemson continued to play without freshman guard Edward Scott, who is recovering from a broken foot, and Pasha Bains, who must sit out games until December 11 due to the NCAA transfer rule.
Clemson shot 54 percent from the field overall and had just 11 turnovers in the uptempo game. The Bandits made just 43 percent of their shots. Clemson continued to struggle from the foul line, hitting 13-24.
Clemson jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first two minutes behind six points from Will Solomon and three from Jurkunas. But, the Bandits, who led North Carolina at halftime last weekend, cut the advantage to 37-34 at intermission. McCowan scored 11 points in the first half to lead the Bandits, while Solomon had 15 for the Tigers.
It was still a five point game at 49-44 with 12:30 left when Clemson went on a 17-5 run. It was a balanced run by the Tigers, as six different Tigers scored. A tip in by Dustin Braddic with four minutes left gave Clemson a 73-54 lead. Clemson’s largest lead was the final score.
“We did an admirable job tonight,” said Head Coach Larry Shyatt. “When Will Solomon can play 37 minutes against a good point guard and not make a turnover, it shows maturity. I thought Chucky Gilmore did an excellent job of finishing second shots. It was certainly his best performance at Clemson.”
Clemson Stat Leaders in Exhibition Play
Clemson had a 2-0 record in exhibition games this preseason. The Tigers played well in most phases of the game, except for free throw shooting, a problem that has hurt the Clemson program for many years. In fact, Clemson has not gone 13 straight seasons without shooting 70 percent from the line as a team.
Clemson made 65-129 shots from the field in the two exhibtion games, 50.3 percent. That included 11-30 on three-point shots, 37 percent. Clemson held the opposition to 37 percent shooting, including 29 percent on three-point shots. Clemson also won the rebound battle 91-58 in thetwo games combined and outscored the opposition by 44 total points.
Individually, Will Solomon was the top scorer with 42 points, followed by Adam Allenspach with 40. Solomon also led in assists with 13 and steals with five. Allenspach recorded his 40 points in just 51 minutes of play, and he also led the team in rebounds with 15. Andrius Jurkunas was third among scorers with 27 points, he also had 13 rebounds and seven assists. Chucky Gilmore had 21 points and 15 rebounds, including 11 offensive, the high total on the team.
The newcomers were led by Tomas Gagys with 16 points and eight rebounds in just 25 minutes. he shot 7-12 from the floor. Arturas Jovtokas contributed seven points and seven rebounds.
Clemson in Season Openers
Clemson has been successful in season openers over the years, especially recently. Clemson has won each of its last 14 season openers dating to the first game of 1984-85, the first game of the Cliff Ellis era. Ironically, the man who would go on to become Clemson’s winningest coach (177 victories) lost his first game to Tennessee Tech, 68-67 in overtime. Clemson had a 12-game winning streak in season openers prior to that, so Clemson has won 26 of its last 27 season openers.
Clemson defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the first game a year ago at Clemson. Clemson’s most impressive season opening win in history took place just three years ago when Clemson defeated third ranked and defending national champion Kentucky, 79-71 in overtime. It is the highest ranked non-conference victory in Clemson history.
Clemson vs. East Tennessee State Series
Clemson holds a 3-0 lead in the series with East Tennessee State and all three games have taken place at Clemson. The first meeting was a 73-65 victory in the 1973-74 season. In 1985-86, Clemson downed ETSU by a 92-67 score. Last year Clemson was victorious, 82-54.
Clemson had five players in double figures and three others scored between 6-8 points in the win last year. Terrell McIntyre led the way with 13 points and three assists. Harold Jamison added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Will Solomon was the top player among Clemson’s returning players who will play against East Tennessee State this year. Solomon had 11 points.
Solomon provided a spark off the bench in the second half. ETSU cut the lead from 26 to 14 points with 11 minutes left. Solomon then scored all 11 of his points in a 6:40 spurt to move Clemson back to a 25 point lead.
Clemson held a 36-21 lead at intermission, then gave up 21 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. But, the Tigers returned to good defense, holding the Bucs to 12 points the last 10 minutes. ETSU came into the game shooting 46 percent from three-point range, but made just 4-16 shots from deep against the Tigers.
Clemson vs. the Southern Conference
Clemson was 3-0 against Southern Conference teams last year, wins over Western Carolina, East Tennessee State and Furman. This year the Tigers open the season with games against Southern Conference foes East Tennessee State and Wofford within three days. Clemson will also play Furman on December 30 and Appalachian State on January 19th from the Southern Conference. The Furman game will be in the BiLo Center.
Clemson has won 41 straight home games against Southern Conference teams in Littlejohn Coliseum. The Tigers have a modest 12 game winning streak against Southern Conference teams regardless of site.
Davidson defeated Clemson in Charlotte Coliseum on December 19, 1993, 82-79 and that is thelast time Clemson has lost to a Southern Conference team. Clemson had won 20 in a row over Southern Conference teams prior to that. Thus, Clemson has won 32 of its last 33 against Southern Conference teams.
Overall, Clemson is 236-106 against teams from the Southern Conference, including a 58-2 record in Littlejohn Coliseum. Clemson has not lost to a Southern Conference team in Littlejohn since the 1977-78 season when Furman downed Clemson 87-68. the only other Southern Conference win over the Tigers in Littlejohn was a 73-72 win by The Citadel in 1968-69, the first year of the Coliseum.
Three Walk-ons Join Team
Three walk-ons have joined the Clemson roster for this year. The three players joined the program in mid-October and are members of the roster. The group is led by Jeremy Shyatt, a freshman from Clemson and Daniel High. He is the son of Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt. Jeremy will become just the second ACC player to play at an ACC school for his father. Chucky Driesell played for his father Lefty at Maryland from 1981-85.
The other two walk-ons are J.D. Powell and Michael Crocker. Powell is in his second year as a walk-on. The 6-2 guard from Westminster, SC, connected on a three-point goal in the closing moments of the Georgia Tech game last year in the final home contest of the season. Crocker is a 6-6 forward from Newberry, SC. Both his parents are Clemson graduates. He was more noted for his abilities in soccer in high school. He set the Newberry High scoring record in soccer with 70 career goals.
Head Coach Larry Shyatt
Head Coach Larry Shyatt will open his second season as Clemson Head Coach this weekend when the Tigers play host to East Tennessee State on Friday, November 19 and to Wofford on Sunday, November 21.
Shyatt had a 20-15 record in his first year as Clemson Head Coach. He guided Clemson to the Championship of the NIT, a 61-60 loss to California. The 20 victories were a record for a Clemson coach in his first year and he was just the fourth coach in ACC history to win at least 20 in his rookie year with an ACC program.
He was the head coach at Wyoming in 1997-98 and posted a 19-9 ledger and berth in the NIT. Thus, he has a 39-24 record as a head coach entering this year. This is his 25th year in college coaching. In 15 of his last 16 years the team he has coached (head or assistant) has gone to the NIT of the NCAA.
East Tennessee State Scouting Report
East Tennessee State played on exhibition game and defeated the Crossfire Ministries, 75-72. The game was played at East Tennessee State on November 11. Dimeco Childress scored 13 points and had five assists off the bench in just 15 minutes of action to key the victory. D.J. McDuffie was the top scorer with 15 points in just 22 minutes, while Leo Murray had 13 points and nine rebounds to go with 6-9 field goal shooting in just 19 minutes.
Coach Ed DeChellis played 13 points and 12 played at least a dozen minutes. The Bucs won the rebounding 44-39 and shot 42 percent from the field. They had 14 steals on defense and forced 28 turnovers while committing 16.
Seven players who played against Clemson last year for ETSU are back on the roster this year. A year ago, Dimeco Childress led ETSU in scoring against Clemson with 11 points in 26 minutes. Other returning Bucs who played against Clemson las year are Leo Murray, D.J. McDuffie, Gabe Lisicky, Cliff Decoster, Gareth Davis and Adrian Meek
1999 Seniors All Playing Basketball
Where have the seniors of 1998-99 gone? They are all doing well and are all still in the game of basketball. Tony Christie is playing professionally in England, while Terrell McIntyre is playing for a team in France. Tom Wideman and Harold Jamison are both playing in the United States. Wideman has landed a spot on the roster of the Fort Wayne Fury, while Jamison started the year on the injured list of the Miami Heat of the NBA. But, Jamison was expected to move to the active roster soon.
Wideman already has his degree from Clemson and concluded his career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in Clemson history. A year ago he was the recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan Scholarship from the ACC. He was also an Academic All-District Choice and a recipient of an NCAA Scholarship.
The four players led Clemson to 79 wins the last four years, the second highest victory total for one Clemson in Clemson history. They were major reasons Clemson has been to three NCAAs and one NIT championship game the last four seasons.
Clemson’s November Record
Clemson has five games in the month of November and that is usually a good sign for the Clemson program. Clemson is 54-9 over the years in the month of November, a .857 winning percentage. Clemson was 6-1 in November last year with the only loss coming to Michigan in the Maui Classic in Hawaii. Clemson has the two games this weekend, then three games over Thanksgiving weekend at the SoCon Holiday Classic at the BiLo Center in Greenville. Clemson’s first opponent in that event will be Central Florida.
Signees for Class of 2000
Clemson head men’s basketball coach Larry Shyatt announced on Wednesday that four players, including three from the state of North Carolina, signed with the Tiger program on the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period.
Dwon Clifton, De’on Dixon, Chris Hobbs, and Tony Stockman all made their commitments to the Clemson program official on Wednesday.
“These players come from four wonderful families,” stated Shyatt. “These are four young men who are very focused about working towards gaining degrees, as well as improving their basketball skills during their four years here at Clemson.
“I thought we really needed to get some experience and talent in the backcourt in particular where we had some key openings due to both graduation and losses of late,” added Shyatt.
“Tony Stockman could well be one of the most creative and exciting point guards in the country and Dwon Clifton gives us size in the backcourt which we haven’t had in years. What’s also exciting is the fact that De’on Dixon could someday make the switch from a 6-8 athletic wing to a backcourt player. Chris Hobbs gives us an impressive strength presence inside and he comes in as probably the strongest high school prospect to ever sign at Clemson at 6-7, 250 pounds.”
“Stockman is capable of playing both guard spots, but is a tremendous lead guard candidate,” Shyatt said. “Clifton has tremendous athleticism and scoring guard skills, but could also someday be a lead guard. So that potential is out there for both Stockman and Clifton.”
Clifton is a 6-4, 195 pound guard from High Point, NC. He has the ability to play both guard positions and is described as an excellent shooter. Clifton averaged 24 points per game as a junior at Westchester Academy and also pulled down 8.5 rebounds per game and dished out 5.0 assists per game for coach Pat Kahny. He is listed among the nation’s top-100 in several publications, including PrepStars Magazine which has him 40th and Bob Gibbons who tabbed him 52nd.
Dixon is a senior at 71st High School in Fayetteville, NC, the same high school that current Tiger forward Chucky Gilmore attended. Dixon is coached by Bernie Poole and averaged 12 points per game and seven rebounds per game as a junior. The 6-8, 185-pound forward also had 3.5 assists per game and 3.5 blocks per game last season. Dixon is described as the type of player who can play four different positions on the floor.
Hobbs is a 6-7, 250-pound senior at East Chapel Hill High School in Chapel Hill, NC. As a junior, the power forward averaged 19.4 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game for coach Ray Hartsfield’s club. Those numbers helped Hobbs earn the Triad 3-A Player of the Year award. He was also a first-team all-state pick by the Associated Press. Bob Gibbons rated Hobbs as the number-eight junior in the country and he has been tabbed among the top-40 in several different recruiting publications.
Stockman plays at Medina High School in Medina, OH for coach Jody Peters. Stockman is a 6-1, 165 pound guard who is described as a good shooter and ball handler. As a junior at Medina, he averaged 19 points, four assists, and two steals per game. This past summer, Stockman played at the Five Star Camp in Pittsburgh, PA.
“I am proud of our coaching staff, Scott Duncan, Darren Tillis, Matt Driscoll and Anthony Solomon. They worked hard on this class and recruited these young men with class and dignity,” said Shyatt.
Name Pos Hgt. Wgt. Ppg Rpg. HometownDwon Clifton G 6-4 195 24.0 8.5 High PointDe'on Dixon F 6-8 185 12.0 7.0 Fayetteville, NCChris Hobbs F 6-7 250 19.4 10.9 Chapel Hill, NCTony Stockman G 6-1 165 19.0 4.0@ Medina, OH
Note – Stats are from junior seasons @ – Denotes assists per game
Clemson 3-Pt Streak at 278 Consecutive Games
Clemson enters the 1999-2000 season with a streak of 278 consecutive games with at least a three-point goal. The streak dates to the 1990-91 season when the Tigers were 0-7 from long range in an 81-55 loss at Wake Forest. Clemson was also 0-17 that year in a home loss to UNC Charlotte.
Clemson made at least three three-point goals in every game last year, including a season high 12-23 at Florida State. The Tigers average 6.7 made three-point goals per game (4th in the ACC) and attempt 18.67 a game.
Clemson’s 12 three-point goals at Florida State ranked as the most made in a Tiger game since the 1993-94 season. Clemson was 11-22 on three-point shooting in its loss to Maryland and 10-24 in the victory over North Carolina. Five times last year Clemson made double figures in three-point goals. Clemson made 9-19 three-point goals in the win over Georgia in the NIT.
Clemson had two players with at least 50 three-point goals in 1998-99. Terrell McIntyre had 99, a Clemson single season record, and Andrius Jurkunas had 51, the exact same total he scored as a freshman.
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