Wednesday 03/20/2002
March 20, 2002
Future Bright for Clemson Basketball Here are some quick facts as to why the future looks bright for Clemson basketball:
Clemson returns four starters for next year, including captainEdward Scott, a third-team All-ACC player this year. Clemson hastwo of the top three sophomore scorers in the ACC in Tony Stockmanand Chris Hobbs. The ACC loses at least nine of its top 11 scorersfrom this season. Stockman was the top freshman scorer in the ACCin 2000-01. Clemson returns players who accounted for 83.5 percentof the scoring, 89 percent of the rebounds, 93 percent of theassists, 91 percent of the blocked shots and 91 percent of thesteals. Clemson returns eight of its top nine scorers andrebounders. Returning frontcourt tandem of Chris Hobbs and RayHenderson are both ranked in the top 12 in Clemson history incareer field goal percentage at nearly 54 percent. Tony Stockmanreturns for his junior year ranked fourth in Clemson history inthree-point goals with 155. Clemson will have four seniorscholarship to provide leadership in 2002-03.. Clemson has had justone senior scholarship player each of the last three years. Clemsonwill have balance on its roster next year with four seniors, threejuniors, four sophomores and two freshmen. The balance was shown inthe ACC statistics. Clemson was the only ACC school with fourdifferent players with a scoring average of at least 11.6 pointsper game in 2001-02. Clemson returns its top four post players from2001-02, a corps that was the major reason Clemson led the ACC inrebound margin in 2001-02. It was the first time since 1984-85 thatClemson led the ACC in rebounding. Work continues on the $31million renovation of Littlejohn Coliseum, a project that will givethe program virtually a new arena in the near future.
Clemson Has Shown Improvement While Clemson had a losing record in 2001-02, the Tigers showed improvement in many areas as compared to the previous two years. Despite the loss of All-ACC guard Will Solomon, who entered the NBA early and is now with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Tigers increased their victory total overall, away from home, against ranked opponents, and in ACC play.
Clemson’s scoring average was up and its scoring defense was down. Clemson also made a significant improvement in rebound margin ( a negative margin to leading the league), double figure scorers, blocks and steals and scoring margin. The improvement included assist/turnover ratio, field goal percentage defense and scoring margin.
Clemson Comparison of Last Two Seasons Category 2000-01 2001-02 Imp Regular Season Wins 12 13 +1 Winning Percentage .379 .433 +.054 ACC Wins 2 4 +2 Wins over Ranked Teams 1 2 +1 Wins Away from Home 3 5 +2 Scoring Average 74.1 75.2 +1.1 Scoring Margin -5.6 -1.6 +4.0 Double Figure Scorers 2 4 +2 Field Goal % .424 .439 +.015 Field Goal % Defense .439 .436 +.003 Rebound Margin -0.3 +5.1 +5.4 Assist/Turnover Ratio 0.875 0.944 +0.069 Blocks/Game 2.23 3.50 +1.27 Steals/Game 6.03 7.33 +1.3
Scott Named 3rd Team All-ACC Clemson guard Edward Scott was named third-team All-ACC by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association on March 4, 2002. It marks the sixth straight year that a Clemson guard made one of the three official All-ACC teams. Terrell McIntyre was named to second or third team each of his last three years (1996-98), while Will Solomon was a first-team selection in 2000 and a second-team choice in 2001.
Scott was joined on the third team by Wake Forest’s Josh Howard, Maryland’s Steve Blake and Chris Wilcox, and North Carolina’s Jason Capel. Jason Williams (Duke) and Juan Dixon (Maryland) headlined the first team as unanimous selections. Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer of Duke were joined on the first team by Anthony Grundy of NC State.
The second team featured Roger Mason, Jr and Travis Watson of Virginia, Tony Akins of Georgia Tech, Darius Songaila of Wake Forest and Lonny Baxter of Maryland.
Scott led the Clemson team in assists with 7.93 per game, a figure that ranked third best in the nation. He ranked third on the Tiger team in scoring with 11.9 per game and was also third on the club in rebounding with a 4.9 average. That is the highest rebound average for a Clemson point guard since the 1959-60 season. His 238 assists were a school record for a player who also scored at least 10 points a game.
Scott’s assist total was the second highest figure in Clemson history, but broke the per game record of 7.71 that had been held by Grayson Marshall in 1985-86. The junior from Eastover, SC finished strong, averaging 19 points and 8.2 assists per game over the last six games. That included a 36-point scoring performance in a win over Florida State in February, highest point total in a single game by a Clemson point guard in 32 years. He added 23 points and seven assists in the ACC Tournament game against the Seminoles.
He had 30 points and 16 assists in a 118-115 double overtime win over Wake Forest. That was just the second time in ACC history that a player had at least 30 points and at least 15 assists in the same game. He had seven games this year in which he had double figures in assists and six games in which he recorded a double-double, most ever by a Clemson guard for one season.
“This is a great honor for Edward Scott,” said Head Coach Larry Shyatt. “He has been our team leader all season. He has 55 percent of our assists this year so you can see that the offense runs through him. He has made great improvement this year, and with his work ethic I am sure he will get better and better.”
First Team Jason Williams, Duke (84) – 252 Juan Dixon, Maryland (84) – 252 Mike Dunleavy, Duke (81) – 249 Anthony Grundy, N.C. State (57) – 220 Carlos Boozer, Duke (44) – 211
Second Team Lonny Baxter, Maryland (34) – 199 Darius Songaila, Wake Forest (20) – 185 Roger Mason Jr., Virginia (6) – 147 Tony Akins, Georgia Tech (4) – 141 Travis Watson, Virginia (3) – 128
Third Team Josh Howard, Wake Forest (1) – 99 Steve Blake, Maryland (1) – 99 Edward Scott, Clemson – 59 Chris Wilcox, Maryland (1) – 55 Jason Capel, North Carolina – 39
Honorable Mention (10 or more points): Monte Cummings, Florida St. (38), Chris Duhon, Duke (37), Delvon Arrington, Florida St. (18),Kris Lang, North Carolina (18), Dahntay Jones, Duke (16), Byron Mouton, Maryland (12), Craig Dawson, Wake Forest (10).
Clemson and Shyatt Agree to New Terms Clemson Athletic Director Bobby Robinson and Senior Associate Athletic Director Bill D’Andrea have announced on March 15, 2002 that Larry Shyatt has agreed to a contract extension. The terms of the agreement run through the 2004-05 season. This is a two-year extension of his previous contract.
Shyatt came to Clemson prior to the 1998-99 season. He took the Tigers to the finals of the NIT in his first year and finished the year with 20 victories, the first coach in Clemson history to win 20 games in his first year. The Tigers posted a 13-17 record this past season, but the team showed improvement over the previous year in terms of overall victories, ACC victories, wins over ranked teams and wins away from home.
“We want to give Coach Shyatt every opportunity to finish what he has started,” said Athletic Director Bobby Robinson. “When he came to Clemson in 1998 we made a five-year commitment. He has worked hard in every aspect of the job to build a program for success in the long term.
“Coach Shyatt wants to be at Clemson. He has put in many hours to make it a success. We want him to realize the fruits of his labor. He has embraced the entire Clemson community since he has been here as an assistant and a head coach. Few coaches have shown more support for the other athletic programs and the university in general. He has a strong work ethic and is motivated to make this a basketball program the Clemson community can view with pride.”
The Tigers return four starters, one of just two ACC teams that return that many starters for the 2002-03 season. The ACC loses at least nine of its top 11 scorers to graduation. Clemson returns two of the top three sophomore scorers in the ACC in Tony Stockman and Edward Scott, who was a third-team All-ACC selection last year. He ranked third in the nation in assists heading into NCAA Tournament play. Ray Henderson is the fourth returning starter from last season. He ranked second in the ACC in rebounding with an 8.8 figure.
“I am pleased to receive this contract extension,” said Shyatt. “I am the first to say we need to improve in terms of wins and losses. But, the ground work has been laid. With four starters returning and our top four post players back, I feel we will show considerable improvement next season. I have never been more optimistic about the future of this program.
“I appreciate the commitment and loyalty President Barker, Bobby Robinson and Bill D’Andrea have shown. I will continue to do whatever it takes to bring this program to the next level.”
Hobbs in Top 10 in Field Goal Percentage Clemson power forward Chris Hobbs has been consistent when it comes to field goal percentage over his career. He shot 56.6 percent as a freshman and connected at a 54.1 percent as a sophomore. For his career he has made 201 of 365 attempts, a .550 figure.
Clemson’s all-time list for field goal percentage requires 190 made field goals. His .552 figure is sixth in Clemson history, just behind Elden Campbell and just ahead of Murray Jarman. The only other players ahead of Hobbs currently are Harold Jamison, Horace Grant, Dale Davis and John Campbell.
Ray Henderson is also in the top 11, meaning Clemson’s returning post starters for 2002-03 are both in the top 11 in school history in this important category. Henderson, a rising senior, has made 199 of 369 shots from the field in his career, a .5392 figure, just behind the .5394 of Tree Rollins.
Clemson Career Field Goal Percentage Leaders Name Yrs Yrs FGM FGA Pct Harold Jamison 4 1995-99 454 746 .6086 Horace Grant 4 1983-87 660 1104 .5978 Dale Davis 4 1987-91 633 1076 .5882 John Campbell 4 1977-80 283 501 .5649 Elden Campbell 4 1986-90 754 1342 .5618 Chris Hobbs 2 2000-02 200 362 .5525 Murray Jarman 4 1980-84 242 440 .5500 Jerry Pryor 4 1985-89 452 825 .5479 Devin Gray 4 1991-95 542 993 .5458 Tree Rollins 4 1973-77 643 1192 .5394 Ray Henderson 3 1999-02 199 369 .5392
Hobbs, Stockman Top Sophomore Scorers in ACC The future of the Clemson program looks bright with the return of rising juniors Chris Hobbs and tony Stockman. Clemson had just one senior on its 2001-02 roster in Jamar McKnight and will have balance to its roster next year with four seniors, three juniors, four sophomores and at least two freshmen. Clemson will return four starters next year.
A look to the ACC stats tells us that Clemson has two of the top three sophomore scorers in the ACC in 2001-02. The conference had five sophomores averaging in double figures and two of the top three are Tony Stockman (12.2 points per game) and Chris Hobbs (11.6). the other ACC sophomores averaging in double figures are Chris Wilcox of Maryland Marvin Lewis of Georgia Tech and Marcus Melvin of NC State .
The ACC was a veteran league last season. Nine of the top 11 scorers in the league will not return next season. The top returning scorers for next year will be Roger Mason, Jr of Virginia and Mike Dunleavy of Duke. That is assuming neither player turns pro in the off season.
Clemson 118, Wake Forest 115 (2OT) Feb. 13, 2002 at Clemson, SC Clemson’s 118-115 double overtime victory against Wake Forest on Feb. 13, 2002 was the 501st and perhaps most exciting game in the 34-year history of Littlejohn Coliseum. The remarkable contest was the second highest scoring game in ACC history for two teams combined and featured five players who scored 24 points or more.
Clemson had three of the five as the starting backcourt of Tony Stockman and Edward Scott each scored 30 points. Chris Hobbs added 24 points and 17 rebounds, while Jamar McKnight added 15. Scott’s 30-point evening included a career-high 16 assists, most in an ACC game by a league player this year, while Stockman did not have a turnover in his 43 minutes of play and he added a career high tying six assists. Scott’s performance set a Clemson record for points scored by a player who had double figures in assists.
Wake Forest was led by Craig Dawson, who scored 38 points, including 11 made three-point goals, tying an ACC record. That was the high point game for an individual ACC player this year. Darius Songaila added 24 points before fouling out. Broderick Hicks had 16 points and six assists before he fouled out.
Wake Forest made 19-42 three-point goals, an ACC record for made three-point goals in a game. The Deacons 115 points scored were the most ever for a losing team in an ACC game. Clemson’s 118 points scored were a school record for points in an ACC game.
Clemson shot 55.8 percent from the field for the game. The Tigers made 55.9 in the first half, 53.6 in the second half and 60 percent in the overtime periods. The Tigers had a season high 26 assists and made 9-20 three-point goals. Clemson could have won the game in a rout had it made free throws. The Tigers were just 23-45 from the line for the game, 6-16 in the overtimes.
The two teams battled on even terms the first 10 minutes of the game. Wake Forest held a 23-19 lead with 8:37 left in the first half. But, the Tigers went on a 21-5 run over the next six minutes and led 40-26 with 2:20 left on a three-point goal by Dwon Clifton, his first three-point goal of 2002. Clemson still led 46-34 at intermission. The margin varied between 8-12 points the first 14 minutes of the second half as both teams executed their offense. Edward Scott caught fire late in the game and scored 14 consecutive points to give the Tigers a 81-66 lead with 3:48 remaining.
But, Wake Forest would not die. It was still an 86-75 Clemson lead with 63 seconds left. But, the Deacs made five three-point goals in the last minute, including a four-point play by Dawson that cut the lead to 86-79. Another three-point goal by Dawson after a Clemson turnover made it 86-82. Wake Forest sent the game into overtime on a three-point goal by Taron Downey with 0.6 seconds left.
After losing an 11-point lead with a minute left, most figured the Tigers would falter in the overtime. Wake Forest did take a 99-96 lead, but Clemson eventually tied the game at 101 on a layup by Chris Hobbs with 55 seconds left. Clemson then had the last shot, but Edward Scott attempt rimmed out.
Clemson took control in the second overtime, leading 116-111 with 20 seconds left on two free throws by Stockman. Wake Forest scored a field goal by Downey. Clemson could not get the ball in bounds and called timeout, a timeout the Tigers did not have.
Dawson went to the foul line and made two free throws to cut the margin to one point with 13 seconds left. Wake Forest fouled Hobbs on the in-bounds. The sophomore from Chapel Hill had made just 6-17 free throws at that point in the game, but calmly made both to give Clemson a three-point lead. Wake Forest never got off a three-point attempt on its last possession and Clemson had the victory, its first win since January 8th.
Unusual Occurrences of Feb. 13, 2002
Clemson missed 22 free throws, yet won the game. Clemson was23-45 from the line for the contest. The Tigers were just 6-16 fromthe foul line in the two overtimes combined. Wake Forest made 19three-point goals, yet lost the game. The Deacons hit 19-42three-point goals in the contest, beating the ACC record by one. Itwas the most three-point goals ever made against Clemson. WakeForest’s Craig Dawson made 11 three-point goals, tying the ACCrecord for made three-point goals by an individual in a singlegame. Dennis Scott also made 11 against Houston in the RainbowClassic in 1988. Clemson gave up 28 points in the last 3:40 andblew an 11-point lead with 63 seconds remaining, yet won the game.Wake Forest made five three-point goals in the last 63 seconds andtied the game with a three-point goal with 0.6 seconds left. ButClemson overcame the emotion change in the overtime periods.Clemson had lost eight straight games, while Wake Forest had wonfour straight conference games. Wake Forest won the first meetingby 41 points, the worst margin of defeat for Larry Shyatt as a headcoach.
Clemson Gains Win in Overtime Clemson defeated Wake Forest 118-115 in double overtime on Feb. 13 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was Clemson’s first overtime victory since a 78-65 win over Maryland at Littlejohn Coliseum during December of 1997, Rick Barnes’s last year at Clemson. Clemson had lost six straight overtime games prior to the Feb. 13 game.
It was Clemson’s first double overtime victory since Clemson defeated a 13th-ranked Georgia Tech team in double overtime 97-94 at Littlejohn Coliseum during the 1987-88 season. Overall, it was just the 15th double overtime game in Clemson history. The Tigers are now 9-6 in double overtime games in history. Clemson has played two triple overtime games and lost both. Clemson is now 52-45 all-time in overtime games, including 26-23 in games played at Clemson and 16-14 in overtime games in Littlejohn.
Starting Backcourt Scores 60 Points When Clemson’s starting backcourt of Edward Scott and Tony Stockman both scored 30 points against Wake Forest it marked the ninth time in Clemson history that two players had combined for at least 60 points in a game. It was the first time the starting backcourt had scored at least 30 points apiece, and just the second time in school history that two players on the Tiger team had gone for at least 30 in the same game.
The only other time Clemson has had a pair of 30-point scorers in the same game was on Dec. 1, 1993 when Rayfield Ragland scored 32 and Devin Gray added 30 in a 120-103 Clemson victory in Charleston. That was the highest scoring game for two teams combined in Clemson history prior to the game of Feb. 13.
The Clemson record for points scored by two players combined is 74. You have to go back to the first day of Clemson basketball to find that record. On Feb. 9, 1912 J.O. Erwin scored 58 points and J.W. Erwin added 16 in a 78-6 win over the Butler Guards. Apparently the Butler Guards didn’t guard anyone that day.
In the modern era, the record for points scored by two Tigers in the same game is 64. Butch Zatezalo scored 46 and Dave Thomas added 18 in a game against Wake Forest on Feb. 18, 1969.
Wake Forest had two players combine for 62 points in the game as Craig Dawson scored 38 and Darius Songaila added 24. It was the most points by two Clemson opponents in the same game since the 1997 NCAA Tournament two Minnesota Players (Jackson and Jacobson) combined for 64. That game also went double overtime.
Ford and Christie Contributing Clemson had strong play, especially down the stretch, from freshmen Sharrod Ford and Chey Christie. Both averaged over 14 minutes per game and combined to give the Tigers nearly 10 points per game in 2001-02.
Christie averaged 10 points a game for his first seven games of the year, as he connected on 23-46 shots from the field. That included a 21-point scoring night at #1 ranked Duke on December 2. He made 7-8 shots from the field that night and reached that 21-point total in just 22 minutes. For the year Christie averaged 5.4 points a game, first among the Tiger freshmen. Christie’s stats were better on the road than at home this year. He scored 7.8 points a game on the road compared to just 4.3 a game at home. He finished the regular season with an 11-point per formance at North Carolina, his fifth double digit scoring game of the year.
Ford was very productive down the stretch. He made 23 of his last 34 shots from the field to finish at .606 for the season, a Clemson field goal percentage record for a freshman. He saved his best game for the season finale when he had 12 points and 11 rebounds in just 21 minutes in the ACC Tournament against Florida State. It marked the first time in seven years that a Clemson freshman had a double-double in an ACC Tournament game. Ford ended the year with 26 blocked shots and finished in the top 15 in the ACC in blocks, quite an accomplishment considering he played just 14 minutes per game. 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.
McKnight Stats Much Improved Jamar McKnight, Clemson’s only senior in 2001-02, followed a tradition of second-year improvement by Tiger junior college players. This past season, McKnight has scored12.5 points a game and averaged 4.2 rebounds per contest. He led the team in scoring and finished first in three-point shooting percentage. He was Clemson’s most consistent player with 20 double figure scoring games.
As a junior, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds in 20 games. But, as a senior that total increased to 351 points and 117 rebounds in 28 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 nearly 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 13.4 in 1978-79, a 7.6 points per game improvement. He went on to average 17.6 points a game and earn first-team All-ACC honors in 1979-80. McKnight stands at a +9.1 points per game improvement this year over last season, so he is ahead of Williams improvement rate. The improvement was the seventh best in Clemson history.
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 Chart Category 2000-01 2001-02 Points/Game 3.4 12.5 Rebounds/Game 1.3 4.2 Field goal % .429 .461 3Pt FGs/Game 0.45 1.59 3pt Goal % .391 .375 Minutes/Game 9.4 25.7
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 (12.6) +9.1 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
Three-Point Shooting Has Been Important Three-point shooting has become more and more important in basketball at all levels. At one point in 2001-02, each of the top nine three-point shooting teams in the NBA were the top nine teams in terms of winning percentage on Feb. 10.
That was a big factor in Clemson basketball in 2001-02 and an area Clemson needs improvement next year. Clemson made just 31.8 percent ot its three-point shots in 2001-02, worst in the league. Clemson’s 36.8 three-point defense was also worst in the league.
North Carolina made 11 three-point goals in its win over Clemson on Jan. 26, while the Tigers made just five. The six made field goals from three-point range equaled the scoring difference in the game. The same was true in the Duke game on Feb. 2 as the Blue Devils made 11 three-point goals to just six for the Tigers, a 15-point difference, a key to the 10-point Duke victory.
When Clemson defeated Virginia earlier in the 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 13 of the last 17 Clemson games. One of the exceptions was the Feb. 13 Wake Forest game when Wake Forest hit 19-42 three-point goals for 45.2 percent, yet lost to the Tigers. Clemson did make 9-20 three-point goals in that game.
For the season, opponents made 82 more three-point goals than Clemson. The total was 51 more in the 16 ACC regular season games.
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 started much of the season with Dallas and is shooting over 50 percent from the field, played for the Tigers from 1994-98. He was back at Clemson this past summer and will return at the conclusion of the NBA season to finish his degree.
Both Buckner and Christie had big contributions to wins over North Carolina in their careers. Buckner made the most famous dunk in Clemson history in the 1996 ACC Tournament when he dunked with six seconds left to give Clemson a 75-73 victory. It is Clemson’s only ACC Tournament win over the Tar Heels. Christie scored 15 points in Clemson’s 15-point win over a ninth ranked North Carolina team in 1998-99, his senior season.
Scott Third in Nation in Assists Clemson guard Edward Scott was third in the nation in assists as a junior with a 7.93 figure. Including his 16-assist game against Wake Forest, Scott broke the school record for assists in a season on a per game basis.
Scott has had at least eight assists in nine of the last 13 games, including 13 against N.C. State on Jan. 15. He broke the Clemson single season record of 7.71 per game that had been held by Grayson Marshall in 1985-86.
Grayson Marshall had been 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 was second in the ACC in assists, just behind Steve Blake of Maryland.
Scott was the first Clemson player to rank in the top five in the nation in any statistical category since 1992-93 when Sharone Wright finished second in the nation in blocked shots.
Scott Moves to Fourth on Clemson Assist List Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had five assists against N.C. State on Feb. 16 and moved into fourth place on the Clemson all-time assist list. He now has 434 for his career, ahead of Bobby Conrad, who had 401 between 1976-80.
Scott had seven games of double figures in assists and 18 with eight or more as a junior, including nine of the last 13. That included the win over Wake Forest when he had a career-high 16 assists. That set a Clemson record for an ACC game and ranked in a tie for third best in Clemson history for a single game. It was the high total by a Tiger since the 1985-86 season when Grayson Marshall had a record 20 assists against Maryland-Eastern Shore.
It marked just the second game in ACC history a player had at least 30 points and 15 assists in the same game. Kenny Anderson had 32 points and 18 assists against Pittsburgh on Dec. 28, 1989.
Scott was improved in a number of areas last year, including scoring. He has averaged 11.9 points a game for the year and had seven 20-point scoring nights, the first seven of his career. That included two 30-point games. He netted 20 points, including a career high five three-point goals, in a loss at #3 Maryland, then had 20 on 10 field goals against #1 Duke two weeks later. His top game was against Florida State when he scored 36 on Feb. 23.
“Edward Scott was terrific,” said Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. “He really did a good job pushing the ball up. Obviously (Tony) Stockman made a lot of shots, but I really admire what Scott did tonight.”
Scott has had more turnovers than assists in just three games all season and had more assists than turnovers in 15 of the 16 ACC games. He had a streak of 14 straight games at one point this year. Ironcially, the streak was broken in his 36-point effort against Florida State on Feb. 23.
Scott had 25 points on 8-12 shooting in the win over LaSalle in The Virgin Islands in the second game of the year, and had 21 points and 11 assists in a victory over Elon. That was the first time since the 1998-99 season that any Clemson player had 20 points and double figures in assists in the same game. He had 17 against Virginia on January 8, his career high against an ACC opponent.
And, Scott’s rebound average of 4.9 was the best for a Clemson point guard since Choppy Patterson had a 5.0 average as the point guard in 1959-60. Scott ranked 19th in the ACC in rebounding, second best among guards behind NC State’s Anthony Grundy.
Eight times in 2001-02, 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 1999-02 434 84 5.175. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 577 126 4.586. Derrick Johnson 4 1975-79 476 111 4.297. Lou Richie 2 1992-94 239 57 4.198. Chris Dodds 3 1979-82 325 83 3.929. Mike Eppley 4 1980-84 268 69 3.8810. David Young 4 1988-92 330 97 3.40
Clemson Career Leaders in Total Assists Rk. Name Yrs Years GP A/G Ast 1. Grayson Marshall 4 1984-88 122 7.02 857 2. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 4.58 577 3. Derrick Johnson 4 1975-79 111 4.29 476 4. Edward Scott 3 1999-02 84 5.17 434 5. Bobby Conrad 4 1076-80 116 3.47 402 6. Marc Campbell 4 1980-84 106 3.43 364 7. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 6.10 354 8. Vincent Hamilton 5 1980-85 116 2.91 337 9. Marion Cash 2 1988-90 64 6.23 335
Scott Has had 20 Points, Double Figure Assists Twice Clemson guard Edward Scott had two games as a junior in which he had at least 20 points and double figures in assists. That is a rare occurrence. In fact, he joined Chris Whitney and Terry McIntyre as the only other players in Clemson history to do it. Whitney was the first Clemson player to do it in March of 1993 in the ACC tournament when he had 20 points and 10 assists against Florida State in the ACC Tournament. McIntyre did it three times in 1998-99, then Scott did it twice this year.
Scott had 21 points and 11 assists in a win over Elon in December, then had the incredible 30 points and 16 assists in the 118-115 win over Wake Forest this past Feb. 13. Clemson is now 5-1 in games it has had a player record at least 20 points and double figures in assists in the same game.
Clemson Players 20 points, 10 assists in Same GamePlayer Opponent Date Pts AstChris Whitney Florida St. 3-12-1993 20 10Terrell McIntyre Georgia Tech 2-28-1999 22 10Terrell McIntyre Florida State 3-4-1999 28 10Terrell McIntyre Butler 3-18-1999 21 11Edward Scott Elon 12-15-2001 21 11Edward Scott Wake Forest 2-13-2002 30 16
Clemson 68, #5 Virginia 52 Jan. 8 at Littlejohn Coliseum Edward Scott combined for 42 points, including 26 in the second half, to lead Clemson to a 68-52 victory over fifth-ranked (USA Today) Virginia on Jan. 8 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was Clemson’s first win over the Cavaliers since the 1998-99 season, Larry Shyatt first year as Clemson head coach. It was also the highest ranked Virginia team Clemson has defeated in history. McKnight scored a career-high 25 points in the contest. He scored nine field goals for the second straight game, including three three-point shots. The only senior on the Clemson team had 18 points in the second half, including six of Clemson’s final 10 points. It was his second consecutive 20-point scoring game.
Scott scored 17 points, his high point total in an ACC game to that point in his career. He scored 7-13 from the field, including 3-4 on three-point shots. All three of the three-point goals were near the 25-foot range.
Tony Stockman added 10 points and four assists, while Ray Henderson had eight points and nine rebounds. Clemson shot 42.1 percent from the three-point arc to raise its record to 5-0 in 2001-02 when shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range. The Tigers employed a match-up zone the entire game and Virginia made just 2-25 three-point shots against that defense. Virginia came into the game shooting 38.8 percent on three-point shots, best in the ACC. Roger Mason, Jr. was the only Cavalier to score in double figures as he contributed 19 points. Travis Watson, who came into the game averaging a double-double, had just six points and six rebounds. Both teams struggled offensively at the outset. The Tigers made just 1 for their first 12 shots from the field, while Virginia was just 6 for their first 18. Clemson held a seven-point lead at 19-12 at the 9:35 mark on a three-point goal by Stockman. Virginia came back to tie the contest at 25 on a free throw by Keith Jennifer at the 1:20 mark. Clemson led at intermission, 27-25 on a field goal by Scott with 1:05 left.
Mason scored four of the six Virginia field goals over the first nine minutes of the half. Clemson had a 44-38 lead with 11 minutes left. But, Clemson then went on a 14-3 run from the 10:35 mark to the 6:53 mark and had a 58-41 lead on a three-point goal by McKnight. Virginia never got closer than 15 points the remainder of the night.
Clemson Had Balanced Team Clemson had 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 had four players averaging in double figures, in fact, at least 11.6 points per game. No Clemson team had had four players average in double figures over the course of the season since 1971-72. The balance continued in ACC play as four players scored in double figures on a per game basis in the conference games. Tony Stockman led the team in scoring in ACC games with 14.1, while Jamar McKnight was second at 13.7 and Edward Scott was third at 13.3 points a game. Chris Hobbs added 12 a game in ACC play.
Clemson was the only school in the ACC with four players who had scoring averages of at least 11.6 points per game.
Clemson has averaged 75.1 points a game in ACC play, ahead of its 74.9 average overall. Clemson has shot 34.7 percent in three-point shooting in league play, ahead of its 31.7 percent overall.
Bruise Brothers Leading Inside Game Clemson frontcourt players Chris Hobbs were a strong duo on the inside in 2001-02 and both will be back next year. They combined for 23 points and 22 rebounds against third-ranked Maryland on Jan. 20. They had 32 points and 24 rebounds in the double overtime win over Wake Forest. They were especially outstanding in overtime. Henderson had eight points and six rebounds in overtime, while Hobbs had 10 points and three rebounds in the extra 10 minutes. Hobbs ranked fourth on the team in scoring with a 11.6 average, while Henderson was fifth on the team with an 8.1 average. They were the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson had an 8.8 rebounding average and Hobbs was at 6.1 per game. Henderson was second in the ACC in rebounds per game. Both shot at least 54 percent from the field.
Both have double-double potential. Henderson had nine double-doubles this year, more than he had all of last year and among the top five ACC players. Hobbs had three double-doubles, including the win over Georgia Tech and the win at Penn State. He had a monster game against Wake Forest on Feb. 13 with 24 points and 17 rebounds. Henderson and Hobbs, both from the state of North Carolina, were the major reason Clemson led t he ACC in rebounding.
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 Doom Category 1988-89 2001-02 Campbell-Davis Hobbs-Henderson Points/Game 30.8 19.7 Rebounds/Game 16.6 14.9 Field Goal % .594 .543 Free Throw % .666 .625 Minutes/Game 51.7 49.2
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 fourth overall. He made eight three-point goals at North Carolina on Feb. 27 to tie a Clemson single game record. All eight were in the first half, which set a Clemson mark for one half. Stockman now has 155 three-point goals for his career, fourth in school history.
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 155 three-point goals in just 59 games, an average of 2.63 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/Game Rk Name Yrs Years Md GP 3G/G 1. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 167 58 2.88 2. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 155 59 2.63 3. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 214 94 2.28 4. Michael Tait 2 1985-87 70 31 2.26 5. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 259 126 2.06 6. Marc Campbell 4 1980-84 37 19 1.95 7. Anthony Jenkins 4 1982-87 91 47 1.94 8. Jeff Brown 2 1992-94 82 55 1.49 9. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 129 88 1.46 10. 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. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 59 416 155 5. Andrius Jurkunas 4 1995-00 115 414 146 6. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 138 7. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 88 336 129 8. Merl Code 4 1993-97 97 371 125 9. Andre Bovain 4 1990-94 108 326 107 10. Tony Christie 4 1995-99 115 315 106
Clemson Rebounding Third Best in School History Clemson was strong on the glass in 2001-02. The Tigers were out-rebounded just seven times in 30 games this season. Clemson had a +5.1 rebound margin over the 30 games, third best rebounding margin in school history. That is saying something for a school that has produced NBA players Tree Rollins, Horace Grant, Larry Nance, Dale Davis and Elden Campbell.
The Clemson record for rebound margin over the course of a season is +8.2 per game, a mark established by Larry Shyatt first Clemson team (1998-99). That team ranked eighth in the nation in rebound margin. Harold Jamison led that club with a 9.9 figure, 18th best in the country. This year”s team has been in the top 20 all year. Clemson led the ACC in rebound margin, the first the Tigers have done that since the 1984-85 season. Clemson has now led the ACC in rebounding just six times in the 49 years of the ACC.
Ray Henderson did his best to impersonate Jamison on this Clemson team. The junior from Charlotte averaged 8.8 rebounds per game, second best in the ACC. Henderson’s rebound stat is impressive considering he played just 23.6 minutes per game. Jamison played 29 minutes a game when he averaged 9.9 rebounds per contest in 1998-99. Clemson had a 62-48 rebound margin in the win over Wake Forest. That tied for the most rebounds in a game by a Clemson team since 1970.
Clemson's top Rebound Margin SeasonsYear Mar1998-99 +8.21975-76 +5.82001-02 +5.11985-86 +4.91984-85 +4.91974-75 +4.91989-90 +4.51996-97 +4.5
Clemson 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 a 0-18 slump from the field for Scott over three games.
Scott’s shot seemed to give the Tigers momentum as it went into the locker room. Clemson went on a 14-6 run to open the second half to extend the advantage to double figures, 51-40 with 15:21 left. The margin grew to 14 points at 57-43 on a layup inside by Hobbs, who scored nine points in the first eight minutes of the second half. Tech closed the margin to three points at 70-67 with five minutes left, but that was as close as the Yellow Jackets could get. A three-point goal by Scott with 3:10 left gave Clemson a seven-point lead and the margin grew back to 10 points with 40 seconds left on a free throw by Ray Henderson. Tony Akins hit a three-point goal at the buzzer to bring the margin back to seven points.
Clemson Wins at Tech in Football and Basketball Clemson recorded victories at Georgia Tech in football and men’s basketball this academic year. This is the first time since 1986-87 and just the second year in history that Clemson has won in Atlanta in those two high profile sports in the same year. In 1986-87, Clemson won the football game by a 27-3 score, then won the basketball game behind Horace Grant and a late shot by Michael Tait, 67-66.
Earlier this year Clemson defeated Georgia Tech on the gridiron at Grant Field, 47-44 in overtime. At the end of the first half of that game, Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler scored on a 38-yard run on the last play of the half, giving Clemson momentum going into the locker room. Edward Scott recorded the basketball version of that play when he made a 25-foot three-point shot to end the first half of the basketball game on Jan. 5. Clemson went on to win the basketball game by a touchdown, 83-76.
Clemson Was Solid vs. Ranked Opponents In some areas, Clemson played better against top 25 teams as opposed to unranked teams in 2001-02. Clemson was 2-7 against teams ranked in the top 25 and Clemson’s average scoring margin in those nine games was just -7.9 points per game. In four games against Maryland and Duke the Tigers were outscored by just 12.8 points per game. Clemson had four straight games against top 25 teams between Feb. 2-16, just the fifth time in school history that has happened.
Clemson was 1-3 in those games. The last time Clemson faced four straight ranked opponents was the 1992-93 season when Clemson played a record five in a row between Feb. 8, 1993 and Feb. 24, 1993. Clemson had a 1-4 record in those five games with the only win a victory over a second-ranked North Carolina team.
Clemson was 2-7 against top-25 teams last year. The victories came over a #5 Virginia team and a #17 Wake Forest team. It marked the first time since the 1997-98 season that Clemson has beaten at least two top-25 teams in one year. The 1997-98 Tigers defeated three top-25 teams that year. The single season record is six, set in 1979-80 when Bill Foster’s Tigers went to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Larry Shyatt has two wins over top-five teams since he has been at Clemson. He beat a #1 ranked North Carolina team last year and the win over #5 Virginia earlier this year. He is already ahead of his predecessor Rick Barnes in that department. Barnes had just one win over a top-five team in his four years at Clemson, a victory over #3 Kentucky in 1996-97. Cliff Ellis, Clemson’s coach prior to Barnes, had just two top five wins in his 10 seasons. Bill Foster holds the Clemson coaching record for career wins over top five teams with six.
Phillips Has Broadcast 1000 Games Clemson Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Phillips provided play by play commentary on his 1000th Clemson men’s basketball game when the Tigers opened play in the ACC Tournament against Florida State on March 7, 2002 in Charlotte.
Phillips, a native of Ohio, has been the Voice of the Tigers since the 1968-69 season. He just concluded his 34th year behind the microphone and has worked 34 ACC Tournaments. Earlier in 2002, he broadcast his 500th game in Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson’s historic 118-115 double overtime win over Wake Forest. He has missed just one game in Littlejohn in 34 years. Ironically, that was the Feb. 6 game against Georgia Tech, the game that would have been his 500th. He missed that game with a case of the flu.
As far as his favorite games in Clemson history, Phillips has listed three, in no particular order. Two of the three were wins over Kentucky. In the 1979 NIT, Clemson won at Kentucky 68-67 in overtime. The other Kentucky game took place in Indianapolis in the RCA Dome, a 79-71 overtime game that opened a Sweet 16 season in 1996-97. His third favorite took place at the 1996 ACC Tournament in Greensboro, a 75-73 win over North Carolina, a game that was won on a dunk by Greg Buckner with 0.6 seconds remaining.
Phillips first broadcast of a Clemson basketball game was on November 30, 1968, a 76-72 Clemson win over Georgia Tech. That was the dedication game of Littlejohn Coliseum. The second game was an 86-85 loss at home to an LSU team led by Pete Maravich.
Clemson Has Played Well vs. Duke and Maryland While Clemson finished in a tie for seventh in the ACC standings this year, the Tigers did play well against Duke and Maryland in four games in 2001-02. A look to the results tells us that Clemson was second to Virginia among ACC teams when it came to average margin against the top two ACC teams. Clemson was the only team among the bottom seven not to suffer at least one 20-point loss to Duke or Maryland.
Clemson was -51 points for the four games against Duke and Maryland in regular season play. Duke outscored Clemson by 26 points in the two meetings and Maryland outscored the Tigers by 25 in the two meetings. Virginia had the best margin against Duke and Maryland with a combined -34. After Clemson’s -51, the other five ACC teams were -75 total points or worse. North Carolina was last at -102.
ACC Teams Combined Point Differentials vs. Duke and Maryland Team vs. Duke Mar vs. Mary Mar Tot Mar Virginia -13, +3 -10 -4, -20 -24 -34 Clemson -16, -10 -26 -9, -16 -25 -51 Wake Forest -23, -29 -52 -22, -1 -23 -75 NC State -19, -37 -56 -16, -7 -23 -79 Georgia Tech -25, -32 -57 -5, -20 -25 -82 Florida State +1, -31 -30 -21, -33 -52 -82 North Carolina -29, -25 -54 -33, -15 -48 -102
Clemson Overcomes Double-Digit Halftime Deficit Clemson overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to gain victory to beat both Wofford and Penn State in 2001-02. 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 just as impressive a 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 also overcame a 10-point deficit in the win over Florida State on Feb. 23. Clemson trailed 18-8, then came back to win 87-78.
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
Robinson, Akingbala Sign with Clemson Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt has announced the signing of his first two members of his 2002 freshman class. On Nov. 14, the first day of the early signing period, 6-2 guard Shawan Robinson and 6-9 forward Akin Akingbala each signed a national letter of intent. Robinson attends Leesville Road High School in Raleigh and is considered one of the top players in North Carolina and a top-100 player nationally. He averaged 16 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game last year.
Robinson is ranked in the top-100 in the nation by All-Star Sports and by Hoop Scoop. A first-team all-conference player the last two years, he combined with current Florida State freshman Anthony Richardson to lead Leesville Road to the state championship game last year. His father, Darryl Robinson, is the Leesville Road High School head coach.
“Shawan will be a tremendous asset to Clemson University and our basketball program,” said Shyatt. “He comes to us from a wonderful family and is an excellent student. You can tell he is the son of a coach. He is an excellent combo guard who will help us immediately as a primary ball handler and deep shooter.”
Akingbala, a native of Lagos, Nigeria, is a senior at The Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT. He averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and six blocked shots per game a year ago. He had a high of 11 blocked shots in a game and shot 68 percent from the field.
Akingbala led his team to a 19-6 record last year and a runner-up finish in the New England Prep School Championships. The Brunswick School won the New England Championship his sophomore year. Akingbala was ranked among the top-100 rising seniors for 2001-02 by Hoop Scoop this past summer.
“Akin is an athletic and enthusiastic leaper,” said Shyatt. “He has excellent desire, especially on the defensive end where he is an intimidating shot blocker. His athletic ability on the soccer field and in basketball is eye-catching. He too fits exactly what we are looking for in our program. He has excellent academic credentials.”
Clemson Competitive vs. #1 Duke Duke 98, Clemson 88 Feb. 2, 2002 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.
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.
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. He is third in the NBA in field goal percentage.
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 for the 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. He is first in the ACC in free throw shooting. 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 16 games through March 3. He had a double-double against Miami on Feb. 20 with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Will Solomon, Clemson’s leading scorer last year with a 19.7 average, is averaging 13 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 March 4, 2002) Player Team GP Min PPG Reb FG% FT% Greg Buckner Dallas 22 20.7 6.0 4.0 .519 .654 Elden Campbell Charlotte 59 29.5 15.1 7.2 .492 .787 Dale Davis Portland 57 31.4 9.9 9.2 .533 .687 Horace Grant Orlando 55 28.9 8.3 6.4 .532 .728 Will Solomon Memphis 45 13.6 4.9 1.0 .331 .595 Chris Whitney Washington 58 27.2 10.3 *3.6 .413 .912 Harold Jamison LA Clippers 16 7.6 2.1 1.7 .484 .429 *Denotes Assist average
December 9, 2024
December 7, 2024
December 6, 2024
December 4, 2024
