Men’s Basketball Returns Home to Face Wofford

Nov. 24, 2001

CLEMSON, SC – After playing its first three games in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Clemson returns to Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday for its home opener against Wofford. The game will begin at 7:00 PM.

Clemson is 2-1 this season after opening with wins over Morris Brown (70-57) and La Salle (81-69) to advance to the championship game of the Paradise Jam, where it lost to Miami (FL) 67-65.

“It was important for us to experience playing on the road for the first three games of the year,” said Head Coach Larry Shyatt. “But it will be a pleasure to return to what looks to be a full house at Littlejohn Coliseum.”

The Tigers play five of their first seven games on the road to open the season just as they will open ACC play with five of its first seven conference games away from Littlejohn Coliseum. In addition to the three games in the Caribbean, Clemson will play at Penn State (Nov. 28) and Duke (Dec. 2) with home games against Wofford and Coastal Carolina (Nov. 30). Clemson will play five straight games at home between Dec. 5-22.

Junior guard Ed Scott leads the Tigers with 11.7 points and 5.3 assists per game. He scored a career-high 25 points in the win over La Salle on Monday. Ray Henderson is the team’s top rebounder with 9.3 rebounds per game. In all, Clemson has four players scoring in double figures. Guard Tony Stockman averaged 11.3 points per game in the first three games after equaling his career high in points with 23 points vs. Morris Brown. Sophomore forward Chris Hobbs is averaging 11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, while senior forward Jamar McKnight is averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest.

Clemson will be without the services of Stockman for two to four weeks after the sophomore had surgery Friday after an MRI revealed that he had a “Bucket Handle Tear of his medial meniscus in his right knee,” said Clemson basketball trainer “Raz” Razayeski.

“We had the opportunity to play quality teams without Tony Stockman in the Virgin Islands,” Shyatt said. “We will continue to look for different combinations of young players.”

Leading the Terriers is guard Justin Stephens who is averaging 14.3 points and 4.3 assists per game. Three Wofford players are averaging in double figures after wins over Sacramento State (56-46) and Toccoa Falls (94-42) and a loss to Memphis (61-88).

Clemson leads the all-time series with Wofford 42-14 and has won seven of the last eight games in the series, including last year’s meeting by a score of 78-74. Stockman was the top Tiger against Wofford in that game. Getting the start for a suspended Will Solomon, Stockman scored 23 points on 9-17 shooting, including 4-7 from beyond the three-point arch. After fighting back from a 20-point deficit, Wofford took a 72-71 lead late in the game before Clemson outscored the Terriers 7-1 in the final two minutes for the four-point victory. The last Wofford win in the series was in 2000 at Littlejohn Coliseum, when the Terriers claimed a 79-74 victory.

Please note the game was originally scheduled for a 4:00 PM start, but it will begin at 7:00 PM.