Pair of Prospects Sign National Letters of Intent with Clemson Basketball

Nov. 10, 2010

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson men’s basketball program announced the signing of a pair of prospects to national letters of intent on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Bernard Sullivan, a 6-foot-8 forward from Charlotte, NC, and T.J. Sapp, a 6-foot-3 guard from Oakland Park, FL, are slated to play for the Tigers beginning in 2011.

“We’re very excited to add Bernard and T.J. to our program,” said Brad Brownell, Clemson’s first-year head coach. “The common thread with both of these players is their versatility. They can both play multiple positions, which really helps us on the offensive end of the floor. Both kids come to Clemson from terrific families and successful high school programs and are excited about where Tiger basketball is headed for the future.”

Sullivan is a consensus top-100 prospect according to the national recruiting services. He is listed as high as the No. 70 overall prospect by Rivals.com, and is also No. 78 by Scout.com and No. 89 overall on the latest list by ESPNU. Sullivan is one of the nation’s top 20 power forward prospects according to all three services.

Sullivan was a three-time all-conference selection at North Mecklenburg High School before transferring to Davidson Day School this fall. He averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds per game as a junior and played in the North-South “Battle of the Classes” All-Star Game last September. Sullivan was also MVP of the 2009 Wilmington Holiday Classic and made the U17 All-Tournament Team at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions on the AAU circuit this past summer.

“Bernard has the size to both rebound and finish plays around the basket,” Brownell said. “However, he also has a very good skill set which should allow him to step away from the basket and make shots or drive the ball in our motion offense.”

Sapp is a combo guard that comes to the Tiger program from south Florida. He was an All-Broward County selection last season according to the Miami Herald after averaging 19.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Sapp led Northeast High School to a No. 2 ranking in the AAAAA Florida state poll during his junior season. He is listed as a three-star prospect by all the major recruiting services.

“T.J. should help us fill the void left by Demontez Stitt, as he is also a bigger guard who can make shots and handle the ball,” Brownell said. “He’s a very competitive young man with a good feel for how to play the game.”