Purnell, Hammonds to Take Part in DiGiorno College All-Star Game

April 2, 2008

Clemson, SC – The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced rosters Wednesday for the 2008 DiGiorno College All-Star Game, which will be held Friday at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX. Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell will lead the National All-Star team, which will have senior captain Cliff Hammonds on its roster. For the first time in the history of the event, the game will be played on the floor at the Final Four venue. The game will tip at 6:00 PM Eastern time and will be televised by CSTV.

Purnell, who served as NABC President for the 2006-07 season, will face a familiar coach in retired South Carolina mentor Dave Odom, who is in charge of the American team. Purnell will be assisted by the Tiger coaching staff Friday. Purnell led the Tigers to a 24-10 record this season and #22 final ranking by the Associated Press. He also directed the Clemson program to its first NCAA Tournament bid in 10 years and first appearance in the ACC Tournament championship game since 1962.

The game will feature 22 of the nation’s finest college seniors. Hammonds finished his outstanding career at Clemson as the school record-holder for games played (134), games started (133), consecutive starts (130), and minutes played (4,285). He is one of five players in ACC history with at least 1,400 points, 400 rebounds, 400 assists, and 200 steals in a career. He finished his four years with 1,465 points, which ranks ninth all-time among Clemson basketball players.

Hammonds was third-team All-ACC after leading the Tigers in assists (133) and steals (66), and ranking second on the team with 11.4 points per game. He was an All-District III selection according to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. Hammonds was awarded the first-ever “Skip” Prosser Award at the ACC Tournament, which is given to the top scholar-athlete men’s basketball player in the league.

Among those Purnell will coach Friday will be Vanderbilt standout Shan Foster, All-ACC player DeMarcus Nelson from Duke, Jonathan Wallace from Georgetown, and Texas A&M forward Joseph Jones. Josh Duncan, who led Xavier to the Elite Eight last weekend, will also play for the Nationals.

National Team Roster Jonathan Wallace, Georgetown Marcelus Kemp, NevadaCliff Hammonds, Clemson DeMarcus Nelson, Duke Ramel Bradley, Kentucky Shan Foster, Vanderbilt Will Daniels, Rhode Island Aleks Maric, Nebraska Josh Duncan, Xavier Joseph Jones, Texas A&M Jason Thompson, RiderHead Coach: Oliver Purnell, Clemson

American Team Roster Mike Green, Butler Sundiata Gaines, Georgia Jaycee Carroll, Utah State Robert McKiver, Houston Charles Rhodes, Mississippi State Brian Butch, Wisconsin James Gist, Maryland Brian Randle, Illinois Robbie Cowgill, Washington State Alex Harris, UC Santa Barbara David Padgett, Louisville Head Coach: Dave Odom, South Carolina (retired)