Tigers Host Tar Heels On Sunday

Jan. 26, 2002

Game 21: Clemson vs. North Carolina Sunday, Jan. 27, 2002 6:00 PM (EST) Littlejohn Coliseum (11,020) Clemson, SC

TV: Fox Sports Net Play By Play: Bob Neal Color Analyst: Dan Bonner Guest Analyst: Bobby Conrad Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports Properties Play By Play: Jim Phillips Color Analyst: Tim Bourret

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Clemson vs. North Carolina Series

Overall, North Carolina holds a 109-17 lead in the series withClemson that dates to a 48-24 North Carolina win in Chapel Hill in1926. Clemson’s first win in the series took place 53 years ago,when Clemson upset North Carolina in the 1939 Southern ConferenceTournament behind Banks McFadden, 44-43. Clemson went on to win itsonly postseason tournament title at the event. Clemson’s only otherwin in the series before 1964 took place in Tigertown, 77-69 in1952. It is well documented that Clemson has lost 47 straight gamesin Chapel Hill. Clemson is 0-47 against the Tar Heels in that citysince that first game in the series in 1926. The closest Clemsonhas come to victory took place in 1973-74, a 61-60 North Carolinavictory. That was Tree Rollins’s freshman season. North Carolinawon two of the three meetings last year. Clemson’s win took placeat Clemson on Feb. 18 and Clemson broke the Tar Heels 18-gamewinning streak that Sunday afternoon, 75-65. North Carolina was #1ranked entering the game, and it was just the second win over #1 inClemson history. North Carolina has won five of the seven meetingswith Clemson since Larry Shyatt became head coach of the Tigers.Both Clemson wins were over top-10 North Carolina teams. Clemsondefeated a ninth-ranked North Carolina team, 78-63 in 1998-99,Larry Shyatt first year as Clemson head coach. The other victorywas the aforementioned win over #1 UNC last year. Shyatt hasalready exceeded the victory total Rick Barnes had against NorthCarolina. Barnes was 1-9 against North Carolina in his four years.But, that one win was a landmark victory. Greg Buckner’s dunk with0.6 seconds left gave Clemson a 75-73 win in Greensboro in the 1996ACC Tournament. It is Clemson’s only win in history over the TarHeels in the ACC Tourney. That was Clemson’s first over NorthCarolina in the state of North Carolina since 1967 (North-SouthDoubleheader in Charlotte). Clemson won four out of eight gamesplayed between 1964-67. That is the most wins for Clemson in afour-year period against the Tar Heels. The Tigers swept NorthCarolina in 1963-64. The road win was in Charlotte at theNorth-South Doubleheader, not in Chapel Hill. Clemson has defeatedNorth Carolina in consecutive seasons just twice, 1978-79 and1979-80, and 1988-89 and 1989-90. A victory Sunday would mark athird occasion. Clemson is 13-31 against North Carolina in gamesplayed at Clemson, including 10-21 in Littlejohn Coliseum, 0-47 inChapel Hill and 4-31 in games played at neutral sites.

Last Year vs. North Carolina North Carolina 92, Clemson 65 Jan. 17, 2001 at Chapel Hill, NC North Carolina used a balanced attack, a 24/12 assist/turnover ratio and 12 made three-point goals in defeating Clemson 92-65 on Jan. 17, 2001. It was the 47th straight victory for North Carolina over the Tigers in Chapel Hill.

Clemson was led by Will Solomon, who scored 17 points, but 15 of those came in the first 12 minutes of the game. North Carolina made a point of stopping him after his 6-9 shooting start. Dwon Clifton added nine points, as did Jamar McKnight, who played just 11 minutes. Clemson held its own in terms of rebounding, tying the larger Tar Heels 41-41 in that area. A big difference came in the area of turnovers, where North Carolina committed only 12, while the Tigers had 20. North Carolina had nine blocked shots, including six by senior center Brendan Haywood. Joseph Forte led North Carolina in scoring with 13, while Kris Lang added 13. Jason Capel had 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Clemson center Adam Allenspach played just seven minutes due to back spasms and did not score. Freshman Chris Hobbs, returning to his hometown of Chapel Hill, had eight rebounds in just 13 minutes, but fouled out. Ray Henderson, also a North Carolina native, had eight rebounds in 23 minutes.

Clemson was competitive for the first 15 minutes, trailing by just 34-26. But, North Carolina extended the lead to 44-31 by intermission. The Tigers made just three of their first 16 shots and committed seven turnovers over the first seven minutes of the second half. North Carolina used a 20-4 run during that time to take a 29-point lead.

Clemson finally got its offense untracked in the last five minutes of the game, scoring 20 points in that time period. Clemson shot 39 percent for the game, including 38 percent on three-point shots. North Carolina hit 51 percent from the field, including 12-27 on three-point goals. Six different Tar Heels made at least one three-point goal, including point guard Ronald Curry, who was 2-3 from long range.

Clemson 75, #1 North Carolina 65 February 18, 2001 at Clemson, SC Clemson rode a 26-point performance from Will Solomon, plus 16 from freshman guard Tony Stockman and upset number-one ranked North Carolina 75-65 at a sold out Littlejohn Coliseum on Feb. 18, 2001. It was just the second time in Clemson history and the first time in 21 years that the Tigers upset the nation’s top ranked team.

Clemson also had outstanding play off the bench from Jamar McKnight and Tomas Nagys. McKnight, who had scored just 27 points in ACC play all year, had eight points in 17 minutes off the bench. He made 4-7 shots, had five rebounds and did not commit a turnover. Nagys had five points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. His two field goals were spectacular and were scored in the clutch. One was a three-pointer, just the second of his career, and another was a diving shot from 10 feet out over Julius Peppers. They were scored on consecutive Clemson possessions that gave the Tigers a nine-point lead with nine minutes left.

Solomon scored his 26 points in just 25 minutes. He also had four rebounds and three assists and connected on 5-12 three-point shots. Stockman scored 4-9 three-point goals in tallying his 16 points. He had just one turnover in 35 minutes of play. Point guard Edward Scott had nine points, four assists and no turnovers in 34 minutes. Freshman Chris Hobbs added six points and a team best eight rebounds. North Carolina was led by Jason Capel, Brendan Haywood and Joseph Forte, who all scored 16 points apiece. Forte entered the game second in the ACC in scoring behind Will Solomon by just two total points (489-487). But, the gifted North Carolina guard made just 6-19 shots from the field, 0-4 on three-point attempts.

The much smaller Tigers won the rebounding battle, 44-41. Both teams committed just seven turnovers. It was the lowest turnover total all year for the Tigers. North Carolina made just 38.5 percent of its field goal attempts, its low figure for the year. That included just 1-14 three-point shots in the second half. The Tar Heels made just 7-15 from the foul line.

North Carolina held a 35-30 lead at intermission behind 13 points from Jason Capel. Clemson held Forte to just one point in the first half. Clemson was led by Stockman and Solomon with eight points apiece.

The Tar Heels expanded the margin to seven at 37-30 to open the second half. But, Will Solomon scored 10 consecutive points in a 3:04 time span to tie the score at 42. A reverse layup by Jamar McKnight at the 15:11 mark, put Clemson up 44-42. North Carolina never regained the lead. Clemson went on a 7-0 run, five of the points by Nagys, to take a 54-45 lead at the 9:11 mark.

Forte finally got going at this point. He scored eight straight points at one stretch, then a Brendan Haywood dunk brought North Carolina to within 61-60 with 3:48 left. He was called for a technical on the play for grabbing the rim. Will Solomon made the free throw, then Clemson missed a shot. On the next possession, freshman Tony Stockman stole the ball and scored to give Clemson a 64-60 lead.

Chris Hobbs baseline drive gave Clemson a 66-62 lead, then Tony Stockman made a three-point shot with 44 seconds left to give Clemson a seven-point lead. The Tigers made 7-7 free throws in the last minute to ice the game. Clemson went on an 11-3 run to finish off the Tar Heels.

How Shocking an Upset? Here are some facts on Clemson’s upset of #1 North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2001:

Clemson had lost eight straight games, while North Carolina,ranked number-one in the nation, had won 18 in a row. NorthCarolina was first in the ACC standings with a perfect 11-0 record,while Clemson was last with a 1-10 mark. Clemson was coming off a34-point loss at N.C. State, its largest margin of defeat againstthe Pack since 1955. North Carolina had eight days to prepare forthe game. Clemson entered in the game with an eight-game losingstreak, its longest since 1971-72 when it had a nine-game losingstreak. North Carolina’s 18-game winning streak was the longest inthe nation and the Tar Heels longest since 1986-87. Clemson hadlost 19 in a row to the nation’s number-one ranked team dating toJan. 9, 1980, an 87-82 overtime victory against #1 Duke. Clemsonwas 1-22 lifetime against the number-one team in the nation headinginto the contest. Clemson had been 0-10 when playing a #1 rankedNorth Carolina team. Clemson had been 0-9 against top-25 teams in2000-01 and had lost 12 in a row over ranked teams dating to lastyear’s win over 21st ranked North Carolina State. Clemson had been1-12 in 2000-01 when trailing at halftime. The Tigers trailed 35-30at halftime of this game. It was just the third time since the1952-53 season that Clemson had trailed at the half against NorthCarolina, then came back to gain victory. Clemson had been 8-20all-time in games played on Feb. 18, Clemson’s worst winningpercentage of the 29 days in the month of February. Matt Dohertyhad never lost as a player or coach to Clemson, 10-0 as a player,1-0 as a coach. You can make a case that Clemson’s 75-65 win over#1 North Carolina on Feb. 18, 2001 was the biggest upset in collegebasketball in 23 years. What is the basis? Clemson’s victory markedthe first time since the 1978-79 season that a team with a losingrecord after Jan. 15 defeated the number-one team in the nation.

Doherty Returns to Littlejohn North Carolina coach Matt Doherty had a perfect 4-0 record as a player in Littlejohn Coliseum between 1980-84. In fact, Doherty never lost any game to Clemson in his career (10-0). Clemson gave the Tar Heels a good game each time at Littlejohn, losing by an average of 8.5 points a game. For the four games at Littlejohn, Doherty shot 10-25 from the field, 7-8 from the line, had 17 rebounds and 27 points (6.8 per game). He had an outstanding 12/2 assist/turnover ratio on the four games combined and averaged 35.5 minutes per game. He had one double figure scoring game, 11 points and six assists as a senior in a 82-71 North Carolina win.

Doherty had 28 points against Clemson in the 1983 ACC Tournament as a junior. He connected on 5-6 three-point goals in the game. Michael Jordan matched his point total in North Carolina’s victory at The Omni in Atlanta.

Clemson with Better Record than North Carolina This is the first time since the 1996-97 season that Clemson enters a game with North Carolina with the better record. That year, for a Jan. 26, 1997 game in Chapel Hill the Tigers were 16-2 and North Carolina was 11-5. Clemson, ranked a program-best second in the nation in the AP poll entering the contest, was 5-1 in the ACC, while 19th-ranked North Carolina was 2-4.

North Carolina came out on top in that game, 61-48 at the Smith Center. Later that year, Clemson was 20-7 (.741) and North Carolina 19-6 (.760) entering the game at Clemson. The Tar Heels won that game also, 76-69. Clemson went on to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament that year, while North Carolina reached the Final Four.

Entering this Sunday’s game, Clemson is 11-9 overall, 2-5 in the ACC, while North Carolina is 5-11 overall and 1-5 in the ACC.

Veterans Career Stats vs. North Carolina Tony Stockman has a 11.3 scoring average for his career and is shooting 40 percent on three-point goals… Stockman’s three-point goal with 44 seconds left gave Clemson a seven-point lead on the way to the 10-point triumph… Ray Henderson has a Denis Rodman-like 22 points and 31 rebounds stat line against the Tar Heels for his career… Edward Scott has a 16/3 assist/turnover ratio for five games against North Carolina… Dwon Clifton is a 35 percent shooter for his career overall, but is 4-8 overall and 2-3 on three-point goals against the Tar Heels.

Tigers From North Carolina Four Clemson players, including starting post players Chris Hobbs and Ray Henderson, are natives of the state of North Carolina. Playing games against teams from the Tar Heel state are usually special to them. Key reserve Dwon Clifton and original walk-on now on scholarship Walker Holt are also from North Carolina.

Hobbs is from Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill High. Both his parents are North Carolina graduates. Henderson is from Charlotte and East Mecklenberg High School. Holt is from Grimsley High in Greensboro, while Clifton attended Westchester Academy and is a native of High Point. Hobbs and Henderson average 21.7 points and 15.6 rebounds per game. Both are shooting over 55 percent from the field.

This is the second largest contingent of players from the Tar Heel state on the Clemson roster. Last year six Tigers from North Carolina were on the 14-man roster. This year it is four of 15. One of Clemson’s signees for next year, Shawan Robinson, is from Raleigh, NC and Leesville Road High School.

Clemson Schedule Notes Clemson has lost four in a row since a 16-point win over Virginia on Jan. 8… Clemson had not lost consecutive games over the first 17 games of the season, now has lost four in a row… Clemson began the season with five of its first seven ACC games on the road, the only ACC team that has that kind of a schedule… it is the first time Clemson has played five of its first league games on the road since 1987-88… still, Clemson’s 2-5 league record is its best in the first half of the schedule since 1997-98 when Clemson was 3-5 for the first half of the schedule… the North Carolina game will begin a stretch of six games at home in an eight-game period… Clemson has just three ACC road games left, at Virginia (Feb. 10), at N.C. State (Feb. 16) and at North Carolina (Feb. 27)… Clemson has just one more ACC road game left during the week.

Clifton Has More Steals Than Turnovers Clemson reserve forward Dwon Clifton has struggled from the field of late, but he has contributed when it comes to defense and ball handling. Entering the North Carolina game, Clifton has 40 steals and just 39 turnovers for his 51-game career as a Clemson player. How rare is it to have more steals than turnovers? Only one other player in Clemson history who has played at least 15 games has more steals than turnovers in a career. Sean Tyson, who played for the Tigers from 1987-91, had 104 steals and just 97 turnovers for his 72-game career. The only other player who was close was Greg Buckner, who had 179 steals and 182 turnovers between 1994-98. Buckner is now with the Dallas Mavericks.

This year Clifton has 21 steals, third best on the team and just 15 turnovers. He has a 24/15 assist/turnover ratio for this year.

Clemson’s Last Outings Florida State 68, Clemson 63 Jan. 24 at Tallahassee, FL Florida State outscored Clemson14-3 over the last seven minutes of the game and went on to a 68-63 win in Tallahassee on Jan. 24. It was Clemson’s fourth straight loss overall and its fourth straight loss to the Seminoles in Tallahassee. All four of those defeats in Tallahassee have been by seven points or less.

Clemson was led by Tony Stockman, who had 22 points, including 20 in the game’s first 12:19. Jamar McKnight added 13 points, but those were the only double figure scorers for Clemson. Edward Scott scored nine and added eight assists and six rebounds. Ray Henderson had just four points, but pulled in nine rebounds. Florida State was led by Monte Cummings with 17 points, while Antwuan Dixon added 15, including three three-point goals in the last 12 minutes of the game. Clemson shot just 27.6 percent in the second half, including 1-10 on three-point goals. The Tigers made just one of their last 14 shots over the last nine minutes of the contest. Clemson was 0-8 inside the last five minutes. The Tigers held the lead in the game from the 15:17 mark of the first half until the 5:02 mark when the score was tied at 60.

Stockman made seven of his first 10 shots from the field, including 6-8 on three-point attempts in the first 12:19 to lead Clemson to a 10-point advantage at 30-20. Clemson advanced the lead to a game high 34-22 with 5:27 left. But, FSU cut the lead to one with nine seconds left. Then, Scott hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to give Clemson a 41-37 lead at intermission.

Normally the first five minutes of the second half will have a big bearing on the final outcome. That was not the case in this game. Clemson brought the lead to 47-37 three minutes into the second half on a jumper by Ray Henderson. Clemson still led by eight at 58-50 with 9:19 left on a dunk by freshman Sharrod Ford off a feed from Scott. But Clemson would score just one field goal by Ford the rest of the game, as the Seminoles turned up the defense.

It was still a 60-60 game at the final media timeout, but FSU went on an 8-3 run to close the game. Monte Cummings made 4-4 free throws down the stretch that were key to the FSU win.

Clemson won the rebound battle 42-39 and won the offensive rebounds 17-11. Despite this offensive rebound margin, Clemson scored just four second-chance points the entire game. FSU scored 11. The Seminoles attempted 28 free throws and made 17, while Clemson attempted just 10 and made seven. It was the 18th-straight loss for Clemson when the opposition made more free throws than Clemson attempted. Florida State was whistled for just 13 fouls the entire game and Clemson never got into the 1-1 until the final 2:18 of the game.

Bobby Conrad Back at Clemson Former Clemson point guard Bobby Conrad will return to Clemson this weekend to provide commentary as a guest analyst on the Clemson vs. North Carolina game. The contest will be televised by FOX Sports Net to the entire nation. For each Sunday evening game the network employs a guest analyst that played for the host institution. This Sunday, he will actually introduce the broadcast from a mock trial scene in Clemson Municipal Court.

Conrad played for the Tigers from 1976-80 and was the starting point guard on Clemson’s most successful NCAA Tournament team in history, the 1980 squad that reached the Final Eight of the NCAA Tournament. He is now one of the top federal prosecutors in the Carolinas. The 43-year-old Conrad was confirmed by the United States Senate as United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina this past fall.

United States Senator Jesse Helms recommended that President George Bush nominate Conrad. Conrad became a national figure last year when he was named by then United States Attorney General Janet Reno to head up Justice Department’s task force investigating illegal campaign fund raising. During the process in April of 2000 he questioned President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.

The Tigers were 23-9 his senior season and defeated six top 20 teams, most in a season in school history. Conrad was a three-time Academic All-ACC selection. He concluded his career with 542 points and 402 assists. He played in 116 games in his career and was a 72 percent free throw shooter. He made 8-8 free throws in clutch situations in Clemson’s 87-82 overtime victory over Duke in 1980, Clemson’s first win in history over the nation’s number-one ranked team. He still ranks fourth in school history in assists.

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 has started half the games this year with Dallas and is shooting better than 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.

Clemson at Maryland Review Maryland 99, Clemson 90 Jan. 20, 2002 at Cole Fieldhouse Clemson placed all five starters in double figures and made a school record tying 15 three-point goals, yet lost to third-ranked Maryland in College Park, 99-90 on Jan. 20. Clemson also had a +10 rebound margin and blocked six shots defensively.

Tony Stockman led the Tigers with 22 points, including 6-13 on three-point goals. Edward Scott contributed 20 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in playing all 40 minutes. The scoring total was his top effort in an ACC game as a Clemson player.

Jamar McKnight scored 10 points in the game’s first five minutes and finished the game with 19. He also had six rebounds, added a career-high four assists and was 3-4 on three-point shooting. Ray Henderson added his eighth double-double of the season as he collected 11 points, 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. Chris Hobbs had 12 points and nine rebounds to round out Clemson’s double-digit scorers.

Maryland was led by Juan Dixon with 23 points, while Lonny Baxter added 21. Chris Wilcox was the top Terp overall with 17 points and a game high 14 rebounds. Drew Nicholas added 14 points and six assists off the bench. Steve Blake scored just three points, but had 13 assists in running the Maryland offense. Byron Mouton scored 14 points, including 4-6 on three-point goals. Mouton had made just seven three-point goals all year entering the game.

The contest was close throughout as there were 19 lead changes and 13 ties in the game, including 15 lead changes in the first half. Clemson made seven of its first eight shots from the field and led 24-23 at the 12:32 mark of the first half.

McKnight, Scott and Stockman connected on long-range jumpers, while Maryland scored from the inside. Tiger turnovers were a key in the first half as Maryland had a 19-1 lead in points off turnovers at intermission. It was a 52-48 lead for Maryland at intermission. Clemson made 11-16 three-point attempts in the first half, a school record for made three-point goals in a half.

Maryland pushed the lead to 11 points at 62-51 at the 16:07 mark of the second half and it appeared the Tigers were wilting. But, Clemson struck back and tied the score at 67 on a layup by Dwon Clifton. The score remained close the rest of the game. The contest was tied at 72, 74, and 80. Clemson took an 83-82 lead with 4:41 left on a layup by Chris Hobbs.

But, Maryland made some clutch three-point baskets down the stretch, one by Nicholas and one by Dixon and held a 93-86 lead with 1:49 left. Clemson cut the lead to six in the final minute, but could not get a stop and the Terps had a nine-point win.

Maryland’s ability to control the ball had a lot to do with its victory. The Terps had a 27-6 assist/turnover ratio for the night, fourth best ratio ever against the Tigers.

Clemson Starting Backcourt Has Pair of 20-Point Scorers Clemson got 20 points apiece from its starting backcourt of Tony Stockman (22) and Edward Scott (20) in the Maryland contest. It was the first time both have scored at least 20 in the same game. It was the first time Clemson’s starting backcourt has each scored 20 in the same game since last year’s Georgia Tech contest when Stockman had 20 and Will Solomon scored 41 in a 111-108 loss to the Yellow Jackets in Littlejohn Coliseum.

It marked the third time this year that two different Tigers reached the 20-point mark in the same game. In the win over Georgia Tech, Jamar McKnight added 22, the only time this year the Clemson starting forwards scored at least 20 in the same game. The other occurrence came at Duke when Hobbs had 25 and Chey Christie scored 21 off the bench.

Jamar McKnight scored 19 points at Maryland, nearly giving Clemson three 20-point scorers in the same game. Each of the last two times Clemson has had three 20-point scorers in the same game the opponent was Florida State. In 1992-93 Clemson got 24 points from Sharone Wright, 23 from Devin Gray and 20 from Chris Whitney enabled Clemson to gain a 87-75 win in the ACC Tournament. Earlier that year at Tallahassee, Clemson also had three 20-point scorers in a loss to the Seminoles.

Tigers Net 15 Three-Point Goals at Maryland Three-point shooting had been a problem for Clemson much of the season, but that was not the case when Clemson played its final game ever in Cole Fieldhouse on Jan. 20. The Tigers tied a school record with 15 three-point goals in the 99-90 loss to Maryland. Clemson converted 15-28 from long range, a .565 mark.

Clemson entered the game having made just 5.3 three-point goals per game and had connected at a .303 clip, worst in the ACC. Clemson had made just 29 percent on the opponent’s home court. Clemson made 11 of 16 in the first half, a school record for made three-point goals in a half. The Tigers missed their last four three-point attempts when they were forcing threes in the final minute.

Tony Stockman made 6-13 threes in the game, Edward Scott hit 5-8 and Jamar McKnight made 3-4 in the contest. Even Tomas Nagys made his first three-point goal of the year.

Clemson’s 15 three-point goals were the most by the Tigers since Larry Shyatt became head coach. It was the highest figure since Clemson made15 against Evansville in the 1993 Rainbow Classic. The Tigers also made 15 at Virginia in 1982-83, the year the ACC used a 17-9 three-point goal line. Clemson has now made 15 three-point goals in a game three times and lost all three.

Tiger Stats Outstanding Against N.C. State and Maryland Here are some facts and figures about Clemson in its two games last week, losses to N.C. State (80-79) and at 3rd ranked Maryland (99-90).

Clemson had five players score in double figures in both games,yet lost both contests. Clemson had not lost a game under LarryShyatt when it had five players in double figures, now has lostconsecutive games in that situation. Clemson was +22 in terms ofrebound margin last week. Clemson out-rebounded N.C. State by 12 onJan. 15, then out-rebounded the Terps by 10 on Sunday night.Clemson also has had more offensive rebounds than the opposition,26-23. Clemson has shot 52 percent from the field over the last twogames, including 20-40 on three-point attempts. Five differentplayers have averaged at least 11 points a game over the last twocontests, including a 20-point average for Tony Stockman and an18.5 average for Jamar McKnight. Edward Scott has a 21/8assist/turnover ratio over the last two contests. The BruiseBrothers, Chris Hobbs, have shot 19-31 from the field over the lasttwo games combined, .613. The duo has combined for 50 points and 40rebounds in the last two games combined. So, where has the problembeen? Clemson has committed 33 turnovers and forced just 18 overthe last two games combined. A 63 percent free throw percentagealso has not helped. While Clemson has hit 20-40 three-point goalsfor 50 percent, the opposition is now far behind, hitting .456 fromlong range.

The Unusual Occurrences of Jan. 15 Clemson suffered a heart-breaking defeat against N.C. State on Jan. 15, 80-79 at Littlejohn Coliseum. There were many noteworthy accomplishments for the Tigers, figures that usually are not characteristics of a Clemson loss, or a loss for any team for that matter.

Clemson had five players in double figures, yet lost the game.Clemson had not lost a game in which it placed five players indouble figures since the 1998 NCAA tournament, a 75-72 loss toWestern Michigan. That was Rick Barnes final game as Clemson headcoach. Clemson out-rebounded N.C. State by +12, 32-20. Clemson hadwon nine of its last 10 games when out-rebounding the opposition bydouble digits. Clemson shot 61.2 percent from the field, thehighest team field goal percentage by an ACC squad this year. Itwas just the fifth time in history that Clemson had shot 60 percentfrom the field, yet lost the game. Clemson is now 40-5 in itshistory when it shoots 60 percent from the field. Clemson made morefree throws than N.C. State attempted (14-12). Clemson had an 18-2record under Coach Shyatt and had won nine straight games when itmade more free throws than the opposition attempted. Clemson shot75 percent from the field in the first half (12-16), yet trailed by11 points at intermission. Clemson committed 13 turnovers in thefirst half and that was the reason Clemson had the large deficiteven with the strong shooting numbers. It was the first time sincethe 1983-84 season that Clemson shot 75 percent in a first half,yet trailed at intermission. Clemson shot 80 percent at Virginiathat year, yet trailed 39-32 at halftime.

Tigers Shoot 60 Percent from Field… And Lose Clemson made 30 of 49 field goal attempts in its loss to N.C. State on January 15. That computes to a 62.1 field goal percentage, the best single game field goal percentage by an ACC team this year. Clemson had lost just one game since the 1986-87 season when it shot at least 60 percent from the field.

Ironically, that loss was at home to N.C. State in 1997-98. That year, Rick Barnes final season as Clemson head coach, the Tigers shot 31-50 from the field, yet lost to the Pack, 82-80. Clemson is now 21-2 since 1986-87 when it makes at least 60 percent of its field goal attempts and 40-5 all-time.

Clemson actually shot well in all three of the shooting areas against the Pack. Clemson was .621 from the field, .417 on three-point shots and .700 from the foul line, a 50-40-70 game. Clemson is now 26-7 all-time when it shoots at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from behind the arc and 70 percent from the foul line, all in the same game.

Clemson actually has lost two games in a row when shooting that well in all three areas. Clemson shot 52 percent from the field, 50 percent on three-point attempts and 81 percent from the foul line, yet lost to Georgia Tech, 111-108 last year at Littlejohn Coliseum. How good was Clemson’s 1986-87 team? That squad led by Horace Grant finished with a 25-6 record. It had 11 games that season in which it shot at least 50-40-70 in the three shooting areas. There have been just 22 such shooting games by the Tigers in the other 14 seasons combined.

Clemson 2-5 to Open ACC Schedule Clemson has opened the ACC season with a 2-4 record. The Tigers are 2-4 since the calendar turned to 2002. Getting off to a good start in ACC play has not been a characteristic of Clemson teams over the years. In fact, each of the last three Clemson teams have been just 1-7 through the first half of the ACC schedule. This team has already bettered that with two wins. A win for the Tigers against North Carolina would give Clemson three wins in the first half of the ACC schedule for the first time since 1997-98, the last time Clemson went to the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson has had a winning record in the first half of the ACC schedule just once in the last 11 years. That was in 1996-97 when Clemson was 6-2 for the first half. That Clemson team went on to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a #8 final ranking in USA Today. In the previous 48 years of the ACC, Clemson has had a winning record at the halfway point of the league schedule just eight times. Clemson has had just one other season (1995-96) in which it was break even.

Ford Has Been top Clemson Freshman Clemson reserve forward Sharrod Ford has been among Clemson’s most productive players this season. He has played 12.2 minutes per game, but still ranks in the top 12 in the ACC in blocked shots. He has 21 in the first 20 games in just 12.2 minutes per contest.

Ford has shot almost 58 percent from the field and has pulled in 3.2 rebounds and scored 4.1 points per outing. He had 11 points at Wake Forest on Jan. 12 for his third double figure scoring game of the season, his first in ACC play. Earlier this year he made 4-4 from the field and had 10 points and four rebounds in a win at Penn State. He also had 10 points in the win at Hartford.

Unlike most freshman, Ford plays better on the road than at home. As noted above, all three of his double-figure scoring games have taken place on the road. He averages 6.2 points a game on the road and just 2.9 at home this year.

Ford attended Gwynn Park High School in Maryland where he played for Steve Matthews. He averaged 15.8 points, 12 rebounds and 6.6 blocked shots per game. That blocked shot figure seemed high, but based on what he has done on a per minute basis this year, it is certainly realistic. Ford came to Clemson from Hargrave Military in Virginia where he helped that team to a 26-1 record last year by averaging a double-double.

Scott Second in Nation in Assists Clemson guard Edward Scott was second in the nation in assists through games of Jan. 21. A new ranking is issued every Tuesday afternoon. Scott had a 7.8 average through games of Jan. 21, second only to Texas guard T.J. Ford. Scott had 13 assists on Jan. 15 against N.C. State and eight against Maryland. Grayson Marshall averaged 7.71 per game in 1985-86 and that is the record for the course of an entire season.

Grayson Marshall is 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 leads the ACC in assists per game, just ahead of Steve Blake of Maryland. Delvon Arrington of Florida State is fourth, giving the ACC three of the top four assist makers in the country. No Clemson player has ever led the ACC in assists over the course of the season.

Scott Moves to Seventh on Clemson Assist List Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had 13 assists against N.C. State on Jan. 15 and jumped three spots on Clemson’s all-time assist list. He now has 352 for his career, good enough for seventh place. He needs just three against North Carolina to move into sixth place ahead of Chris Whitney. Scott is also now fourth in Clemson history in assists on a per game basis. His performance against State allowed him to move ahead of Terrell McIntyre on a per game basis.

Scott has six games of double figures in assists and eight with nine or more this year. That includes the win at Georgia Tech when he had 11 assists to go with 12 points. He had 10 points and 13 assists against State for a double-double. It was his fifth double-double of the season. In his first two years he never had more than seven assists in a single game. He had a career-high 14 assists against Charleston Southern on Dec. 22, the most assists by a Tiger since Chris Whitney had 14 against Liberty on Dec. 5, 1992.

Scott has been improved in a number of areas this year, including scoring. He has averaged 10.1 points a game this year and has had three 20-point scoring nights, the first three of his career. He recently netted 20 points, including a career-high five three-point goals, in a loss at #3 Maryland. That was his high point game in an ACC contest as a Clemson player.

Scott had 25 points on 8-12 shooting in the win over La Salle 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 Jan. 8, his career high against an ACC opponent.

Scott averages 7.8 points per game over his career, but has the 10.1 average this year. He has averaged 4.71 assists per game for his career, but stands at 7.8 assists per game this year. That is ahead of Grayson Marshall’s record pace.

And, Scott’s rebound average of 4.9 this year is ahead of his career 3.8 figure. In fact, his 4.9 rebounds per game is the best for a Clemson point guard since Doug Hoffman had a 6.0 average as the point guard in 1957-58. Scott had 10 rebounds in the loss to Yale, his career high. He had an unusual double-double in that game with 10 rebounds and 11 assists, but just one point. Six times this year 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/Game

Clemson Career Leaders in Total Assists

Clemson Looks to Reach Last Year’s win Total Clemson will be looking to equal its victory total of all of last year with a triumph over North Carolina. Clemson has an 11-9 record and the Tigers won just 12 games all of last season. Clemson did not win its 12th game last year until the ACC Tournament, a victory over Florida State. Clemson has already equaled its regular season ACC victory total from last year. Clemson had two conference wins in the regular season last year, then won two of its first three this season.

Clemson Had Avoided Consecutive Losses Clemson had done a good job of making comebacks from losses this year prior to the loss against N.C. State. Clemson is 5-2 this season coming off a loss. Clemson enters the Florida State game off three consecutive losses, the first time this year that has happened.

Clemson had not suffered consecutive losses 17 games into this season. This was the longest Clemson had gone without suffering consecutive losses within a season since 1996-97 when Clemson opened 16-1 and did not suffer consecutive losses until games 17 and 18. Clemson suffered losses in games 17 and 18 this year.

This is just the fourth season in the last 25 years that Clemson has gone 17 games into the season without suffering consecutive losses. The other years are the aforementioned 1996-97, 1989-90 when the Tigers opened 15-3, and 1986-87 when Clemson opened with a record 17-0.

Only three Clemson teams in history that have played at least 10 games in a season have gone an entire season without suffering back-to-back losses. All three of those seasons came in the 1930s (1937-38, 1935-36, 1934-35).

Clemson Downs Fifth Ranked Virginia Jamar McKnight and 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 total in an ACC game 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.

Ray Henderson had eight points and nine rebounds. Clemson shot 42.1 percent from the three-point arc and is now 5-0 this season when shooting at least 40 percent from long 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.

Everyone expected Virginia to finally start hitting some outside shots early in the second half, but it never happened. In fact, 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 Has Beaten a Ranked Team 16 Straight Years Clemson’s victory over fifth-ranked Virginia continued the school’s streak of consecutive years with at least one win over a top-25 team. Clemson has beaten at least one top-25 team every year since 1986-87, a streak of 16 consecutive years.

The victory over fifth-ranked Virginia was the highest ranked Cavalier team Clemson has beaten in history. It was the first Clemson win over a top-20 Virginia team since Jan. 19, 1980 when Clemson defeated the Cavs 88-68. Virginia was led by Ralph Sampson and Jeff Lamp that year. This was just the sixth time Clemson has beaten a top 25 Virginia team, its low total among ACC teams.

The win over Virginia was the 16th top-five victory in Clemson history, but just the fifth in the last 20 years. Larry Shyatt has now coached two of Clemson’s five top five wins since the 1981-82 season. The others are a win over #4 Duke to win the ACC regular season championship in 1990, a win over second-ranked North Carolina in 1994, Cliff Ellis’s final season, and a win over #3 Kentucky in Indianapolis to open the 1996-97 season. Larry Shyatt had a hand in that game also, as he was Rick Barnes’s associate head coach that year.

Shyatt Has Five Top-10 Wins Larry Shyatt now has four wins over top 25 teams since he has been at Clemson, and three of those are top 10 wins. He defeated a ninth-ranked North Carolina team in his first year, 78-63, a 21st-ranked N.C. State team in his second year, 59-42, and a number-one ranked North Carolina team, 75-65 last year. Combined with the 16-point win over Virginia, all of Shyatt’s top-25 wins have been by double digits and the average margin has been 14.5 points.

Shyatt had two wins over top-10 teams when he was the head coach at Wyoming, victories over New Mexico and eventual national finalist Utah. That means Shyatt now has five top-10 wins in his five years as a head coach.

Clemson Has Balanced Team Clemson has 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 has five players averaging over 9.4 points per game this year. Clemson has had five different players lead the team in scoring over the last eight games. No Clemson team has had four players average in double figures over the course of the season since 1965-66. The balance has continued in ACC play as four players have scored in double figures on a per game basis in the conference games and another is at 8.1 per game. Jamar McKnight leads the way in league games with a 15.7 average.

Tigers Won Consecutive ACC Games Clemson won consecutive ACC games against Georgia Tech (83-76) and Virginia (68-52) in January. This was the first time since the 1998-99 season that Clemson won consecutive ACC contests. Clemson defeated Florida State (78-45) and Virginia (88-65) in consecutive games Feb. 14-17 that year.

In case you were wondering, the Clemson record for consecutive wins over ACC teams is seven, set in 1966-67 season. The Tigers won seven straight against ACC teams from Feb. 4, 1967 through Feb. 25, 1967. Virginia broke the streak on Feb. 27 in a “Senior Night” game at Fike Fieldhouse, 73-71. Clemson finished with a 17-8 record that year, but was not invited to postseason play. In those days only the ACC Tournament champion could go to the NCAA Tournament.

Clemson on the ACC Road Clemson returns to the ACC road this week when it travels to Florida State for a game.

Overall, Clemson has had just 58 ACC road wins in the 49 years of the league. Clemson is now 58-262 in its history in ACC road games, a winning percentage of 18 percent. That includes the win at Georgia Tech in early January.

Clemson has won two or less ACC road games in 10 of the last 11 years and 42 of the previous 48 seasons. Clemson has had a winning record on the road in the ACC just twice in history, 1976-77, when Clemson was 4-2 with center Tree Rollins, and 1986-87 when Clemson was 5-2 with center Horace Grant.

Clemson Wins on the Road… in January Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech was a landmark victory for the Tigers. The 83-76 victory was Clemson’s second ACC road win in the last four years, the first since winning at N.C. State by a 66-63 score on Feb. 27, 2000.

It was the first Clemson ACC road win in the month of January since Jan. 15, 1997 when Clemson at 11th-ranked Maryland by a 67-63 score. That was Clemson’s third straight ACC road win that year, the last time Clemson has won three straight ACC road games. Clemson has struggled on the road historically, but especially in the month of January in recent years. Clemson had lost 16 straight January ACC road games prior to the Georgia Tech game. Clemson had been 6-44 in ACC road games in January dating to the 1987-88 season.

Each of the last two years Clemson has won an ACC road game in January it has gone on to win two. Clemson was 2-1 in ACC January road games in 1996-97, and 2-2 in 1994-95, Larry Shyatt first year with the program (as an assistant under Rick Barnes). Clemson had been shutout when it comes to ACC January road games nine of the last 11 years.

Clemson Downs Georgia Tech Jan. 5, 2002 at Atlanta, GA 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 continues to grab over five rebounds per game. 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 the 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.

Bruise Brothers Leading Inside Game Clemson frontcourt players Chris Hobbs are becoming quite a duo on the inside this year. They continued their fine play against N.C. State when the duo had 27 points and 18 rebounds thanks to 11-14 shooting from the field. They combined for 23 points and 22 rebounds against 3rd ranked Maryland on January 20.

Hobbs ranks second on the team in scoring with a 12.2 average, while Henderson is fifth on the team with a 9.4 average. They are the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson has a 9.5 rebounding average and Hobbs is at 6.1 per game. Henderson is third in the ACC in rebounds per game.

Both had a strong impact on Clemson’s win at Georgia Tech. Hobbs had 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Henderson added nine points and six rebounds. Collectively, they shot 13-21 from the field and pulled in 16 rebounds to go with 34 points.

Both have double-double potential. Henderson already has eight double-doubles this year, more than he had all of last year and second best among ACC players. Hobbs has two double-doubles, including the win over Georgia Tech and the win at Penn State. Henderson and Hobbs, both from the state of North Carolina, are the major reason Clemson is out-rebounding the opposition by 8.0 rebounds per game.

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

McKnight Stats Much Improved Jamar McKnight, Clemson’s only senior, is following a tradition of second-year improvement by Tiger junior college players. This season, McKnight has scored12.8 points a game and averaged 4.3 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 48.6 percent from the field and a team best 43 percent from three-point range. He continued his fine play against N.C. State and Maryland last week as he scored 37 points and had 10 rebounds. He made 13-23 shots from the field last week, including 5-9 three-pointers. He scored 13 at Florida State.

Last year, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds all year in 20 games. This year he has 230 points and 78 rebounds in 18 games. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest year ago. Thus, McKnight has 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. He led Clemson in scoring against Wake Forest.

Most junior college transfers make improvement from year one to year two. But, McKnight is doing it at a near 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 13.2 in 1978-79, a 7.6 points per game improvement. He went on to average 17.6 a game and earn first-team All-ACC honors in 1979-80. McKnight stands at a 9.4 points per game improvement this year over last season, so he is ahead of Williams improvement rate.

The overall Clemson record for improvement in scoring from one season to another is held by Will Solomon, who improved by 14.9 points a game from his freshman year to his sophomore year. That is an ACC record.

McKnight will make his first ever appearance against Maryland this weekend. He did not play in either game last year.

Jamar McKnight Improvement Chart

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. He made 3-4 against N.C. State on the way to an 18-point performance, his best scoring game in 2002. He made six more at Maryland, giving him nine for the week and 126 for his career. He now needs just five three-point goals to move ahead of Merl Code into seventh place overall.

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 126 three-point goals in just 49 games, an average of 2.50 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.

As far as overall three-point goals are concerned, his 126 rank seventh in school history. His three three-point goals at Georgia Tech moved him from 10th to eighth in school history, as he moved ahead of Tony Christie and Andre Bovain. Current Clemson assistant AD for basketball operations, Bruce Martin, is sixth with 129.

Clemson Career Leaders in Three-Point Goals/Game

Clemson Career Leaders in Total Three-Point Goals

Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum This is the 34th season of basketball in Littlejohn Coliseum. The facility opened in 1968-69 with a 76-72 win over Georgia Tech. Clemson has struggled at home this year, relative to its rate of success in previous years. Clemson is 6-4 at home so far this season and 5-3 away from home.

Clemson has played 497 games at Littlejohn Coliseum in history. Clemson has a record of 362-135 at home over the years, a 72.8 winning percentage. Clemson is 124-107 in ACC games in the facility, a .537 winning percentage, and 238-28 in non-conference games, an 89.5 winning percentage. Clemson has had a winning home record in 31 of the previous 33 seasons.

The 500th game in the history of the coliseum will be played on February 6 against Georgia Tech.

Clemson Rebounding at Record Pace Clemson has been strong on the glass this year. The Tigers have been out-rebounded just twice in 20 games this season. Clemson has a +8.0 rebound margin over the first 20 games, a figure that would be second in Clemson history. Clemson is 14th in the nation in rebounding as a team through games of January 21.

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.

Ray Henderson has done his best to impersonate Jamison on this Clemson team. The junior from Charlotte has averaged 9.5 rebounds per game, third best in the ACC. He is a big reason Clemson is among the ACC leaders in rebounding. Henderson’s rebound stat is impressive considering he plays just 23 minutes per game. Jamison played 29 minutes a game when he averaged 9.9 rebounds per contest in 1998-99.

The only teams to beat Clemson on the boards over the first 20 games are South Carolina, who had a 46-37 advantage in rebounding and Wake Forest, who had a 56-48 advantage. Clemson has had a double-digit rebound margin advantage in 10 of its 20 games so far this year including the losses to N.C. State and Maryland.

Clemson’s top Rebound Margin Seasons

Consecutive Wins by 30 Points Clemson had consecutive wins by 30 points or more heading into the Yale game. The Tigers were coming off an 82-45 win over Charleston Southern and a 78-48 win over Hartford. It marked the first time since the 1998-99 season that Clemson had consecutive wins by at least 30 points. That year, Larry Shyatt first at Clemson as head coach, Clemson defeated Kansas State by a 79-45 count, then defeated Radford 70-37 the very next game.

Since 1990, the only other time Clemson has had consecutive wins of 30 points or more took place in 1995-96 when Clemson defeated its first two opponents that year, UNC-Asheville and Appalachian State, by 42 and 36 points, respectively.

The last time Clemson won three in a row by 30 points or more was in the 1989-90 season. Clemson’s only ACC regular season championship team defeated Georgia State (117-59), Western Carolina (97-61) and Hofstra (91-58) in consecutive contests.

Clemson 9-4 in Non-Conference Clemson concluded its non-conference portion of the schedule with a 9-4 record. Clemson began the season with a 2-1 record at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands, victories over Morris Brown and La Salle and a two-point loss to Miami (FL). The Hurricanes are still undefeated (14-0) and Clemson gave them their closest game, 67-65.

The Tigers had possession underneath their own hoop with four seconds left and a chance to tie, but the shot missed.

Another highlight of the non-conference schedule was a 79-66 win at Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Clemson is now 2-1 in that event. Chris Hobbs led five Tigers in double figures. Clemson won the game without the services of Jamar McKnight, who were both nursing knee injuries. Clemson had a 46-22 rebound margin in that game, second best on school history on an opponent’s home court.

Clemson plays five of its first seven games away from home this year and already has won five of the first seven with the only losses coming at Duke and to Miami in the Virgin Islands. Clemson also must play five of its first seven ACC games on the road, the only school in the ACC that must do that this year. Clemson will have six of eight conference games at home between Jan. 27 and Feb. 23. The only two road games in that near month time period will be at Virginia (Feb. 10) and at N.C. State (Feb. 16).

Clemson Played Well at #1 Duke Chris Hobbs scored 25 points and freshman guard Chey Christie added 21 to lead the Tiger offense in a 96-80 defeat at Duke Dec. 2. The Tigers, which shot 43 percent, out-rebounded the Blue Devils 42-29. Edward Scott added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds in another fine all-around performance. He had eight points, nine assists and seven rebounds at the win over Penn State on Nov. 28. Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He was 6-9 from the floor and was 11-15 from the free throw line. Five other Blue Devils scored in double figures.

Chey Christie Named ACC Rookie of the Week Clemson’s Chey Christie was tabbed as the ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 3) after averaging 15.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in the Tigers’ three games the previous week. The Hartford, CT, freshman scored a career-high 21 points at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the 96-80 loss at top-ranked Duke on Dec. 2. Earlier in the week, Christie was Clemson’s second-leading scorer with 16 points in the win over Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Against Coastal Carolina on Nov. 30, Christie tallied nine points with three assists and three steals.

Tigers Comeback for Road Win at Penn State Chris Hobbs had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead Clemson to a 79-66 victory over Penn State Nov. 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in State College, PA.

The Tigers came back from a 10-point halftime deficit thanks to 59.1 percent shooting in the second half and a 20-7 run in the final 10 minutes of the game. Clemson held Penn State to just 22.7 percent shooting in the second half as the Nittany Lions made only 5 of 22 shots.

The first half was much different as Penn State erupted to an early 23-9 lead. The Nittany Lions made their first 10 shots from the floor and finished the first half shooting 61.5 percent from the field compared to Clemson’s 38.2 percent.

Coupled with Clemson’s comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit vs. Wofford on Nov. 24, the comeback from the 10-point halftime deficit to Penn State marked the first time in school history that Clemson has overcome double-digit halftime deficits to win in consecutive games.

The double-double by Hobbs was his first of the season and the seventh of his career. Freshman Chey Christie had 16 points and three steals and two rebounds in 34 minutes. Clemson had a total of five players in double figures and all eight Tigers who played finished with at least one field goal, one free throw, two rebounds and one steal. Junior captain Edward Scott finished with eight points, nine assists, seven rebounds and three steals after playing all 40 minutes. Clemson out-rebounded Penn State 46-22 and had 22 offensive rebounds. The rebound margin of +24 was the largest by Clemson under head coach Larry Shyatt, who is in his fourth season. The Tigers shot 1-10 from the three-point arc while Penn State hit 8 -23.

Clemson Overcomes Double-Digit Halftime Deficit Clemson overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to gain victory to beat both Wofford and Penn State. 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 a just as impressive 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 nearly overcame a double digit halftime deficit against N.C. State on January 15th. Clemson trailed 44-33 at halftime before losing by just 80-79.

Clemson’s Largest Halftime Deficits Overcome to Gain Victory

Tony Stockman Rebounds in One Week After Surgery Clemson sophomore guard Tony Stockman, the top returning scorer from last year’s Tiger squad, missed just one week of action after a knee injury. The native of Medina, OH had arthroscopic surgery to repair of damaged cartilage on Nov. 23 and returned Nov. 30 against Coastal Carolina. It is believed to be the quickest comeback from a meniscus surgery by a Clemson football or men’s basketball player.

Stockman suffered the injury in the first half of the La Salle game in Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands Nov. 19. He played just 13 minutes in that contest, an 81-69 Tiger victory. He started in the championship game against Miami (FL), but was only able to play 17 minutes in Clemson’s two-point loss.

Stockman had an MRI on the morning of Friday, Nov. 23, and the exam revealed that he had a'”Bucket Handle Tear of his medial meniscus in his right knee,” said Clemson basketball trainer””Raz” Razayeski. The surgery was performed by Clemson team orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bowman at the Oconee Memorial Hospital in Seneca.

Stockman tied a career high with 23 points in the season opener against Morris Brown. He hit a career-high seven three-point goals in that game, just one off the Clemson single game record. He also had six assists and three steals. He added eight points on 3-4 shooting in the first half against LaSalle.

For the three games in The Virgin Islands, Stockman scored 11.3 points a game and shot 50 percent on three-point goals, hitting 10-20 from long range. He also had eight assists and just two turnovers.

In Memoriam… Clemson junior forward Tomas Nagys has marked the initials “VK” onto the outside of both of his shoes in the memory of Valdas Kiesus (pronounced: Val-dass Key-a-sus), a friend of his from Lithuania. Kiesus was kidnapped about a year ago. His body was found in mid-November. The two played basketball together before Nagys came to the United States. Nagys attended Montgomery (AL) Catholic for one year after playing two years of high school basketball in Lithuania.

Clemson Finishes Second in Virgin Islands Clemson opened with a 70-57 win over Morris Brown thanks to 23 points by Tony Stockman, who hit seven three pointers. Stockman was 7-13 from three-point range and 8-15 overall. He had six assists and had three steals with just one turnover in 32 minutes. Ray Henderson added 14 points.

Jamar McKnight combined for 38 points and both registered career highs in leading Clemson to an 81-69 victory over La Salle in the second round. Scott scored 25 points on the night, seven more than his previous high of 18 set against Penn State during his freshman year. McKnight added 13 points on 5-9 shooting, one higher than his previous high of 12 set last season against Western Carolina. Ray Henderson was also in double figures with 10 points and he was the team’s leading rebounder with eight.

McKnight and Chris Hobbs both scored 19 points, but it was not enough as Miami (FL) defeated Clemson 67-65 in the championship game. Clemson had possession of the ball with 4.5 seconds left, down two. But, two shots fell off the rim and the Hurricanes came away with their first ever win over the Tigers. McKnight had 17 of his career-high 19 points in the first half. It was his second straight double-figure scoring game.

Hobbs Named to All-Tournament Team Sophomore forward Chris Hobbs was named to the all-tournament team of the Paradise Jam after averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds in the three games in the Virgin Islands. He had 19 points and nine rebounds in the championship game, a two-point loss, against Miami.

Paradise Jam All-Tourney Team Ricky Cottrill, Eastern Michigan Eric Bush, UAB Rasual Butler, La Salle Darius Rice, Miami (FL) Chris Hobbs, Clemson MVP: John Salmons, Miami (FL)

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.”

Clifton Cleared to Play Clemson sophomore forward Dwon Clifton has been cleared to return to practice and play for the Tigers this year, Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt announced Oct. 26.

Initial tests indicated that Clifton, a sophomore from Greensboro, NC, had a heart abnormality called Long QT Syndrome, a problem that inhibits the repolarization process in the heart, a condition that would have prevented Clifton from playing competitive basketball. But further tests conducted during a two-week period showed that Clifton does not have Long QT Syndrome. A fainting spell earlier this fall was the result of extreme fatigue. Clifton had a final battery of tests at Emory Hospital in Atlanta on Oct. 25.

Doctors at Emory gave him the green light to return to practice immediately.

“The tests revealed that Dwon does not have any structural cardiac abnormalities,” said Clemson basketball physician Dr. Len Reeves. “He had a different battery of tests at Emory that showed he does not have Long QT Syndrome. He has Vaso-Vagal Sycope, which is a common problem that can lead to fainting spells, as the result of relative dehydration and extreme fatigue. We will continue to monitor Dwon. He is not on any medication.”

Clifton was pleasantly surprised at the result of the tests. “I was shocked because I had prepared myself for the worst,” said Clifton.

“I was prepared to be told that I could not play. This experience has made my beliefs in God even stronger. I received all kinds of e-mails and calls from Clemson fans who said they were praying for me. I want to thank them. This is a blessing.”

Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt, who went to Emory on Thursday to be with Clifton during the medical testing was excited with the news.””Of course we are very happy for Dwon and his family. It is reassuring that the Clemson University medical staff took the safe approach the last three weeks. There were tears of joy at Emory Hospital.”

Clifton started 17 of Clemson’s 31 games last year. He and classmate Tony Stockman were the only Tigers to play in every game last year as freshmen. The 6-5 native of High Point, NC averaged 3.9 points and 2.6 assists per game a year ago. His top game was a 10-point, seven-rebound outing at North Carolina late in the year. He had a season high 12 rebounds against Washington in a tournament in Puerto Rico.

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.

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 on the young 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. 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 four games through January 3. Will Solomon, Clemson’s leading scorer last year with a 19.7 average, is averaging 10 minutes per game with Memphis. He recently had a career high 23 points against Orlando in 38 minutes on January 19.

Tigers in the NBA in 2001-02 (Stats as of Jan. 23, 2002)

* Denotes Assist average

Clemson Tigers Sports Properties Clemson Men’s Basketball on Clemson Tiger Sports Properties can be heard throughout South Carolina, as well as portions of North Carolina and Georgia on a strong lineup of radio affiliates. Each CTSP broadcast is also carried live on the Internet on ClemsonTigers.com. CTSP begins coverage of each men’s basketball game 30 minutes before tip-off with the Countdown to Tip-Off Show. There will be a half hour post game show featuring comments from Head Coach Larry Shyatt.

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