Thursday 01/17/2002
Jan. 17, 2002
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TV: Fox Sports NetPlay By Play: Thom Brennaman, Color Analyst: Kenny SmithRadio: Clemson Tiger Sports PropertiesPlay By Play: Jim Phillips, Color Analyst: Tim Bourret
Clemson vs. Maryland Series
Maryland holds a 78-42 lead in the series with Clemson. TheTerps have dominated the series in College Park, winning 46 of the54 games. The Tigers did win there against a top-12 Maryland teamfive years ago (1996-97), and also won on Maryland’s Senior Day in1992-93. Maryland has won seven straight against the Tigers,including both meetings the last three years. The Terps have beatenClemson by double digits five consecutive games, but never by morethan 17. Clemson came close to victory over Maryland in LarryShyatt’s first year, an 81-79 Terp win in overtime at LittlejohnColiseum. Andrius Jurkunas hit a jumper at the buzzer to send thegame into overtime, but the Terps came away with the win inovertime. Larry Shyatt’s has not defeated Maryland as the headcoach at Clemson. He was on the sidelines however when the Tigersswept Maryland in the regular season of 1996-97 as Clemson’sassociate head coach. Clemson defeated ranked Maryland teams bothtimes that year. Clemson has a 31-22 lead in games played atClemson, including a 18-15 lead in games played at LittlejohnColiseum.
Clemson in Cole Fieldhouse
This will be Clemson’s final trip to Cole Fieldhouse. TheTigers have won eight games in history in College Park, six of themin Cole Fieldhouse. Clemson has won there twice in the last 10years. Clemson will face a third-ranked Maryland team this Sundayat College Park. Clemson has defeated a top-five Maryland team inCole Fieldhouse before. In the 1975-76 season, Bill Foster’s firstat Clemson, the Tigers downed Maryland 82-77 in one of the mostshocking upsets in Clemson history. Maryland was ranked second inthe nation entering the game and it is still the highest rankedroad win in school history. It was just Foster’s second ACC game asClemson head coach. One of the scores for Clemson in the contestwas a behind the back shot from the foul line during regular play,but Tiger guard Greg Coles. Tree Rollins, then a junior, had asignificant hand in that Clemson win. Clemson’s wins in ColeFieldhouse took place in 1961-62 (75-68), 1965-66 (81-69), 1975-76(82-77), 1986-87 (80-79), 1992-93 (81-73) and 1996-97 (76-70).Clemson also won in College Park in 1939-40 (48-30) and 1949-50(60-55).
Last Year vs. Maryland…
Maryland 104, Clemson 92 at Clemson, Jan. 2, 2001 Terence Morris, Lonny Baxter and Juan Dixon all scored at least 22 points to counteract a 32-point performance by Will Solomon and lead 17th-ranked Maryland to a 104-92 win over Clemson on Jan. 2 at Littlejohn Coliseum. It was the ACC opener for both teams.
Solomon hit 7-11 three-point goals and 10-18 overall in leading Clemson. He also added five rebounds and three assists. Tony Stockman and Chris Hobbs, a pair of freshmen, also scored in double figures for the Tigers. Stockman made 4-8 three-point goals and scored 12, while Hobbs had his third double-double of the season, 11 points and 10 rebounds in just 22 minutes. Adam Allenspach played 20 minutes and had nine points and seven rebounds.
Maryland was led by Terence Morris, who had 26 points and eight rebounds, 18 points came in the second half. Lonny Baxter had 24 points in only 20 minutes. A 57 percent free throw shooter entering the game, Baxter hit 8-8 against Clemson, part of the 30-36 free throw shooting by Maryland. Juan Dixon had 18 in the first half, just four after intermission and finished with 22. Byron Mouton added 17 points as the four Maryland starters combined for all but 15 of Maryland’s points.
The game was played at a high level on offense throughout, but the offensive numbers in the first half were mind-boggling. Maryland led 59-56 at intermission, the first time since December of 1990 (Clemson vs. UNCC) that both teams scored at least 55 points in the first half of a Clemson game. The Tigers made 19-35 field goals in the first half, including 6-12 three-pointers. Maryland hit 21-34 shots from the field, including 6-10 three-pointers.
Baxter got Maryland off on the right foot offensively with 15 of its first 21 points in just 5:46 off the clock. Clemson trailed by 10, 24-14 when Danny Miller hit a three-pointer from the right wing. But, Clemson battled back and trailed by just one 29-28 at the 10:10 mark on a three-pointer by Solomon.
The two teams continued to execute their offense in the first half, seemingly scoring six points at a time. Clemson tied the score at 53 with 54 seconds left on a layup by Dustin Braddick. Clemson played well to open the second half, scoring 17 points in the first six minutes to take a 73-72 lead on another three-pointer by Solomon. But, Maryland scored eight straight points to take a 79-71 lead behind Morris, who hit 3-6 from behind the arc.
Solomon hit a three-pointer at the 9:26 mark to bring Clemson to 83-82. That gave him 32 points in just 28 minutes of play. But, those were his last points of the game, as he got just three shots the rest of the game. Clemson still stayed with the Terps. A Tony Stockman three-pointer from the deep corner made the count 96-92 with two minutes left. But, Maryland scored the last eight points of the game, as the Terps converted free throws and Clemson missed its field goal attempts.
Maryland 69, Clemson 54
Feb. 4, 2001 at College Park, MD Maryland outscored Clemson 15-4 over the last 6:12 of the game and went on to a 69-54 victory over Clemson on Feb. 4, 2001 at College Park. It was the first game of the second half of the ACC schedule for both teams. Clemson had cut the margin against the ninth-ranked and future Final Four Terps to just four points at that 6:12 mark of the game.
Clemson was led in scoring by Will Solomon, who tallied 19, the only double figure scorer for the Tigers. Freshman Tony Stockman added nine points, while Tomas Nagys contributed seven points and a career high nine rebounds. Maryland was led by Terence Morris, who scored 18 points, eight less than he had scored at Clemson on January 2 in Maryland’s 104-92 victory. Two other Terps had double-doubles. Lonny Baxter had 14 points and 13 rebounds, while guard Juan Dixon had 11 points and 11 rebounds. Point guard Steve Blake had 12 points and five assists.
Clemson shot just 30.5 percent from the field, its worst shooting performance for the year, and committed 18 turnovers to just 12 by Maryland. Maryland also had a +7 rebound margin (47-40), but Clemson had a 37-36 lead in that category at the five-minute mark. Maryland won the game inside, outscoring Clemson 30-6 in points in the paint. But, the Tigers defended well, allowing just a 40.6 shooting percentage by Gary Williams’s team, which came into the game as the third best scoring team in the nation. Maryland’s shooting included just 7-21 three-point shots. The 69 points scored were the fewest by the Maryland team this year.
While Clemson made just 30.5 percent from the field overall, the Tigers did make 11-29 three-point shots, 38 percent. The Tigers were actually 11 of their first 24, as they missed their last five while trying to play catch-up in the final minutes. That meant Clemson made just 7-30 inside the arc for the game, a 23 percent figure, and a testimony to Maryland’s interior defense. The Terps blocked 10 Clemson shots.
The game was the opposite of the first meeting between the two teams from an offensive standpoint. The two teams combined for 55 points in the first half on Feb. 4, fewer than each team scored in the first half (59-56, Maryland) of the game at Clemson back in January. Maryland held just a 10-6 lead at the 12:10 mark of the first half. At that point Clemson was just 2-13 from the field, while Maryland was 5-19.
But, Maryland went on an 18-5 run over the next 6:13 of the game and took a 28-11 lead on a three- point play by Chris Wilcox. That would be Maryland’s largest lead of the game, however. Will Solomon scored eight of Clemson’s first 11 points during the first 14 minutes of the game. But, other Tigers finally got into the scoring column. Pasha Bains, Edward Scott and Dwon Clifton all hit three-point goals over the final four minutes of the half, bringing Clemson to within 33-22 at intermission.
Maryland went on a 6-0 run to open the second half to get the lead back to 17 points (39-22) at the 18:19 mark. It was still a 14-point Maryland lead at the 8:47 mark when Clemson went on a 13-3 run. Nagys began the comeback with his first career three-point goal. The sophomore forward who got considerable playing time when Chris Hobbs fouled out early in the second half, also had five second-half rebounds to key Clemson’s second half performance. Tony Stockman also hit a three-point goal and Will Solomon pull-up three off a secondary break brought Clemson to within 54-50 at the 6:12 mark. Gary Williams called timeout and Maryland immediately went on a 6-0 run. Clemson had played an effective zone defense for most of the game, but the Terps finally found a way to get the ball to Morris and Baxter on the inside. Clemson scored just four points the last 6:12 of the game and Maryland came away with the victory.
Clemson’s Wins Against Top-5 Opponents
Clemson will face a top-five Maryland team in Cole Fieldhouse this Sunday. Clemson will be looking for its second top-five win of the season, as Clemson earlier defeated a fifth-ranked (USA Today) Virginia team at Clemson on Jan. 8.
Clemson has had a history of upsetting top teams over the years, there have been 16 overall, including the win over #1 North Carolina last year and the victory over a fifth ranked Virginia team this year. Clemson’s first win over a top five team in Littlejohn Coliseum took place in 1974-75 when a Clemson team led by Skip Wise defeated Maryland, 83-82. Maryland was ranked third in AP and fourth by UPI entering that contest. Clemson also beat a fifth-ranked Maryland team in 1979-80 by a 90-81 score. Three Tigers, Larry Nance, Horace Wyatt and Billy Williams, all had over 20 points in that Tiger victory. Clemson has three top five win on the opponents home court in history, one of those was at Maryland, 82-77 over #2 Terps in 1975-76. Clemson has five top five wins away from home (including neutral sites).
Here is a list of Clemson's top five wins In HistoryChronologically Opp RkYear Opponent Score Mar AP-Coach1966-67 N. Carolina (N) 92-88 +4 4-31974-75 Maryland 83-82 +1 3-41974-75 N.C. State 92-70 +22 4-41975-76 at Wake Forest 86-81 +5 5-51975-76 at Maryland 82-77 +5 2-31976-77 at Wake Forest 70-66 +4 4-61978-79 North Carolina 66-61 +5 2-21979-80 North Carolina 93-76 +17 6-41979-80 Duke 87-82 +5 1-11979-80 Maryland 90-81 +9 7-51980-81 Wake Forest 81-71 +10 5-51989-90 Duke 97-93 +4 5-41993-94 North Carolina 77-69 +8 2-41996-97 Kentucky (N) 79-71 +8 3-42000-01 North Carolina 75-65 +10 1-12001-02 Virginia 68-52 +16 7-5Top five wins on opponent's home court in bold.
Clemson's top five wins In HistoryBy Rank, AP first, then Coach Opp RkYear Opponent Score Mar AP-Coach2000-01 North Carolina 75-65 +10 1-11979-80 Duke 87-82 +5 1-11978-79 North Carolina 66-61 +5 2-21975-76 at Maryland 82-77 +5 2-31993-94 North Carolina 77-69 +8 2-41996-97 Kentucky (N) 79-71 +8 3-41974-75 Maryland 83-82 +1 3-41966-67 N. Carolina (N) 92-88 +4 4-31974-75 N.C. State 92-70 +22 4-41976-77 at Wake Forest 70-66 +4 4-61975-76 at Wake Forest 86-81 +5 5-51980-81 Wake Forest 81-71 +10 5-51989-90 Duke 97-93 +4 5-41979-80 North Carolina 93-76 +17 6-41979-80 Maryland 90-81 +9 7-52001-02 Virginia 68-52 +16 7-5
Clemson Veterans vs. Maryland
Clemson has seven veteran players who have experience against Maryland in their careers. Chris Hobbs hit 7-9 field goals against the Terps and pulled in 20 rebounds in two games a year ago. Tomas Nagys has nine points and nine rebounds in 32 career minutes against the Terps. Tony Stockman has made 7-17 three-point shots against Maryland in his career. Dwon Clifton, a career 27 percent three-point shooter, has made 3-7 three-point goals. Tomas Nagys is 1-2 on three-point goals vs. Maryland. His first career three-point goal came at Maryland last year.
Last Time Out…
N.C. State 80, Clemson 79 Jan. 15, 2001 at Littlejohn Coliseum Freshman Josh Powell tipped in a missed jumpshot by Anthony Grundy with just two seconds left, giving N.C. State an 80-79 victory at Clemson on Jan. 15. It was just the third field goal and third rebound of the game for Powell. Clemson out-rebounded N.C. State 32-20 for the night, but ironically lost on an offensive rebound. The game was played at a high level offensively by both teams. Clemson shot 61.2 percent from the field, 41.7 percent on three-point shots and 70 percent from the foul line. All five Clemson starters scored in double figures. N.C. State made 49 percent overall, but hit 15-31 three-point goals. Six different Wolfpack players made at least one three-point goal in the contest.
Tony Stockman led Clemson with 18 points apiece, while Chris Hobbs hit 7-9 field goals and scored 16. Edward Scott recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 assists, while Ray Henderson added a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Pack was led by Anthony Grundy with 22 points and seven assists. Grundy had made just 13-44 field goals in his career in Littlejohn Coliseum, then made 9-14 in his last game in the facility.
Clemson jumped out to a 15-7 lead by hitting six of its first eight shots from the field. But, N.C. State followed with a 19-2 run to take a 26-17 lead with 8:16 left in the first half. N.C. State continued the outstanding shooing and reached a 44-30 lead with 58 seconds left in the first half. State made 12 straight field goal attempts, including eight consecutive threes at one stretch in the first half. Six different Wolfpack players made a three-point goal within the first 13 minutes of the game.
The halftime box was unusual. Clemson shot 75 percent from the field, 87.5 percent from the foul line, yet trailed by 11 points. Clemson did not have an offensive rebound in the first half, it missed just four field goal attempts. The two teams combined had just 16 rebounds in the first half. The difference for the Tigers was turnovers. Clemson committed 13 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes. Clemson continued to hit shots in the opening of the second half. Clemson made seven of its first eight field goal attempts and cut the lead to 51-49 with 15:22 left. At that point in the game, Clemson was 19-24 from the field. Clemson tied the game at 54 on a dunk by Ray Henderson with 12:55 left, then finally took the lead at 58-57 on a layup by Chris Hobbs with 11:59 left.
The teams continued to trade baskets. There were two ties and 11 lead changes from the 14:38 mark to the 3:29 mark of the game. Clemson took a five-point lead at 77-72 with 1:57 left on a 6-0 run as McKnight, Hobbs and Scott hit field goals. But, N.C. State cut the margin to two points with 1:24 left on a three-point goal by Scooter Sherrill, his fifth three-point goal of the game. State had just four second left on the shot clock when Sherrill hit the shot.
State got the ball back and Grundy scored an old fashioned three-point play with 34 seconds left to give the Pack a 78-77 lead. Clemson then took the lead at 79-78 on a jumper by Stockman with 10 seconds left. That led to Powell’s put-back winner with two seconds left.
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. It wasjust 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 Jan. 15. That computes to a 62.1 field goal percentage. 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.
It’s All About Three-Point Shooting
Outstanding three-point shooting has been a common denominator in Clemson’s losses this year. The seven teams that have defeated the Tigers have combined to shoot 38 percent on three-point attempts this year (64-167). That includes each of the last two games. Wake Forest made 9-20 on three-point attempts (.450), while N.C. State made 15-31 (.483). When Winthrop defeated Clemson this year at Littlejohn Coliseum, the Eagles made 9-18 three-point shots, 50 percent.
Clemson on the other hand has not lost a game this year in which it has made more three-point goals than the opposition (5-0). Clemson is 4-1 this year when holding the opposition to under 30 percent on three-point shooting. Miami (FL) shot 25 percent and that is the only team to defeat the Tigers with under a 30 percent three-point marksmanship this year.
Over the last four games, Clemson is 2-2, all against ACC teams. In the games Clemson has won the opposition is 10-54 on three-point shooting. In the games the Tigers have lost the opposition is 24-51 on three-point shooting. The team with the higher three-point percentage has won each of the last four games Clemson has been involved with.
For the season, Clemson opponents have scored 142 three-point goals to just 96 for the Tigers. Clemson has outscored the opposition by 90 points this year overall, yet is -138 points on three-point goal shooting.
Clemson 2-3 to Open ACC Schedule
Clemson has opened the ACC season with a 2-3 record. The Tigers are 2-2 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 Maryland 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, a native of Accokeek, MD will be making a homecoming of sorts when the Tigers play at Maryland. The 6-9 player has been among Clemson’s most productive players this season. He has played 12.3 minutes per game, but still ranks in the top 12 in the ACC in blocked shots. He has 19 in the first 18 games in just 12.3 minutes per contest.
Ford has shot almost 60 percent from the field and has pulled in 3.3 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 7.2 points a game on the road and just 2.9 at home this year. He is shooting 61.5 percent from the field on the road compared to 58 percent at home.
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. 14. A new ranking is issued every Tuesday afternoon. Scott had a 7.5 average through games of Jan. 14, second only to Texas guard T.J. Ford, who had an 8.8 average. Scott had 13 assists on Jan. 15 against N.C. State, so his average is now 7.78 per game, a record pace for a Clemson player over the course of a season. 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. Both players will go head to head on Sunday when Clemson meets Maryland. In fact, Scott’s next game after that will be against Florida State and Delvon Arrington, who ranks fourth in the nation. No Clemson player has ever led the ACC in assists over the course of the season.
National Leaders in Assists(Through games of Jan. 14, 2002)Rk Player School GP Ast Avg1. T.J. Ford Texas 15 132 8.82. Edward Scott Clemson 17 127 7.53. Steve Blake Maryland 15 111 7.44. Delvon Arrington FSU 14 101 7.25. Matt Montague BYU 14 100 7.16. Reggie Kohn USF 15 104 6.97. Guilheme Da Lue Furman 16 109 6.88. Corey Santee TCU 17 115 6.89. Chris Thomas ND 16 107 6.710. Imari Sawyer DePaul 12 80 6.7
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 336 for his career, good enough for eighth place. He needs just two against Maryland to move into seventh place ahead of Vincent Hamilton. 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 9.6 points a game this year and has had a pair of 20-point scoring nights, the first two of his career. 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. Scott averages 7.6 points per game over his career, but has the 9.6 average this year. He has averaged 4.67 assists per game for his career, but stands at 7.78 assists per game this year. That is ahead of Grayson Marshall’s record pace.
And, Scott’s rebound average of 4.7 this year is ahead of his career 3.7 figure.
In fact, his 4.7 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.
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 1999-02 336 72 4.675. 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 AssistsRk Name Yrs Years GP A/G Ast1. Grayson Marshall 4 1984-88 122 7.02 8572. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 4.58 5773. Derrick Johnson 4 1975-79 111 4.29 4764. Bobby Conrad 4 1076-80 116 3.47 4025. Marc Campbell 4 1980-84 106 3.43 3646. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 6.10 3547. Vincent Hamilton 5 1980-85 116 2.91 3378. Edward Scott 3 1999-02 72 4.67 3369. Marion Cash 2 1988-90 64 6.23 335
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 Maryland. Clemson has an 11-7 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 5-1 this season coming off a loss. Clemson enters the Maryland game off 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
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’s 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. 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 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’s 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’s 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’s 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 9.6 points per game this year. Clemson has had five different players lead the team in scoring over the last seven 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 8.4 per game. Jamar McKnight leads the way in league games with a 15.6 average, while Hobbs is at 14.8.
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 weekend when it travels to Maryland for a game with a top-five Maryland team. Clemson has not defeated a ranked team on its home floor since January 15, 1997 when the Tigers won at 11th-ranked Maryland 67-63.
Overall, Clemson has just 10 road wins over a ranked opponent in history and three of the 10 were the first ACC road game for the Clemson head coach. The first took place on Jan. 17, 1976, an 86-81 victory over fifth-ranked Wake Forest. That was Bill Foster’s first ACC road game as head coach of the Tigers. The second win on the road over a ranked team took place the very next game, at a second-ranked Maryland by a 82-77 score on Jan. 21, 1976.
Foster owns five of the 10 previous wins over ranked teams on the road. Cliff Ellis had two, including his first ACC road game in history, a 90-81 win over eighth-ranked Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Rick Barnes also had one in his first career ACC road game, a 75-70 win over ninth ranked Duke in 1994-95. Barnes had three of the 10 Clemson wins over ranked teams on the road.
Overall, Clemson has had just 58 ACC road wins in the 49 years of the league. Clemson is now 58-260 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’s 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 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 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 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.
Hobbs ranks first on the team in scoring with a 12.7 average, while Henderson is fifth on the team with a 9.6 average. They are the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson has a 9.3 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 seven double-doubles this year, more than he had all of last year. 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’s 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 DoomCategory 1988-89 2001-02 Campbell-Davis Hobbs-HendersonPoints/Game 30.8 22.3Rebounds/Game 16.6 15.4Field Goal % .594 .580Free Throw % .666 .650Minutes/Game 51.7 49.0
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 scored12.4 points a game and averaged 4.3 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 49.4 percent from the field and a team best 43.1 percent from three-point range. He continued his fine play against N.C. State with a team high tying 18 points on 7-12 shooting. Last year, McKnight scored just 68 points and had 25 rebounds all year in 20 games. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest. 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 9.0 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 ChartCategory 2000-01 2001-02Points/Game 3.4 12.4Rebounds/Game 1.3 4.3Field goal % .429 .4943Pt FGs/Game 0.45 1.753pt Goal % .391 .431Minutes/Game 9.4 23.0
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.
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 114 three-point goals in just 47 games, an average of 2.43 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 114 rank eighth 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. Next on the list is Merl Code, who had 125. Current Clemson assistant AD for basketball operations, Bruce Martin, is sixth with 129.
Clemson Career Leaders in Three-Point Goals/GameRk Name Yrs Years Md GP 3G/G1. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 167 58 2.882. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 114 47 2.433. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 214 94 2.284. Michael Tait 2 1985-87 70 31 2.265. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 259 126 2.066. Marc Campbell 4 1980-84 37 19 1.957. Anthony Jenkins 4 1982-87 91 47 1.948. Jeff Brown 2 1992-94 82 55 1.499. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 129 88 1.4610. David Young 4 1988-92 138 97 1.42
Clemson Career Leaders in Total Three-Point GoalsRk Name Yrs Years GP Att 3Gls1. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 696 2592. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 94 585 2143. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 404 1674. Andrius Jurkunas 4 1995-00 115 414 1465. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 1386. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 88 336 1297. Merl Code 4 1993-97 97 371 1258. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 47 307 1149. Andre Bovain 4 1990-94 108 326 10710. Tony Christie 4 1995-99 115 315 106
Clemson Playing Better on the Road
Clemson has historically been a team that struggles on the road. Clemson has just 58 ACC road wins in 49 seasons. But, Clemson already has five wins away from home this year, including a victory at ACC rival Georgia Tech. Clemson is 6-4 at home and 5-3 away from home so far this season.
Clemson has already won five games away from home this year, more than they won away from home in 1999-00 and 2000-01. Clemson won three games away from Littlejohn Coliseum each of those seasons. Clemson won six games away from home Larry Shyatt’s first year, 1998-99.
The Clemson single season record for wins away from home in a year is 11 set in the 1996-97 season, Clemson’s last Sweet 16 season in the NCAA tournament. Larry Shyatt’s was associate head coach of that Clemson team.
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 Feb. 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 18 games this season. Clemson has a +8.2 rebound margin over the first 18 games, a figure that would tie the Clemson school record. Clemson was 21st in the nation in rebounding as a team heading into this week’s play.
The Clemson record for rebound margin over the course of a season is +8.2 per game, a mark established by Larry Shyatt’s 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 9.3 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 17 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 nine of its 18 games so far this year.
Clemson's top Rebound Margin SeasonsYear Mar1998-99 +8.22001-02 +8.21975-76 +5.81985-86 +4.91984-85 +4.91974-75 +4.91989-90 +4.51996-97 +4.5
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’s 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’s January Schedule
Clemson opened its January schedule against Yale with a 68-65 loss. Since then, the Tigers have come back with two wins, triumphs over Georgia Tech and Virginia. This is the first time Clemson has won two wins in January since the 1997-98 season.
January has been a difficult month for Clemson recently and over the years in general. Clemson has just a 7-30 record in the month of January over the last five years, including a 2-6 mark in the month in 1997-98, the last year the Tigers went to the NCAA Tournament. Larry Shyatt’s first Clemson team won 20 games, but was just 1-7 in January.
Clemson won its first game of the month at Georgia Tech on Jan. 5, ending a 16-game Clemson losing streak in January ACC road games. The winning continued with the triumph over Virginia.
There are only four dates in the month over the years that have seen Clemson record a winning record. By comparison, the month of February has nine days in which Clemson has had a winning record. Clemson has had a winning record in January just one of the last 11 years.
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 Tony Stockman and 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’s, 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 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
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.
Edward Scott and 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 TeamRicky Cottrill, Eastern MichiganEric Bush, UABRasual Butler, La SalleDarius Rice, Miami (FL)Chris Hobbs, ClemsonMVP: John Salmons, Miami (FL)
Robinson, Akingbala Sign with Clemson
Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt’s 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’s, 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 consecutive double figure scoring games, 13 against Sacramento on Dec. 16 and 10 against Milwaukee on the 18th.
Tigers in the NBA in 2001-02(Stats as of Jan. 13, 2002)Player Team GP Min PPG Reb FG% FT%Greg Buckner Dallas 15 22.8 6.3 4.4 .506 .667Elden Campbell Charlotte 36 30.5 15.1 7.8 .490 .805Dale Davis Portland 35 29.6 9.1 8.0 .506 .667Horace Grant Orlando 38 28.4 7.5 6.5 .502 .680Will Solomon Memphis 24 9.8 4.1 0.7 .340 .571Chris Whitney Washington 34 24.8 8.3 *3.4 .390 .875Harold Jamison LA Clippers 4 5.0 1.5 0.8 .429 .000
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’s.
Clemson Tigers Sports Properties Affiliates
Station Location On the Dial WAJY Aiken 102.7 FM WBAW Barnwell 99.1 FM WCAM Camden 1590 AM WPUB Camden 102.7 FM WSC Charleston 730 AM WCCP Clemson 104.9 FM WZMJ Columbia 93.1 FM WJMX Florence 970 AM WAGI Gaffney 105.3 FM WGTN Georgetown 1400 AM WCRS Greenwood 94.1 FM WBHC Hampton 92.1 FM WWKT Kingstree 99.3 FM WLSC Loris/Myrtle Beach 1240 AM WRNN Myrtle Beach 99.5 FM WIGL Orangeburg 102.9 FM WRHI Rock Hill 1340 AM WIBZ Sumter 95.5 FM WGOG Walhalla 96.3 FM WLXN Lexington, NC 1440 AM
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