Friday 01/11/2002
Game 17: Clemson at Wake Forest Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002 2:00 PM (EST) Lawrence Joel Coliseum (6,100) Winston-Salem, NC
TV: Raycom/Jefferson PilotPlay By Play: Tim Brant* Color Analyst: Mike Gminski
Radio: Clemson Tiger Sports PropertiesPlay By Play: Jim Phillips * Color Analyst: Tim Bourret
Clemson vs. Wake Forest Series * Wake Forest has an 87-49 lead in the series with Clemson over the years. The Tigers have a 32-31 lead in games played at Clemson, while the Deacs have a 46-12 lead in games played at Wake Forest. Wake Forest also leads in neutral site games, 10-5. Clemson has an 18-14 lead in games played at Littlejohn Coliseum. * Wake Forest has won six in a row and 19 of the last 24 overall. They have won 11 in a row in Lawrence Joel Coliseum. * Clemson is 12-46 all time at Wake Forest, including 1-11 in games played in the Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Clemson has lost 11 straight in the facility that was opened for the 1989-90 season. Clemson won that game behind Dale Davis and Elden Campbell, 89-75, but the Tigers have not won since. Clemson has been within 10 points of Wake Forest in Joel Coliseum four of the last five years, but has failed to gain victory. That includes last year when Clemson lost at Wake Forest 71-63. *Clemson downed Wake Forest two of three games in 1997-98, by 25 at Clemson and by 19 in the NCAA Tournament in Greensboro. Clemson used dominant second halves in both victories. Wake Forest led at the half in both games, including an eight-point margin in the ACC Tournament game. But, Clemson outscored the Deacs 43-17 in the game at Clemson and 43-16 in the game at Greensboro. * Clemson has struggled offensively against Wake Forest in each of the last six contests with the Deacs, all Wake Forest victories. Clemson has failed to reach 70 points in each of the six games and has averaged just 61.5 points a game in that stretch. Clemson scored 63 points in the Deacons eight-point win last year. Clemson has shot just 39.1 percent (124-317) from the field in the last six games combined against Wake Forest. * This is six-game losing streak to Wake Forest is the longest by the Tigers against the Deacs since the 1981-85 era when Clemson lost eight in a row. A 80-65 win at Clemson in Cliff Ellis’s first year ended that streak.
Last Year vs. Wake Forest… Wake Forest 71, Clemson 63 Jan. 21, 2001 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum Wake Forest forced 21 Clemson turnovers to offset a 30-point performance by ACC leading scorer Will Solomon and defeated the Tigers 71-63 on Jan. 21, 2001 at Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC. Clemson fell for the 11th straight time at the Joel Coliseum. Wake Forest, ranked ninth in the USA Today Coach’s poll and 10th by AP heading into the game, improved to 14-3 with the victory.
Solomon made 9-17 shots from the field and 5-11 three-point attempts in registering his fourth 30-point game against a top-20 team last year. He had 17 points in the first half and 13 in the second half when he nearly brought Clemson all the way back from a 15-point deficit. Edward Scott had 10 points and seven assists, while Chris Hobbs collected 13 rebounds in a season high 36 minutes of play.
Clemson was without the services of starting center Adam Allenspach, who continued to miss playing time due to a back ailment. Wake Forest was led by Broderick Hicks, who scored a season high 18 points. He entered the game with just 12 made three-point goals, but hit 4-6 on long range in this game off the bench. Reserve A.W. Hamilton made 2-3 three-point shots to give support. Josh Howard added 16 points and 10 rebounds, the only player in the game to record a double-double.
Clemson was outstanding on offense to open the game. Clemson had a 20-11 lead in the first 8:10 of the contest as Solomon scored 13 of Clemson’s first 20 points. Clemson still had a 22-20 lead at the 8:45 mark. Wake Forest went on a 14-4 run and had a 36-27 lead at the 2:30 mark before the half. Clemson closed the gap to just three on a layup at the buzzer by Dustin Braddick.
Clemson hit a dry spell early in the second half and the Deacs opened the lead to 10 at the 14:24 mark. Clemson was 0-4 during the spurt and had five turnovers. Wake Forest moved the lead to 15 at 62-47 and still had a 64-50 lead at the 7:54 mark.
But, Clemson came back behind Solomon. He scored eight straight points to cut the margin to 64-58, then dove for a steal to give Clemson another possession with four minutes left. He then hit a three-point shot that would have cut the margin to three, but he was called for an offensive foul. It was a five-point game at 66-61 with 2:33 left, but Clemson could get no closer.
Clemson made 14 turnovers in the second half and for the game Wake Forest had a 31-13 advantage in points off turnovers. Wake Forest won the battle of the boards 40-31 and had a 15-6 advantage in second-chance points.
Wake Forest 92, Clemson 60 Feb. 21, 2001 at Littlejohn Coliseum Wake Forest held Clemson to just 3-22 shooting and nine points in the first half and went on to a 92-60 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum on Feb. 21, 2001. Clemson was coming off its second ever win over the nation’s top ranked team, but had no carry over from that victory over North Carolina three days previous.
The Demon Deacons outscored Clemson 41-9 in the first 20 minutes, then the two teams split 102 points in the second half. The first half point total was the fewest by the Tigers since Feb. 23, 1945 when Clemson scored just six in the first half of a loss to South Carolina. The 3-22 field goal shooting was the worst in a half by a Larry Shyatt coached team.
Darius Songaila scored 24 points on 8-10 shooting to lead the Deacons, who were ranked 22nd in the nation entering the game. He scored those 24 points in just 22 minutes. Craig Dawson added 19 points off the bench, while Josh Howard had 14 points and five steals. Clemson was led by Tony Stockman, who scored 14 points, including four three-point goals. Dustin Braddick added 10 points and four assists. ACC scoring leader Will Solomon was held to nine points, just the second game over the last two years (55 games) in which he failed to reach double figures.
Clemson struggled from the outside. The Tigers missed their first 12 shots from the field and had seven turnovers in the first seven minutes. Clemson had committed just seven turnovers the entire game against North Carolina the previous Sunday. Wake Forest had leads of 11-0 and 26-4 in the first half.
Clemson struggled to score in the first half, then scored 21 points in the first six minutes of the second half. The Tigers made 19-38 field goals in the second half, 50 percent, and added 8-19 three-point goals, 42 percent. But, the Deacons also scored 51 points after intermission and were 12-16 from the free throw line.
Clemson Veterans vs. Wake Forest Clemson has struggled in recent years against Wake Forest and you can see that in the career stats of each of the veteran players. No active Clemson player has shot at least 40 percent from the field against the Demon Deacons and the active players have combined to shoot just 32 percent in games against Wake Forest.
Tony Stockman averaged 11 points a game against Wake Forest last year and shot 6-12 on three-point goals. Ray Henderson has scored 15 points in four games against Wake Forest, but has 22 rebounds, including nine offensive. Chris Hobbs has a similar seven points and 18 rebounds in two games against the Deacs.
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 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. Since a three-game 0-18 slump heading into the final seconds of the first half at Georgia Tech, Scott is now 10 of his last 18 from the field, including 5 for his last nine. The ACC’s leader in assists also contributed six dimes.
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 game 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 n 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.
Clemson has a chance for another win over a top-25 team Saturday when it travels to Winston-Salem to face Wake Forest. Clemson has not beaten a ranked team in consecutive games since the 1987-88 season when it closed the regular season with home wins over ninth-ranked Duke (79-77) and 13th-ranked Georgia Tech (97-94 in double overtime).
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 had 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 vs. Skip Prosser Skip Prosser is in his first year at Wake Forest, but this will not be the first time he has faced Clemson. And, it won’t be the first time he has coached against Larry Shyatt. The Tigers met Prosser’s Xavier team in Madison Square Garden and came away with a 79-76 victory in the semifinals of the NIT. That was Larry Shyatt first Clemson team and it was a victory over a 25-win Xavier team.
Clemson had a 40-29 lead at halftime, then extended the margin to 24 points in the second half before Xavier came back. Xavier actually took a three-point lead in the final minute, but Clemson made some clutch free throws to come away with the victory, Clemson’s only win in history at Madison Square Garden.
Terrell McIntyre led Clemson with 20 points on 7-11 shooting, including 4-7 on three-point shots. Tony Christie, brother of current Tiger Chey Christie, added 16 points on 6-10 shooting, while Harold Jamison added 16. Tom Wideman had the final double-double of his career with 10 points and a game high 15 rebounds. No current Tiger played in that game.
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 four players averaging in double figures this season and a fifth is at 9.6 per game. Each of the last five games a different Clemson player has led the team in scoring and six different players have led the Tigers in games over the course of the season. 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. Chris Hobbs leads the way in those games with an 18.0 average, while Jamar McKnight stands at 15.7.
Tigers Have Won Consecutive ACC Games Clemson has won consecutive ACC games against Georgia Tech (83-76) and Virginia (68-52). This is the first time since the 1998-99 season that Clemson has won consecutive ACC contests. Clemson defeated Florida State (78-45) and Virginia (88-65) in consecutive games Feb. 14-17 that year.
Clemson will be looking for its third straight ACC win when it travels to Wake Forest this weekend. Clemson has not won three straight regular season ACC games since the 1996-97 season when the Tigers won their first five games of the regular season. Clemson won three straight against ACC teams in 1997-98, but one of those victories was in the ACC Tournament against Wake Forest.
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 Wake Forest for a game with the 19th-ranked (USA Today) Demon Deacons. Clemson has not defeated a ranked team on its home floor since Jan. 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 an 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 58-259 in its history in ACC road games, a winning percentage of 18 percent. That includes the win at Georgia Tech last Saturday. 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 will be looking for its second consecutive ACC road win. The last time Clemson won two in a road in the conference on the road was the 1996-97 season when Clemson won at Virginia and at Florida State in its first two league road games of the year.
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. Prior to Saturday, Clemson had been 6-44 in ACC road games in January dating to the 1987-88 season.
Clemson will try for two in a row on the ACC road this Saturday at Wake Forest, where it has not won since Elden Campbell’s senior year, 1989-90. In fact, that is Clemson’s only win in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
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 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 Ray Henderson and Chris Hobbs are becoming quite a duo on the inside this year. Hobbs ranks first on the team in scoring with a 13.0 average, while Henderson is fourth on the team with a 9.6 average. They are the top two rebounders on the Tiger team, as Henderson has a 9.2 rebounding average and Hobbs is at 6.2 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 six 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 9.6 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 DoomCategory 1988-89 2001-02 Campbell-Davis Hobbs-HendersonPoints/Game 30.8 22.6Rebounds/Game 16.6 15.4Field Goal % .594 .570Free Throw % .666 .660Minutes/Game 51.7 48.9
Clemson Has Won Four Games Despite Poor 3-Pt Shooting Clemson beat Wofford, Penn State, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State in the first month of the season even though it was outscored 114-27 on three-pointers.
The Tigers made just three of 20 attempts from beyond the three-point arc against Appalachian State. That was after making six threes at Duke on Dec. 2, the most since the Tigers connected to make eight in the second game of the year.
Clemson made just six three pointers against Wofford, Penn State and Coastal Carolina, but claimed victory in each of the contests, including the first two of those in come-from-behind fashion. In those three games, the Tigers were outscored 87-18 by opponents from outside.
Clemson made just 2-15 three-point shots in its victory over Wofford, including an 0-5 performance in the second half. The Terriers shot lights out, hitting 15-32, or 46.9 percent. Wofford’s total tied for the third most three-point goals in Clemson history against the Tigers. Only Duke with 17 in the 2000 ACC Tournament, and Georgia Tech with 17 at Clemson last year, are higher figures.
Clemson followed that with a 1-10 three-point shooting performance at Penn State. That one three-point goal was a big one, however. Dwon Clifton nailed a three on the first Clemson possession of the second half to cut the 10-point margin to seven. The Tigers took that momentum from there.
Against Coastal Carolina, the Tigers were 3-17 from long distance getting three-pointers from Dwon Clifton, Jermel Douglas and Tony Stockman.
A victory for the Tigers with a three-point goal percentage less than 20 percent is a rarity. In fact, the Tigers had lost 12 straight games when failing to hit at least 20 percent from three-point range prior to the Wofford game. Clemson won four in a row when failing to shoot 20 percent on three-point shooting this year (Wofford, Penn State, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State).
The Tigers were 0-11 under Larry Shyatt when failing to hit 20 percent from behind the arc prior to this year. Clemson was 2-21 between 1993-94 and 2000-01 when it failed to connect on at least 20 percent of its three-point shots.
For the season, Clemson has outscored the opposition by 132 points. But, Clemson has been outscored on three-point goals by 90 points. Opponents have made 118 threes, to just 88 made by the Tigers. That was not the case in the win over fifth-ranked Virginia. Clemson made eight threes to just two for Virginia in the 16-point win. Clemson is now 5-0 this year when it makes more three point goals than its opponents.
Scott Tops 300 Assist Mark Clemson junior guard Edward Scott had 11 assists in the Yale game, giving him 301 for his career. He became the 11th player in Clemson history to reach 300 assists in a career. Scott now has 318 assists in 70 games, an average of 4.54 per contest. That ranks fifth best in school history on a per game basis.
Scott has five games of double figures in assists and eight with nine or more. That includes the win at Georgia Tech when he had 11 assists to go with 12 points. 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 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 10.1 average this year. He has averaged 4.5 assists per game for his career, but stands at 7.62 assists per game this year. That is near a record pace. Grayson Marshall holds the Clemson record for a season at 7.71 in 1985-86.
And, Scott’s rebound average of 5.0 this year is ahead of his career 3.7 figure. In fact, his 5.0 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. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 577 126 4.585. Edward Scott 3 1999-02 318 70 4.546. 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
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 scored11.9 points a game and averaged 4.3 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 49.3 percent from the field and a team best 43 percent from three-point range.
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.
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 8.5 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.
Jamar McKnight Improvement ChartCategory 2000-01 2001-02Points/Game 3.4 11.9Rebounds/Game 1.3 4.3Field goal % .429 .4933Pt FGs/Game 0.45 1.713pt Goal % .391 .429Minutes/Game 9.4 21.9
Stockman Second in Three-Point Goals/Game Clemson sophomore Tony Stockman had six three-point goals against Yale to move him atop the 100 mark in his short Clemson career. 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 110 three-point goals in just 45 games, an average of 2.44 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 110 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 2000-02 110 45 2.443. 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 Goals Rk Name Yrs Years GP Att 3Gls 1. Terrell McIntyre 4 1995-99 126 696 259 2. Will Solomon 3 1998-01 94 585 214 3. Chris Whitney 2 1991-93 58 404 167 4. Andrius Jurkunas 4 1995-00 115 414 146 5. David Young 4 1988-92 97 402 138 6. Bruce Martin 4 1991-95 88 336 129 7. Merl Code 4 1993-97 97 371 125 8. Tony Stockman 2 2000-02 45 298 110 9. Andre Bovain 4 1990-94 108 326 107 10. Tony Christie 4 1995-99 115 315 106
Clemson Playing Better on the Road Littlejohn Coliseum is usually regarded as a strong home-court advantage for Clemson. However, so far this year it appears Clemson has played better away from home. Clemson is 6-3 at home and 5-2 away from home so far this season. Clemson played well in the win over Virginia, but Clemson still has a better scoring average, field goal percentage, three-point percentage and rebound margin on the road as oppose to home this season.
Individually there are differences. Leading scorer Chris Hobbs averages just 10.7 points a game at home, but scores at a 16.0 rate away from home. Edward Scott both score higher on the road.
What is really strange is the freshmen. You would think freshmen would perform better at home than on the road. But, so far this year, Clemson’s five freshmen have shot just 39.8 percent from the field at home (35-88), but are hitting at a 53 percent rate (37-70) away from home. Sharrod Ford shoots 65 percent on the road and 56.5 percent at home. Chey Christie is shooting 28.6 percent in Littlejohn Coliseum, but 50 percent away from home.
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 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 was associate head coach of that Clemson team.
Clemson Stats Comparison by SiteCategory Home AwayRecord 6-3 5-2Points Per Game 74.1 76.6Field Goal % 44.0 45.73-Point FG % 27.5 34.0Reb. Margin +6.6 +12.0Opponent 3-Point FG % 32.7 31.1
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 6-3 at home so far this season and 5-2 away from home.
Clemson has played 496 games at Littlejohn Coliseum in history. Clemson has a record of 362-134 at home over the years, a 72.8 winning percentage. Clemson is 124-106 in ACC games in the facility, a .539 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.
Clemson Rebounding at Record Pace Clemson has been strong on the glass this year. The Tigers have been out-rebounded just once in 16 games this season. Clemson has a +9.0 rebound margin over the first 16 games, a figure that would be a Clemson record if the season ended today.
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 9.2 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 22 minutes per game. Jamison played 29 minutes a game when he averaged 9.9 rebounds per contest in 1998-99. The only team to beat Clemson on the boards over the first 16 games is South Carolina, who had a 46-37 advantage in rebounding. Clemson has had a double-digit rebound margin advantage in eight of its 16 games so far this year.
Clemson’s top Rebound Margin Seasons Year Mar 2001-02 +9.0 1998-99 +8.2 1975-76 +5.8 1985-86 +4.9 1984-85 +4.9 1974-75 +4.9 1989-90 +4.5 1996-97 +4.5
Freshmen Making Strong Contribution Clemson’s freshman class, five strong for the 2001-02 season, has made a significant contribution. For the year, the group of Chey Christie, Olu Babalola and Steve Allen has scored 196 points and collected 97 rebounds in 603 minutes. That computes to 12.2 points 6.1 rebounds and 37.7 minutes per game. The group is 72-158 from the field, 45.6 percent, ahead of the team field goal percentage of 44.7.
The group was especially helpful in the last two wins, victories over Charleston Southern and Hartford. In those two games combined, the five freshmen have scored 46 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and hit 18-30 shots from the field, 60 percent. They have done that in 112 total minutes.
The most productive freshman of late has been Sharrod Ford. The rookie is shooting 62.2 percent from the field for the season, best on the team and is 12 for his last 17. He came in with the reputation of an accomplished shot blocker. He has 17 blocks this season to rank tied for first on the team, but he is in the top 10 in the ACC. He has those 17 blocks in just 12.1 minutes per game.
Consecutive Wins by 30 Points Clemson had consecutive wins by 30 points or more heading into the Yale game. The Tigers were coming off a 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’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. 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 7-28 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 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 LaSalle 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 Febr. 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 last Wednesday. 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 for three games. 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'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 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 Jan. 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 2001-02Player Team GP Min PPG Reb FG% FT%Greg Buckner Dallas 12 22.5 6.5 2.3 .522 .583Elden Campbell Charlotte 32 30.8 14.9 7.4 .486 .801Dale Davis Portland 31 30.4 9.0 8.1 .500 .680Horace Grant Orlando 34 27.8 6.6 6.6 .478 .700Will Solomon Memphis 24 9.8 4.1 0.7 .340 .571Chris Whitney Washington 31 24.5 8.0 *3.3 .400 .782Harold 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.
Clemson Tigers Sports Properties AffiliatesStation Location On the DialWAJY Aiken 102.7 FMWBAW Barnwell 99.1 FMWCAM Camden 1590 AMWPUB Camden 102.7 FMWSC Charleston 730 AMWCCP Clemson 104.9 FMWZMJ Columbia 93.1 FMWJMX Florence 970 AMWAGI Gaffney 105.3 FM WGTN Georgetown 1400 AMWCRS Greenwood 94.1 FMWBHC Hampton 92.1 FMWWKT Kingstree 99.3 FMWLSC Loris/Myrtle Beach 1240 AMWRNN Myrtle Beach 99.5 FMWIGL Orangeburg 102.9 FMWRHI Rock Hill 1340 AMWIBZ Sumter 95.5 FMWGOG Walhalla 96.3 FMWLXN Lexington, NC 1440 AM
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