Tuesday May 12, 2009

Former Tiger Great Passes; Recruiting Update

Former Tiger Great Passes
Perhaps the greatest soccer player in Clemson history has passed away. Nnamdi Nwokocha starred at Clemson from 1979-1981 and still holds many school and conference records including the school’s all-time leading scorer.

He passed away at the age of 46 in his native country of Nigeria on April 24 but the school just found out about the news Monday. Nwokocha died of meningitis. He had been working in eastern Nigeria as an advisor to a Governor of the State for Sport Affairs.

When I was a student-assistant in the sports information office at Clemson, I was the student-assistant for soccer. That entailed writing and editing the press guide each year. One of those duties included updating the history section of the press guide and research former players. Because of his unbelievable stats I took interest in Nnamdi and his brother Christian.

I never saw either play but have talked to several who recall Nnamdi’s ize and athleticism. He was simply dominating. For example, on September 9, 1979 he accomplished something that will never happen again. Against Belmont Abby, he scored seven goals in the first half. He also had two assists in the half. Nwokocha did not play in the second half of the blowout but still set the school record for goals and points in a half and a game. The seven goals is also still an ACC record.

Nwokocha is the school’s all-time leader scorer with 171 points. That total is still second best in Atlantic Coast Conference history. His 74 goals is second in Clemson history and third in ACC history. In 1980 he had four consecutive hat tricks.

He was an All-American in 1979 and 1981. He was a first-team All-ACC selection in 1979, 1980 and 1981. In 1979, he was named Player of the Year as a freshman when he led the Tigers to the NCAA National Championship match. He was also the team MVP in 1979, 1980 and 1981. He led the ACC in goal scoring in 1979, 1980 and 1981 and led the ACC in assists with 11 in 1979.

There were a few greats before Nnamdi and many since. However, there are some that think the late Nnamdi Nwokocha is the best player in Clemson history.

Recruiting Update
The staff has hit the road this month in recruiting and I wanted to give an update on some in-state offers. Please keep in mind that this list is unofficial.

So far Clemson has not offered a quarterback in the state this spring. They have offered two running backs so far, Marcus Lattimore (6-0, 210) of Byrnes High School in Duncan and Mustfa Greene (6-0, 190) of Irmo High School. I don’t think the Tigers lead for either at this point.

The only in-state wide receiver Clemson has offered is Martavis Bryant (6-3, 175) of T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson. Bryant committed to Clemson as a sophomore and is considered one of the top wide outs in the South.

At this point, I am not aware of any in-state tight end the staff has offered.

Clemson has offered three offensive linemen from South Carolina so far. The Tigers are in good shape with Kalon Davis (6-5, 325) of Chester High School. They are not leading for the other two in-state offensive linemen they have offered, A.J. Cann (6-3, 260) of Bamberg High School and Eric Mack (6-4, 315) of Calhoun County High School.

At this point Clemson has offered three defensive ends in South Carolina but do not lead for any of three. Corey Miller (6-4, 225) and Brandon Willis (6-4, 250) of Byrnes High School in Duncan and Dexter Morant (6-7, 225) of Manning High School are favoring out of state schools at this time.

The only defensive tackle from South Carolina that the staff has currently offered is Kelcy Quarles (6-4, 250) of Greenwood High School who is currently committed to South Carolina.

The staff has offered two in-state linebackers so far this spring. They have received a commitment from Jake Nicolopulos (6-2, 220) of T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson. Clemson has also offered Justin Parker (6-2, 225) of Beaufort High School.

In the secondary Clemson has offered John Fulton (6-1, 185) of Manning High School but he currently favors out of state schools. The staff has also offered Bashaud Breeland (6-1, 190) of Allendale-Fairfax High School and the Tigers appear to be in good shape for this safety.

Two players who can be listed at athletes, wide receivers or defensive backs have committed to the Tigers. DeAndre Hopkins (6-2, 175) of Daniel High School in Central and Joe Craig (6-0, 175) of Gaffney High School are two of the top prospects in the state and two good picks for the Tigers. Another athlete that Clemson has offered is Bruce Ellington (5-10, 185) of Berkeley High School in Moncks Corner. He is the cousin of current Clemson running back Andre Ellington.

We know of the above 17 players from the state the Tigers have offered. That number is a little higher than in recent seasons. By the end of the summer, I could see Clemson offer over 20 players from the state and signing around 10 in-staters.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:
*If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.
*If you would like to add someone to the list please e-mail me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com
*If you want the reason for the prayer to be added to the name please specify in your e-mails.
*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list

Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Sandy Wright, Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, Edward Putman, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver.