Wednesday February 22, 2012

The Defining Moment

The Defining Moment
This basketball season has been different than almost any recent season for the Clemson program.

In the last few years of the Oliver Purnell program the Tigers were fighting for an NCAA tournament bid and often times were fighting for a bye in the ACC tournament.

This was also the case in Brad Brownell's first season a year ago.

But this year's team is different. Barring a miracle run in the ACC tournament this team will not play in the Big Dance this season. Instead this team is fighting for a spot in the NIT.

But that is not the reason why this team is different. Unlike most Clemson teams of late, this team is still looking for its defining moment.

In recent campaigns the Tigers had already had a signature win or had something to differentiate itself from other years.

Maybe I am wrong. Maybe the 20-point win over Florida State will be the big moment in this season but I don't think it will be the defining moment.

Maybe the close home losses to Coastal Carolina, the College of Charleston and South Carolina will be the defining moment of the season but I am hopeful that is not the case either.

I am hopeful that this team's defining moment is still to come because I really like these guys. I love how hard they play. I like the character. I like the stories of Tanner's Totes. I know Bryan Narcisse fairly well and think he is an amazing young man who is a great person of character. His peers think very highly of Andre Young as well.

A few weeks ago after the close and demoralizing losses at Virginia and Virginia Tech, Brownell seemed very down. In an interview on my radio show Brownell said his only goal was for this team "to finish the season the right way." He wanted his strong senior class to have a great memory of how their careers ended. He wanted his juniors to set the tone for next year by ending the season strong. He wanted his freshmen to understand how important it is to continue to build the program. The season had not gone the way anyone would have hoped but he wanted his team to keep playing hard and take pride in how they ended their season. Hopefully this team will not simply fade out to superior competition in the final weeks of the season. Hopefully they will follow his advice and finish strong.

The interesting thing about this team is that we see signs of a special ending. They played well on the road recently at Wake Forest and last night against Georgia Tech. Those were inferior opponents but so was Boston College earlier in the year and that didn't work out too well.

They played well at home against a good Virginia squad and looked brilliant against Florida State at home in the ACC opener.

Hopefully those types of efforts can continue and we see those types of results instead of the one we got at home against Maryland or at Miami.

The Tigers have three regular season games remaining. This Saturday they host an NC State team that can beat anyone in the league but can also lose to any ACC school.

A week from tomorrow Clemson will host Virginia Tech on senior night as we say good bye to Tanner Smith, Andre Young, Bryan Narcisse and Bobo Baciu.

The regular season ends with the tough task of playing Florida State in Tallahassee in what could be a chance for the Seminoles to win the regular season ACC championship.

Clemson enters the final week and a half of the regular season with a 6-7 record. And now for the crazy part-Clemson is only two games out of fourth place can still finish tied for fourth in the league. The Tigers are only one game out of fifth place.

Here are the remaining schedules of the schools still with a chance to finish fourth:
Virginia 8-5 North Carolina, Florida State, @ Maryland
NC State 7-6 @ Clemson, Miami, @ Virginia Tech
Miami 7-6 Florida State, @ NC State, Boston College
Maryland 6-7 @Georgia Tech, @ North Carolina, Virginia
Clemson 6-7 NC State, Virginia Tech, @ Florida State

In a two-way tie Clemson lost its only games with Maryland and Miami and split two games with Virginia. The Tigers lost at Virginia Tech earlier but have a chance to split by winning at home against the Hokies next Thursday. Clemson will play its only game against NC State this Saturday.

It is wishful thinking and a lot of things have to happen between now and a week from Sunday but maybe this team's defining moment is still to come with a fourth place finish still within reach.

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 email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com

*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, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Daniel Rosborough, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, the Nicolopulos family, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle family, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, the Thomas. V Family, Emary Claire Young, Kitty Bowers,Julie Locke, the Scheider family, Lauren Kittles' family, Frank Gentry, Joyce Bussey, Stacey McKeown, Mary Priester, Dale Childs, Larry Lentz, Jr, Carl Sharperson, Scott Hannon, William Perry, Tyler Swaney, Lillian, Matt Hogan, Mark Feit, David Frame, Chad Berry, the family of Matthew M. Watson, Nancy Taylor, the Dowis family, Shervin Messer, Alan Putnam, the Olivers, Lee Tate, Ronnie Abrams, Eddie Greene, the Jackson family, Bill Vader, Nancy Taylor, Tina DeWitt, Rock Horne, Christopher Tuten, Jimmy Head, Bobby Wayne Thomas, Emma and Danielle Carothers, Robert Ditty, Murray Smith, Dot Cartee, Ayden Mills, Millie Heatley, Lynn Martin and family, Michael Pinson, Jake David family, Janice Thompson, Angie Crowley, Rachel Graves, Ira, Elsie Taylor, Mike Tolson, Poly Wells, Dr. Muriel Bishop, Jack Cunningham, Emily Jefford Meister, Zachary Stoller, Aaron Clackum, Pat James, Cortney Moore, William Moore, Angelia and Savannah Anderson, William Ross.