As Fans Look Back, Shyatt Thinks Ahead |
CLEMSON - Three days after one of the most heartbreaking - not to mention
controversial - road losses in Clemson history, fans still were jamming sports talk radio lines and Internet discussion boards with soulful, almost painstaking cries for justice. Last Tuesday's 60-59 loss to Florida State is one Clemson fans won't soon forget, the circumstances so far out of left field that this particular defeat will stand out among the other 266 conference road losses in school history (vs. 58 wins) long after the principals involved have moved on to other ventures. Larry Rose's call of a foul on Sharrod Ford after - replays showed - time expired, his misuse of the courtside replay monitor and his non-call on Ed Scott's attempt to draw a charge on the ensuing inbound pass no doubt will cast the official in the role of villain, now more than ever, in the eyes of Clemson fans. Everyone, it seems, has something to say about "the night Clemson was robbed." Everyone, that is, except Larry Shyatt. Oh sure, he talked to the Atlantic Coast Conference office. Talked to them long and hard, expressing his belief that Clemson had, indeed, won the game and Rose's call against Ford came too late. He also talked to the league about Rose's non-call vs. Scott, and generally expressed his displeasure with the whole process. That was Wednesday morning. By Wednesday afternoon, Shyatt had moved ahead to today's matchup with defending national champion Maryland. "I'm not comfortable looking back," he said, pressed on the issue. "There's the controllable and the uncontrollable, and we have to focus now on what we can control. We have to continue getting better, continue correcting mistakes and come out and start winning some games." The Tigers have won 11 already. Lost just 3. Of course the problem lies in the fact that all three losses have come inside conference play, where Clemson has won no more than four games in the last three seasons of Shyatt's tenure. That two of the three defeats have come by a total of three points means nothing to this team. A year ago? That's a different story. Five losses by a total of 16 points gave hope that things would be different "next year." But with seniors Scott, Ray Henderson and Tomas Nagys, along with junior Chris Hobbs, the Tigers are top-heavy in experience and - theoretically - should be winning close games by now. And perhaps they will. There are 12 ACC games remaining on Clemson's schedule, and early action inside the league has shown that anything is possible. N.C. State struggled with Florida State, then drilled No. 1 Duke. Virginia, which lost by a point to Clemson during a five-game road losing streak, bounced back earlier this week and took out No. 17 Wake Forest. Shyatt, looking only at the past to find correctable mistakes, presses onward in hopes of moving upward in the conference standings. As always, the fifth-year Tigers head coach maintains a positive outlook, even as those around him brace for what they fear is yet another nose dive into the ACC play-in game. "This particular team has never played any of those other teams," Shyatt said of past struggles. "They know nothing of it. All they know is how to work hard at getting better. "They, and I, believe good things are coming." Dan Scott covers Clemson University for the Florence Morning News. He also hosts SportsTalk from 9 a.m.-Noon, Monday-Friday, on WCCP-Fm, 104.9. Click here for Dan Scott's SportsTalk discussion board.
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