Men's Basketball to Take on Wolfpack Saturday |
Clemson vs. NC State Series
Clemson has won four of the last five, and 12 of the last 16 meetings with NC State. Clemson has had the upper hand, but seven of the last 12 have been decided by five points or less. Clemson has won four of those seven close games. Clemson has had more success against the Pack than any other ACC team since the 1992-93 season. The Tigers swept NC State last year, winning 59-42 at Clemson and 66-63 at NC State. It was Clemson's first sweep of NC State since the 1994-95 season, Larry Shyatt's first year (assistant) at Clemson. Clemson and NC State split their season series four consecutive years prior to last season. It has not been a series dominated by the home team either. In fact, in five of the last 10 games the visiting team has had the upper hand. In 1995-96 and 1997-98 the road team won each game, a "road win split". Clemson had just three road win split season series with ACC teams in the 1990s and two of the three were against NC State. Both teams won on the road in 1995-96, splitting a pair of games decided by five points or less. then in 1997-98, NC State won a thriller at Clemson, 82-80. The Tigers responded with a 77-72 win in Raleigh in a game that clinched an NCAA spot for the Tigers. The Tigers won at Clemson in 1998-99 behind two players with at least 20 points, while NC State won in Raleigh thanks to two different players with at least 20 points. Harold Jamison had 25 and Terrell McIntyre added 22 in the win at Clemson, Larry Shyatt's first ACC win. Justin Gainey had 28 on a perfect shooting night (7-7 field goals and 10-10 free throws), while Kenny Inge added 23 in the Wolfpack win in Raleigh later in the season. NC State has an 86-39 record against the Tigers overall. The Pack has a 26-24 lead in games at Clemson, but the Tigers have an 18-12 advantage in Littlejohn Coliseum, including victories in six of the last eight games. NC State has a 41-10 lead in games at Raleigh and a 19-5 lead in games on neutral sites. Clemson vs. NC State in 1999-00 Clemson 59, NC State 42 At Clemson, SC, Jan. 27, 2000 Four Tigers scored in double figures and the Clemson defense held NC State to 30 percent shooting, as Clemson broke a six-game losing streak with a 59-42 win over NC State in Littlejohn Coliseum on January 27th. Clemson had been 0-5 in the ACC prior to the game. Will Solomon scored 15 points to lead the Tigers in scoring, but it was the play of freshman point guard Edward Scott that provided the spark for Clemson. Coming off the bench and seeing his first playing time in four games, Scott scored 10 points, had three rebounds and five assists. He also had two steals for his 34 minutes of play. Most importantly, he held Justin Gainey to no points and no assists in 27 minutes of play. Gainey had lit up Clemson for 28 points on 7-7 shooting the last time the two teams met during 1998-99. Adam Allenspach added 12 points, while Andrius Jurkunas had 10. It was the second straight double figure scoring game for Jurkunas, the first time in 1999-00 he put back to back double figure scoring games together. Chucky Gilmore added 10 rebounds for the Tigers. Clemson's defense held NC State to just 42 points, its starters to just 15 points. Anthony Grundy scored nine, but Damien Wilkens, Damon Thornton and Kenny Inge all scored just two points apiece. Gainey was shut out. Only the three-point shooting of Archie Miller kept the Pack in the game. He was 5-9 on three-point goals. Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. The Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead to open the game in the first three minutes. Clemson held the Pack to five points in the first 12:30, as NC State made just two of its first 15 shots. Clemson did not take advantage as Clemson went 8:34 without scoring at one point. Clemson held a 23-17 lead at halftime. Clemson brought the lead to 34-21 at 13:31 left in the game on a layup by Adam Allenspach. But, Miller started hitting three-point goals and brought the Pack back to 42-38 with 7:36 left on the fourth three of the half by Miller. But, that was the last field goal he would make. Clemson then went on a 17-4 run to end the game. Solomon scored seven points down the stretch. Clemson won the rebounding battle 40-36 and had 15 assists and 15 turnovers. It was the first time in eight games that Clemson had at least the same amount of assists as turnovers. NC State had a 5/19 assist/turnover ratio. The Tigers were 14-27 from the field in the second half. Clemson 66, NC State 63 Feb. 27, 2000 at Raleigh, NC Andrius Jurkunas scored a career high 23 points, including 17 in the second half, leading Clemson to a 66-63 victory at NC State on Sunday, Feb. 27th. Clemson overcame a 10-point deficit with just six minutes to play to gain the victory, and snapped a 14-game ACC road losing streak in the process. Jurkunas had a career high six three-point goals in the game in just seven attempts. In addition to his scoring, Jurkunas made two free throws with 14.6 seconds left to give Clemson a 64-63 lead, then he defended Anthony Grundy on the Pack's last possession. Jurkunas deflected Grundy's shot, Will Solomon picked up the loose ball and sped for a clinching layup and 66-63 victory. Solomon had a fine all-around game with 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists. He also defended Grundy for much of the game and the Pack's top scorer made just 3-16 shots from the field, 0-6 on three-point attempts. Freshman guard Edward Scott had 10 points, six assists and four rebounds. Chucky Gilmore added eight points and nine rebounds, while Adam Allenspach had six points and eight rebounds. Clemson had 14 turnovers in the game, but just four in the second half. The Tigers shot 50 percent in the second half to 35.7 by NC State. Clemson made 11-19 three-point goals in the contest and scored on 71.4 from the foul line. Clemson also won the rebounding by seven, 38-31. Clemson trailed most of the game. After the Pack had a 32-26 lead at intermission, Clemson cut the margin to one at 32-31 with a 5-0 burst to start the game. The margin stayed between one and three points for the next 10 minutes. NC State then took a 59-49 lead with 7:09 left on a second straight three-point goal by Damien Wilkins. Clemson then went on a 13-0 run, its second longest run of the season, to take a 62-59 lead on a rebound goal by Chucky Gilmore. NC State shot just 1-12 from the field down the stretch, but State took the lead at 63-62 with just 33 seconds left on a free throw by Kenny Inge. On Clemson's next possession, Jurkunas was fouled, and made two free throws to give Clemson the lead. With Solomon's final score, Clemson went on a 17-4 run to end the game. Clemson ended its 17-point win at Clemson earlier in the year with a 17-4 run. Clemson Win at NC State Landmark *Clemson's trailed 31-26 at intermission. It marked the first time since 1964 that Clemson overcame a halftime deficit at NC State to win a game. *Just the third time in 13 years that Clemson had overcome a halftime defict on the road to win an ACC game. *Clemson broke a 14-game ACC road losing streak with the 66-63 victory. *Clemson overcame a 10-point deficit with six minutes left to gain victory. It was the first time Clemson overcame a double digit second half deficit to gain victory since March 6, 1998 when Clemson overcame a 10-point second half deficit to beat Wake Forest. *Just the 14th Clemson victory in the North Carolina Triangle (at NC State, Duke or UNC) in 47 years of ACC basketball. *Won its first ACC road game decided by five points or less since the 1997-98 season, a five-point win at NC State. *Gave Clemson its first sweep of NC State since the 1994-95 season. Shyatt and Sendek Coached Together This will be the fifth meeting between Larry Shyatt and Herb Sendek as head coaches. Larry Shyatt holds a 3-1 advantage in the four games played so far. The two mentors were assistant coaches together under Rick Barnes on Providence's 1988-89 staff. That team finished with an 18-11 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Both coaches have had important wins against the other. In Herb Sendek's first year at NC State, he gained his first ACC win against a seventh ranked Clemson team in Raleigh, 58-54. NC State was 0-7 in the league heading into that game. Rick Barnes was Clemson's head coach, Larry Shyatt was in his last year as an assistant. Shyatt earned his first ACC win as Clemson head coach against Sendek, an 80-72 victory at Clemson. Last year, Clemson got its first ACC win against the 21st ranked Pack, 59-42 at Clemson. Thus, each of his first two years as Clemson coach, Larry Shyatt earned his first ACC win against Sendek. Both teams are 0-2 in league play coming into this game, so someone will earn his first ACC win this afternoon. Solomon Ranked in top 15 Nationally Even though he scored just 13 points at Duke last Saturday, Will Solomon still leads the ACC in scoring with a 21.4 average. That figure is good enough for 14th in the nation, fifth among juniors. Solomon is also eighth in the nation in three-point goals per game with a 3.4 average. That figure is also first in the ACC. Solomon is ahead of his national finishes of last year. As a sophomore, Solomon averaged 20.9 points a game, good enough for 16th in the nation. He was 17th in three-point goals per game last year with a 3.2 figure. Solomon's scoring ranking of 16 last year was the best by a Clemson player since 1968-69 when Butch Zatezalo was 14th in the country with a 25.8 mark. The highest scoring ranking in history for a Clemson individual is fourth. The late Bill Yarborough was fourth in 1954-55 with a 28.3 figure. Solomon's three-point shooting is a big reason Clemson ranks 25th in the nation in three-point goals per game with an 8.46 figure. He has received considerable held from Tony Stockman, who has made 38 three-point goals in 15 games. Pasha Bains has added 21 and is shooting a team best .412 on three-point goals for the year. Clemson with a Week to Prepare Clemson has a week to prepare for its game with NC State on Saturday. Clemson has an "open date" in the schedule twice this year and both times it gives the Tigers a week to prepare for a game with the Wolfpack. Clemson has seven days to prepare for its Feb. 14th visit to NC State this year. So far this year Clemson is 2-0 in games in which it has had a week to prepare. Clemson defeated Wofford and Charleston Southern with a week's preparation. Having a week to prepare can help and it has helped during Larry Shyatt's tenure at Clemson. In his first year he had a week to prepare for the home game with ninth ranked North Carolina. The Tigers defeated North Carolina, 79-63. Clemson Could Break Record for Ranked Opponents Clemson has played four top 20 opponents so far this year and Clemson is 0-4 in those games. But, the Tigers have played well in three of those games, having a chance to win each contest with under two minutes left. Clemson lost to 10th ranked Seton Hall 79-78 on November 21 in the second game of the season, then lost to 20th ranked Cincinnati by 88-80 on December 21 in San Juan. Maryland, ranked 17th at the time, downed the Tigers, 104-92 on January 2. Third ranked Duke defeated Clemson 115-74 on January 7. Clemson had the ball for a final shot to beat Seton Hall. Clemson trailed by just two against Cincinnati with four minutes left, and by just six with two minutes left. Clemson trailed Maryland by just four (96-92) with two minutes remaining. Playing against top flight competition will be the norm this year. The ACC is filled with top 20 teams and it appears Clemson will play at least 10 conference games against ranked teams. Combined with the two non-conference games against top 20 teams, Clemson should play 12 regular season games this year against top 20 teams. That would be a first in Clemson history if that happens. Clemson has played 10 top 20 teams in a season four previous years. It first took place in 1979-80 when Clemson had a 6-4 record against top 20 teams on the way to a NCAA Final Eight finish. Clemson also played 10 top 20 teams in 1980-81, 1994-95 and 1996-97. The record for most top 25 teams played in a season is 13, set in 1996-97. Clemson had a 5-8 record against ranked teams that year. That was Larry Shyatt's last season as associate head coach at Clemson. Clemson been known to upset ranked teams in the past. Clemson has 68 win over ranked teams (AP or USA Today/Coach's), including at least one every year since 1986-87. Clemson had one win over a ranked team last year, a 59-42 win over 21st ranked NC State in a game played at Clemson. The schedule does not get any easier for Clemson next week. The Tigers will be on the road to face two teams who will be in the top 10 at gametime. Clemson plays at North Carolina on Wednesday and at Wake Forest on Sunday. Stockman Wins Paw Competition Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt has created an individual competition within his team that is geared toward improving the team's overall performance. He has devised a system for earning "Tiger Paws" throughout the year. He has divided the season into three parts, pre-ACC, ACC regular season, and postseason. Players can earn Tiger Paws by individual hustle plays, deflections, taking charges, reaching a minimum amount of rebounds, field goal shooting, three-point and free throw percentage minimums or making a game-winning play. Each member of the team receives a paw when certain team goals are reached within a game. For the pre-ACC part of the schedule, the champion was Tony Stockman with 21 Tiger Paws. Will Solomon was second with 20, while Edward Scott had 18 and Adam Allenspach had 17. Everyone started fresh with the ACC regular season schedule. Individual Goals in earning a Paw 1. Hustle Plays--must accumulate a total of 10 of the following in a game: first to the floor, charges taken, ball pressure deflection, steal or blocked shot. 2. Rebounding--Must have 8 rebounds for a forward or center, 4 rebounds for a wing or guard. 3. Assist/turnover ratio--Must have a 2/1 ratio for a forward or center, 3/1 for a guard or wing. 4. Shooting Percentages--Must shoot 50 percent field the field (min 4 attempts), 40 percent on three-point shots (min 3 attempts), 80 percent from the foul line (min of 3 attempts). 5. Cluch performance--Making a game winning play on offense or defense. Three-Point Shooting on Display Saturday Three-point shooting could be a key to success in Saturday's game between Clemson and NC State. Both teams have been solid in that area so far this season. Clemson guard Will Solomon leads the ACC in three-point goals per game and is ranked eighth in the nation in that area. NC State guard Archie Miller leads the nation in three-point goal percentage with a 62 percent mark. In fact, Miller is on an ACC record pace in that area. Clemson averages 8.5 made three-point goals per game, third in the ACC and 25th best in the nation. NC State is first in the ACC in 3-point goal percentage, hitting .425 for the season. Clemson is fifth in the ACC in that area with a .364 mark. As stated above, Miller leads the ACC in three-point percentage, but Clemson's Will Solomon is eighth, followed by freshman Tony Stockman, who is ninth in the league. Stockman is sixth in the ACC in three-point goals made per game, even though he comes off the bench. Clemson is a ahead of its school record pace for three-point goals made per game. The record is 7.06 per game made during the 1993-94 season. Clemson stands at 8.47 so far this season. Freshmen of Influence Clemson's freshman class for the 2000-01 season was ranked among the best in the nation. It has certainly had an impact on this year's team. Tony Stockman is second on the club in scoring with a 13.3 average and is coming off a 22-point outing at Duke, his fourth game of at least 20 points this year. Stockman's 13.3 average is best among freshmen in the ACC. Florida State's Michael Joiner is second at 10.9 and Marvin Lewis of Georgia Tech is third at 10.5. Stockman has 38 three-point goals so far this season, already third best in history by a Clemson freshman. Terrell McIntyre has the Clemson freshman record with 51 set in 1995-96. Chris Hobbs has three double-doubles so far this year tied for fifth in the ACC in that area. The freshman from Chapel Hill has averaged 5.5 rebounds per game, third among freshmen in the ACC. Joiner has a 6.5 figure, followed by Lewis with a 5.6 mark. Hobbs has averaged 5.9 points a game and his rebound average is second best on the Clemson team behind Adam Allenspach. His .522 field goal percentage is also second on the team. He had a double-double in his first ACC game, 11 points and 10 rebounds against Maryland on January 2. His 15 rebounds in the win over The Citadel were the most by a Clemson freshman since Tom Wideman had 17 at NC State in 1995-96. Finally, Dwon Clifton, a freshman from Louisburg, NC, has moved into the starting lineup. He is averaging 3.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. He had six points and 12 rebounds against Washington earlier this year. Tigers From North Carolina Clemson is in the middle of a four-game stretch in which it plays all four ACC teams from the state of North Carolina. Next week Clemson will travel to Chapel Hill to meet North Carolina, then on Sunday will play at Wake Forest. That means Clemson will play three of the North Carolina "Big Four" on the road within its first five league games. This Clemson team does not mind going to the Tar Heel state because six of Clemson's 16 roster players are from North Carolina. The list includes five scholarship players and one walk-on. Starters Dwon Clifton (Louisburg), and Ray Henderson (Charlotte) are from North Carolina, while key reserve Chris Hobbs (Chapel Hill) is also from the Tar Heel state. Chucky Gilmore, a starter last year who is out for the year with a torn ACL injury, is from Fayetteville. Walker Holt is a guard from Greensboro, while walk-on guard Wes Long is from Charlotte. This is the largest contingent of North Carolina residents on the Clemson roster in history. Free Throw Shooting at a 14-year High One area of improvement for Clemson this year is free throw shooting. The Tigers have made 70.9 percent from the foul line this year, 73.3 percent in the two ACC games. Clemson has not been a good free throw shooting team over the years. In fact, no Clemson team has bettered 70 percent over a season since 1986-87 when Horace Grant was a senior, helping the Tigers to a 71.6 percentage. The closest Clemson has come to a 70 percent season from the line was 1994-95 when the Tigers finished at .696. Clemson has made at least two thirds of its free throws just four of the last 13 seasons. If the season ended today, Clemson's .709 figure would be the best since the 1986-87 season and the eighth best in history. The Clemson record for free throw shooting took place in 1981-82 when Bill Foster's Tigers made .734 of their free throws. Clemson has had balance from the line this year. Tony Stockman leads the way with an 84 percent mark, while Will Solomon is at .805. Freshman center Chris Hobbs, who gets to the line often, has made .778 from the line. Edward Scott is at 73.3 percent. Center Adam Allenspach, a 74 percent shooter from the line last year, is a 66.1 so far this year. Clemson ranks third in the ACC in free throw shooting. No Clemson team in history has ever led the ACC in free throw shooting. Last Outing Duke 115, Clemson 74 Jan. 7 at Durham, NC Duke's starting front line of Carlos Boozer (25), Nate James (21) and Shane Battier (21) all scored at least 20 points in leading Duke to a 115-74 win over Clemson at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 7. It was the 50th win in 54 tries for Duke over Clemson in Durham. The Duke point total was the most against Clemson in 31 years. Duke shot 54.5 percent from the field and had 27 assists on 36 baskets as the Blue Devils ran their offense to perfection. They made just 1 of their first 8 three-point attempts, but finished by making 10 of their last 22. Duke had 14 steals, leading to 22 Clemson turnovers. Clemson was led in scoring by Tony Stockman, who scored 22 points off the bench. The freshman had a season best six three-point goals in 12 attempts. Will Solomon was held to 13 points, he got just 12 shots in the contest, making five. It broke his streak of six straight games of at least 20 points, but it gave him 44 consecutive games of scoring in double figures. Dustin Braddick had his first double figure scoring game of the year with 10 points, while Edward Scott added 10 points and four assists against just two turnovers. Clemson had 7-5 lead early, but the Blue Devils went on a 11-0 run to take a 16-7 lead at the 15:22 mark. Duke had an 18-0 run from the 11:23 mark to the 5:48 mark to take a commanding 42-12 lead. It was 56-27 at intermission. Duke expanded the lead to 44 points at 75-31 by the 15:47 mark of the second half. Boozer was outstanding on the inside for the Blue Devils. Clemson actually went on a 24-7 run to cut the advantage to 27 with 9:21 mark. But, that was as close as Clemson got as the Blue Devils continued to hit three-point shots down the stretch. Clemson Faces Another Wilkins One of the top sophomores in the ACC this year is NC State's Damien Wilkins. This is the second time Clemson has faced an opponent named Wilkins. Damien's father, Gerald Wilkins, longtime NBA player with various, played against Clemson with distinction in 1985. Gerald Wilkins was the star player for UT Chattanooga that year and Clemson traveled to Tennessee to face his team in the first round of the NIT. Wilkins responded with a game high 26 points on 12-18 shooting to lead the Mocs to a 67-65 victory. He also had five rebounds and two blocks for his 38 minutes of play. Clemson was led by Vincent Hamilton and sophomore forward Horace Grant, who had 16 points apiece. Grant is still playing in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers. The game was the final contest of the 1984-85 season for the Tigers, the first year of the Cliff Ellis era. Last year, Clemson defeated NC State twice. Wilkins struggled in the first game as he scored just two points and shot 0-4 from the field. He had 11 points on 4-11 shooting in Clemson's win at NC State at the end of the regular season. Clemson Veterans vs. NC State G-GS Min FG-A 3-A FT-A Reb A-T B-S Pts. Avg. Allenspach 6-3 107 13-33 0-0 5-9 20 1-7 4-3 31 5.2 Bains 2-1 13 0-1 0-1 2-2 1 2-1 0-0 2 1.0 Braddick 3-0 35 3-7 0-1 0-0 4 1-2 0-1 6 2.0 Gilmore 3-2 64 7-14 0-0 0-1 19 1-5 2-1 14 4.7 Henderson 1-0 13 2-4 0-0 0-0 1 2-1 0-0 4 4.0 Holt 1-0 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 1-0 0-0 0 0.0 Nagys 1-0 4 0-2 0-0 0-0 3 0-2 0-0 0 0.0 Scott 2-1 72 6-16 3-8 5-6 7 11-4 0-3 20 10.0 Solomon 4-3 98 12-38 4-14 12-19 11 8-14 1-4 40 10.0 Clemson Offensive Numbers Up The Tigers are trying to run a more up-tempo offense this season, and are averaging 79.1 points per game this year, up from the 64.4 scoring average of last year. Clemson has not averaged at least 79 points a game since the 1989-90 season when Clemson's only ACC championship team in history averaged 79.3 a game. The 94 points Clemson posted against Florida Atlantic were the most scored in the Larry Shyatt era at Clemson, besting the 92 points the team scored against Georgia Tech in 1999. The 94 points against Florida Atlantic were the most scored by the Tigers since Clemson won 102-67 against Western Carolina in 1998. Clemson added a 92-point outing against Maryland in the first ACC game. Clemson has scored at least 80 points in eight games this year, including three in a row at one point. Clemson reached the 80 point mark just twice all of last year and just eight times in 35 games Shyatt's first season at Clemson. So far this year Clemson has three players averaging in double figures. Clemson had just two games all of last year in which they had four players score in double figures. Will Solomon and Adam Allenspach were Clemson's only two players to average in double figures last year. Solomon and Allenspach are joined by freshman Tony Stockman in double figures this season. The Tigers had at least three players score in double digits in every game this season up until the Washington game when only Solomon and Allenspach scored more than 10 points. The Tigers got back on track vs. Charleston Southern with four players in double figures. Clemson has had seven games in which four players have scored in double figures. That happened just twice all of last year. Clemson's shooting percentage is 44.1 percent, up from 40.4 last year. What is most impressive is the team's free throw shooting. The Tigers have made 70.9 percent so far this year, up from 67.1 last year. Clemson Offensive Stat Comparison Category 1999-00 2000-01 Scoring 64.4 79.1 Field Goal Percentage .404 .441 3-Point Percentage .332 .364 Free Throw Shooting .671 .709 Double Figure Scorers 2 3 Former Tiger Saves Nearly 400 Lives Former Clemson forward Clarke Bynum was in the national news on December 30. The native of Sumter, SC saved the lives of 379 passengers on a British Airways flight from London to Nairobi, Kenya. Bynum, asleep two rows from the cockpit, was jolted awake when the plane went into a nosedive. The pilots were screaming for help and Bynum came to the rescue. He wrestled a madman to the floor, allowing the pilots to straighten out the plane. The man apparently wanted to kill himself and everyone in the plane. Later, the pilots told Bynum the plane was just three seconds from crashing. Bynum, 39, is an insurance agent and was traveling to Uganda with a small interdenominational organization called the African Christian Trust Service. Bynum's heroics were documented in USA Today and other national news agencies and he was interviewed by Good Morning America and the Today Show. Bynum lettered four seasons for the Tigers from 1980-84. He started 23 games and played in 92 games overall for his career. He averaged 5.0 points and 2.1 rebounds, shot 73 percent from the foul line and 45 percent from the field. He started the first nine games of the 1980-81 season, a Clemson team that finished the year with 20 wins and an NIT bid. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week for the last week of the regular season that year, then scored 14 points in the NIT game against Temple. He had his best game as a Tiger against Austin Peay on December 2, 1981 when he had 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Bynum played his best basketball for Clemson during the team's eight-games in the FIBA International World Cup in Spain in the summer of 1981. He averaged a team best 20 points per game and shot 58 percent from the field for the tournament. He scored 30 points against tournament champion Real Madrid. It is interesting to note that Bynum's host on his recruiting visit to Clemson the fall of 1979 was Bobby Conrad. Conrad, Clemson's senior point guard that year, has also been in the news in the last year, serving as Chief of the United States Department Financing Task Force, an appointment made by Attorney General Janet Reno. Solomon Moving up Career Lists Will Solomon needs just one three-point goals to move into second place on Clemson's career list. The Tiger junior has 167 for his career, including a league best 48 this year. His first three against NC State will move him ahead of Chris Whitney for second place on the Clemson career list. Terrell McIntyre is the leader with 259. Solomon has made 48-118 three-point goals this year, 40.7 percent. He is now hitting 37 percent for his Clemson career in that area and has made at least three three-point goals in 11 of his 14 games so far this season. He had a season high seven three-point goals against Maryland in the ACC opener, one off the Clemson single game record. That is a record is he co-holds with Terrell McIntyre, Chris Whitney and David Young. Solomon now has 1140 career points, 19th best in school history. He needs 32 points to move into 18th place ahead of Randy Mahaffey, the highest scoring of the four Mahaffey brothers to play for Clemson. If Solomon averages 20 points a game over the course of the rest of the regular season he will move into the top 10 in Clemson history. With his recent streak of 20-point games, he now has 24 for his career, tied for ninth in Clemson history with all-time great Dale Davis. Seven of those 24 games he has scored at least 30, including three times this year. His career high is 43 against Virginia at Littlejohn Coliseum last year.
Clemson Career Leaders in 3-Point Goals
Rk Name Yrs GP Att Goals
Solomon Had 6 Straight 20-point Games
Clemson guard Will Solomon scored at least 20 points in six
consecutive games between December 20 to January 2. The junior from East
Hartford, CT averaged 26.2 points a game during the six games. The
streak was stopped at Duke when he was held to 13 points by 6-6 Blue Devil
forward Nate James.
Solomon talled 32 points in two of the games of the streak, both
against ranked opponents. He had 32 in an eight-point loss to 20th ranked
Cincinnati and also had 32 in Clemson's 12-point loss to 17th-ranked
Maryland. Playing well against top opposition is nothing new for Solomon.
Last year he had a higher scoring average in ACC games than in
non-conference contests. In four games this year against ranked teams he
has averaged 25.3 points per game.
Solomon's streak of six consecutive 20-point games was the longest
since Horace Grant had six straight during the 1986-87 season, the year he
became Clemson's only ACC MVP. Grant's streak was stopped by North
Carolina when he scored 19. The Clemson record for consecutive 20-point
games is 19, held by the late Bill Yarborough. He scored at least 20 in
the last three games of 1953-54 and the first 16 of the 1954-55 season.
Yarborough averaged 28.3 points a game in 1954-55 and scored at least 20 in
every game. His only non-20 point game was an 18-point outing.
Solomon has already established one Clemson streak record this
year. He has scored in double figures in 44 straight games, every game
last year and all 14 games he has played so far this season. The previous
mark was by Vince Yockel, who had 36 in a row over two seasons in the
1950s. Solomon's current 44-game streak is the longest active streak in
the ACC. The ACC record book does not have a listing for consecutive
games of double figure scoring. North Carolina's Larry Miller had a
64-game streak in the 1960s.
Solomon Named to All-Tournament Team
Junior guard Will Solomon scored 82 points in the three games in
San Juan to be named to the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic All-Tournament
Team. Solomon had 26 points in the Tigers lone win of the classic, a 94-81
decision over Florida Atlantic. He followed it up with a season-best 32
points in the 88-80 loss to #20 Cincinnati and 24 in the loss to
Washington.
Solomon averaged 27.3 points per game, he shot 25-56 from the
field, including 14-32 on three-point shots. He was 18 of 21 from the
charity stripe (85.7 percent). Solomon also had nine assists, six steals
and two blocks (both against Washington) in the three games.
Stockman Scores 23, Nets ACC Honors
Freshman guard Tony Stockman scored a season best 23 points in his
first collegiate start on Dec. 16 against Wofford. The effort, which also
included three rebounds, three assists and three steals, earned Stockman
ACC Rookie of the Week honors on Dec. 18. Stockman connected on 9 of 17
shots from the field, including a 4 of 7 mark from long range. The 23
points were the most points by a Clemson freshman since Terrell McIntyre
scored 29 points in a home win over Florida State on Feb. 17, 1996.
Stockman has shown an ability to score in the clutch. Against
Charleston Southern, he scored 14 of the Tigers final 23 points, including
six points in the final five minutes of play.
Stockman leads Clemson in that stat. In games decided by 10 points or
less, he has scored a total of 17 points in the final five minutes of
those games. That is even better than Will Solomon who leads the team in
scoring and is often viewed as the go-to guy for the Tigers. Solomon has
scored 13 points in the final five minutes of games decided by 10 points or
less. In total, Clemson has played six games decided by that margin.
Allenspach Has Six Double-doubles
Senior Adam Allenspach watched as his streak of four double-doubles
came to an end Dec. 21 against Cincinnati. The Tigers lone senior scored
only one point to go with five rebounds in that game. The streak reached
four on Wednesday in the win over Florida Atlantic. He had 13 points and 13
rebounds against the Owls. For the season, he has six double-doubles, the
same total he had all of last season. The total is tied for the best in
the ACC with Travis Watson of Virginia.
Allenspach had scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds vs. Wofford
Dec. 16 and had 15 points and15 rebounds at South Carolina, then 20 points
and 10 rebounds vs. Winthrop. The last Tiger to post four consecutive
double-doubles was Sharone Wright, who last did it his sophomore year in
1992-93. Dale Davis once had double-doubles six games in a row his senior
year in 1990-91.
During the recent streak, Allenspach was clearly playing his best
basketball of his Clemson career. Allenspach ranks third on the Clemson
team in scoring with a 10.8 average and is first in rebounding with an 7.8
figure. He is shooting 49 percent from the field 66 percent from the line.
An unusual 1-8 performance against Florida Atlantic has put him under 70
percent for the year. He made 74 percent from the line last year, best by
a Clemson center since the 1956-57 season.
Allenspach has been slowed by back spasms of late. He has played
just 52 minutes over the last four games combined. He did play 20 minutes
against Maryland and had nine points and seven rebounds.
Clemson has Shown Comeback Ability
Clemson has shown an ability to comeback from large deficits so far
this year. In fact, in consecutive victories on December 28-30, Clemson
overcame deficits of at least 15 points to gain victory. That is the first
time in history Clemson has been down 15 at some point, then gained victory
in consecutive games.
The Tigers trailed Charleston Southern 24-9 on December 28, then
rallied for an 87-77 win. Two days later at Coastal Carolina, Clemson
trailed 37-19 in the first half, and 41-28 at intermission. Clemson won
that contest 81-68. Clemson has play-by-plays on a consistent basis back
to the 1977-78 season. That was the third best Clemson comeback on record,
topped only by a 20-point comeback against The Citadel in 1978-79 and a
19-point comeback in the NCAA Tournament against LaSalle in 1990.
Seven times since the 1977-78 season Clemson has overcome a
15-point deficit to gain victory. Two of the seven have taken place this
season, and they were executed just 48 hours apart.
In four other games this year Clemson has trailed by double digits,
then rallied to take the lead or come within two points late in the game
before losing.
*In the second game of the year Clemson trailed a top 10 Seton Hall
team 61-50 with 11:18 left, then took a 76-74 lead with3:04 remaining
before losing 79-78.
*Clemson trailed a 20th ranked Cincinnati team 58-40 with 13:08
left, then cut the margin to 71-69 with 4:38 left.
*Clemson trailed Washington by 13 points, 56-43 with 13:00 left,
then rallied to take a 68-64 lead before losing in overtime.
*Clemson trailed 17th ranked Maryland 24-14 in the first seven
minutes, rallied to take a 73-71 lead in the second half before losing
104-92.
Largest Deficits Overcome for Clemson Victory since 1978 Date Opponent Site Deficit Won Result 12-29-78 Citadel H 6-26 -20 71-58 3-17-90 LaSalle N1 22-41 -19 79-75 12-30-00 Coastal Car. A 19-37 -18 81-68 2-12-90 NC State H 15-30 -15 89-81 1-3-96 Duke H 26-41 -15 51-48 11-22-97 SW Mo. St. N2 16-31 -15 71-67 12-28-00 Charleston So. H 9-24 -15 87-77
Non-Conference Wrapup
After 12 non-ACC games a year ago, Clemson was 6-6 heading into
league action. This year, the Tigers are a much healthier team and thus a
much deeper team and have played a more competitive schedule. Clemson went
9-4 in the non-conference portion of the schedule having prepared for the
ACC race by facing teams from the Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Pac-10
and the Southeastern Conference.
Clemson opened with a win over Hartford (86-67) and then played a
10th-ranked Seton Hall team to a one-point loss (79-78). The Tigers
rebounded with four consecutive wins against The Citadel (84-76),
Northwestern (57-44) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Western Carolina (87-52)
and Winthrop (69-59). Clemson had not won more than two games in a row all
of last year and that happened just one time.
South Carolina halted the brief streak with a 76-62 victory that
ended its six-game losing streak against Clemson. The Tigers then beat
Wofford78-74 before finished fifth in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic with
a win against Florida Atlantic (94-81) and losses to 20th-ranked Cincinnati
(88-80) and Washington (77-76). Clemson had pulled within two points of
Cincinnati with 4 1/2 minutes to play and the loss to Washington came in
overtime on a buzzer shot.
The Tigers beatCharleston Southern 87-77 December 30 at Littlejohn
Coliseum in Clemson, and won 81-68 at Coastal Carolina in a game played at
the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on the final day of the Beach Ball
Classic.
Shyatt to Coach in Maccabiah Games
Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt has been selected to coach the
United States team in the 2001 Maccabiah Games in Israel. The games will be
held next July 7-27. Shyatt has already started his preparation for the
Games and had an August camp in New York for prospective players, who will
mainly be players of Jewish heritage from college programs at all NCAA
levels. The team will hold a pre-tournament camp at Clemson this
summer prior to going to Israel. For more information on the team and the
tournament, contact Andy Solomon at The Citadel. He will be the press
officer for the team for the event.
Shyatt is in his third year as Clemson's head coach, his fourth as
a Division I head coach overall. He led Wyoming to a 19-9 record and the
NIT in 1997-98. In his first year at Clemson he took the Tigers to the NIT
Championship game, a first in Clemson history. The Tigers won 20 games that
year and Shyatt became just the fourth coach in ACC history to win 20 games
in his first year at a league school. Last year Clemson had a 10-20 record.
Six players missed a combined 26 games due to injury during last year.
Shyatt has coached the ACC scoring champion each of his two years
at Clemson. Terrell McIntyre led the league with a 17.9 average in 1998-99,
then Will Solomon paced the conference with a 20.9 mark last year. Solomon
continues to lead the league this year.
Shyatt is in his second tour of duty at Clemson. He was Rick Barnes top
assistant from 1994-95 through the 1996-97 season. His last year he helped
the Tigers to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a #8 final national
ranking in the USA Today poll, the highest final ranking in Clemson history.
Phillips Ranks In Vitale's "Sweet 16"
Clemson Hall of Fame broadcaster Jim Phillips received yet another
award for his expertise behind the microphone. He was recognized by Dick
Vitale on his web site as one of his top 16 broadcasters around the country
"The All-Cawood Ledford Team", in honor of the legendary Kentucky
broadcaster.
"They are the radio voices for their respective universities, and
they know everything about those teams inside and out,"Vitale said. "They
certainly follow the national scene too. Whenever I want a bit of
information, I make sure I chat with many of these people."
The Youngstown, OH native is in his 33rd season behind the mic for the
Clemson basketball team, a span that covers nearly 1,000 games. He has
broadcast 387 Clemson football games and 953 basketball games. Phillips is
past president of the Atlantic Coast Conference Sportswriters Association.
He is a five-time winner of the Sportscaster of the Year award in South
Carolina. Six years ago, he was given the highest award a broadcaster in
the state of South Carolina can receive. He was just the third recipient of
the Master Broadcaster Award given by the South Carolina Broadcasterís
Association. Phillips did not make the trip to San Juan last week, but
rejoined the team Thursday vs. Charleston Southern at Littlejohn Coliseum,
where he extended his streak of 482 consecutive home games. His streak now
stands at 483 in a row in the facility.
Gilmore Has Torn ACL, Will Miss Season
Starting Clemson forward Chucky Gilmore sustained a torn ACL on his
right knee during a workout on Aug. 28. Examination by Clemson physicians
revealed that Gilmore must have surgery to repair the injury. It is the
second injury sustained by Gilmore since the end of last season. He
sprained his medial collateral ligament on his left knee in May while
playing in a pickup game in his hometown of Fayetteville, NC.
Gilmore, a 6-8 forward, started 23 games and played in 27 of
Clemson's 30 contests a year ago. He averaged 3.7 points and 6.1 rebounds
per game last year. The rebound average was second best on the Clemson
team.
Clemson Announces Four Men's Basketball Signees
Clemson Head Coach Larry Shyatt announced the signing of four
players to national letters of intent during the early signing period. The
Clemson newcomers for the 2001-02 season include Sharrod Ford, a 6-9,
210-pound forward from Accokeek, MD; Olu Babalola, a 6-6, 245-pound forward
from London England; Chey Christie, a 6-4, 170-pound wing player from
Biloxi, MS; and 6-10 Steve Allen, a center from Fort Lauderdale, FL.
"We are excited to add these quality players to our program," said
Shyatt, who is in his third year as Clemsonís Head Coach. "We covered some
important needs. It is a balanced class with one player at each area of the
team. This gives us back-to back top 20 recruiting classes and gives us
some depth as we look to the future." Hoop Scoop currently ranks Clemson's
class as #11 in the country.
Christie is the brother of former Clemson starting forward Tony
Christie. One of the top scorers in the state of Mississippi, he is
currently at Biloxi High School in Biloxi, MS. He opened his senior season
with a 30-point game. Last year as a junior, Christie averaged 25.4 points
and 7.1 rebounds per game. He shot 55 percent from the field and 78 percent
from the foul line. He is ranked as the 37th best player in the nation
according to Hoop Scoop.
Babalola is a native of London, England, but is playing at St.
Augustine Prep in Richland, NJ this year. Last year he averaged 18.8 points
and 11.2 rebounds per game. He shot 58 percent from the field and averaged
2.8 rebounds a game. He was a third-team All-State selection in New Jersey
last year.
Ford is an inside player at Hargrave Military academy in Chatham,
VA. He played his previous four years at Gwynn Park High in Brandywine, MD.
Last year he shot 58 percent from the field, averaged 15.8 points and 11.9
rebounds per game. He also blocked 6.6 shots per game, including a season
high of 11 in one game. He was named a first-team All-Metro selection by
the Washington Post.
Allen averaged 12.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots a
game at Dillard High School. He was a first-team all-county and
all-conference player. He shot 59 percent from the field and 72 percent
from the foul line as a junior.
Five Former Tigers in the NBA
Five former Clemson players are currently on NBA rosters. Three of
the five would be considered starters for their respective teams. The list
of former Tigers in the pros is led by Horace Grant, who is in his 14th
year in the league. He is a starting forward with the Los Angeles Lakers
and is the only former Tiger to win an NBA Championship ring. He did that
with the Chicago Bulls 1991-92-93.
Dale Davis and Elden Campbell led Clemson to the ACC regular season
championship in 1990 and they are both still starters in the NBA. Davis,
who was inducted into the Clemson Ring of Honor in September, is averaging
7.3 points and 7.6 rebounds a game with the Portland
Trailbazers this year. He was named to the NBA All-Star team last year
when he was playing for the Pacers.
Campbell, who was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame last year,
is the starting center with the Charlotte Hornets. He is averaging 12.2
points and 7.8 rebounds a game this year for the Hornets.
Chris Whitney and Greg Buckner, who both came to Clemson from
Hopkinsville, KY, are both in the NBA. Whitney has been starting of late
with the Washington team and has scored in double figures in four straight
games. He had 14 points and 13 assists in a recent victory over Minnesota,
then had 27 points and 11 assists in a win over Boston. Buckner was an
off and on starter for the Dallas Mavericks until he was injured in
December. He is averaging 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds a game so far for Don
Nelson's Mavericks.
Tigers in the NBA
(Stats through Jan. 10, 2001
Player, Team GP-S PPG RPG FG% FT% Greg Buckner, Dallas 10-3 7.2 5.7 .415 .720 Elden Campbell, Charlotte 33-33 12.2 7.8 .425 .648 Dale Davis, Portland 35-22 7.3 7.6 .495 .658 Horace Grant, LA Lakers 33-33 7.9 7.4 .469 .754 Chris Whitney, Washington 34-6 6.2 2.8 .348 .877<
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