Hopkins to join basketball team in January

Hopkins will take his leaping ability to the hardwood

by TigerNet Staff - Tue Dec 21 14:22:17 GMT-04:00 2010

CLEMSON, SC – Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who leads the Tigers

with 43 catches for 532 yards and four touchdowns, will join the

basketball team following the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Dec. 31. Head

Coach Brad Brownell and football coach Dabo Swinney have had ongoing

discussions about Hopkins joining the team and on Monday the Tigers’

first-year basketball coach spoke with Hopkins about the situation.

Clemson has just four scholarship guards on its roster.

“I have heard great things about DeAndre’s ability as a basketball player,

but I’ve never seen him play,” Brownell said. “I talked to DeAndre last

night, and there is mutual interest in having him join the team after the

bowl game. Certainly, he has shown a great competitive spirit to be able

to succeed the way he has on the football field as a freshman. We have a

very thin backcourt and he thinks he can help us.”

Hopkins was a standout in both sports at D.W. Daniel High School in

Central, SC. He was a three-time all-state selection on the hardwood and

led the Lions to their first state championship in basketball in 43 years

as a senior in 2010. Hopkins was named to the Elite 5 in 2009-10 by the

South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association, an honor given to the top

five players in the state. Hopkins tallied over 1,300 points, 600

assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals in his Daniel High School career.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Hopkins established first-year freshman records at

Clemson for receptions and receiving yards, and is tied for first in

school history among first-year freshmen in touchdown catches.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said following Tuesday’s practice that he hopes Hopkins can contribute to Brownell’s squad.

"If he's going to be over there, he doesn't need to be pulling splinters out of his rear,” Swinney said. “If he can help them, go help them. If not, he needs to get back over here to work. He’s talented, but he’s a relentless competitor. He’s played basketball his whole life. Maybe he’ll bring some toughness, from a defensive standpoint. Surely he can go in there and help them with some minutes, here and there.”