Path to the Hall of Fame (v2)

[randy]

1. C Dan Dickel
   
   • GPA: 3.5
   • 4-yr Senior
   • 121 GP (117 GS), 23.3 mpg, 10.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 53% FG, 67% FT, 8 double doubles
   • Post Season: 12 GP, 9.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 47% FG, 57% FT
   • Awards
     
     • ACC All-Conference 1st Team (2007)
     • Player of the Week: 1
     • Player of the Game: 12
   
   
2. C Abe Wetson
   
   • GPA: 4.0
   • So transferee (from Coastal Carolina)
   • 119 GP (31 GS), 16.0 mpg, 6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 53% FG, 62% FT, 4 double doubles
   • Post Season: 10 GP, 5.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 46% FG, 66% FT
   • Awards
     
     • Player of the Game: 1
   
   
3. PG John Lewis
   
   • GPA: 4.0
   • 4-yr Senior
   • 119 GP (31 GS), 8.7 mpg, 1.7 ppg, 1.6 apg, 48% FG, 81% FT, 39% 3PT
   • Post Season: 12 GP, 2.5 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 50% FG
   
   

[randy]

Starters

• 1: Sr PG Chris Hunter, 6-2, 5.0/5.0 (*)
• 2: Sr SG Jonathan Ballinger, 6-1, 4.0/4.0
• 3: Sr SF Frank DeWitt, 6-8, 2.5/4.0
• 4: Sr PF Adam McLean, 6-8, 3.5/3.5
• 5: So C Michael Jackson, 6-9, 4.0/4.5

Bench

• 1/2: So(R) SG Brett Holmes, 6-1, 1.5/3.0
• 2/3: So SF Dennis Johnson, 6-6, 2.0/4.0
• 4/5: So(R) C Wesley Hickman, 6-9, 4.0/5.0
• 1/2: Fr PG Rob Swan, 6-1, 2.0/4.0
• 3/4: Sr(R) PF Tommy Davis, 6-6, 2.5/4.0
• 1/2: Fr(R) SG Brian Griffin, 6-0, 1.0/3.5

Walk-ons

• 1/2: Jr PG Terrence Leach, 6-0, 1.5/3.0
• 3/4: Jr PF Roy Gelbard, 6-7, 4.0/4.0

Redshirts (ineligible to play this season)

• 2/3: Fr SF Rodney Aylsworth, 6-6, 2.0/4.0
• 4/5: Fr C Delawn Smith, 6-9, 1.5/4.5

(*) Norton candidate

[randy]

Nov 16, 2010:Brigham Young (0-0) @ Clemson (0-0)

BYU started 5-5 FG. Up 13-12, 13:28. BYU still shooting well, esp their starting PG who has 11 pts. PF Tommy Davis with 8 pts off the bench for us. Up 26-22, 7:55. It was close until the last minute, when we got consecutive steals on BYU's back court and scored easy baskets. Halftime, Up 44-34. We're only 10-20 FT in the 1st half

Our big men started scoring at will inside the paint, to blow out this game. Up 61-41, 13:05. We have 10 steals already, and I am pleased with our m2m defense pressuring BYU's ball handlers. Up 73-50, 7:03. Very good scoring balance, as we finished up with 8 players scoring at least 7 pts


Final Score: Brigham Young - 64, Clemson - 81


Box Scores
[INDENT]Holmes 12, 0, 0
McLean 11, 9, 1
Jackson 10, 5, 0, 2 stls, 4 blks (*)
Hunter 10, 3, 7
DeWitt 10, 2, 1, 3 stls
Davis 8, 4, 0
Hickman 7, 7, 0
Johnson 7, 1, 0
Ballinger 4, 3, 6, 2 stls, 4 tos
Swan 2, 0, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 62-43%
REB: +13
TO: -2
Pts in paint: +30 (46-16)
2nd chance: -1
Fast break: +2
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Nov 19, 2010: Clemson (1-0) @ Syracuse (0-1)

We're just 1-7 FG. Down 6-15, 13:43. SYR got into penalty and FTs got us back into this game. Up 24-20, 6:39. Good shooting duel between PG Chris Hunter (12 pts) and SYR's SG Billy Sylla (14 pts). C Michael Jackson (12 pts) was able to establish his inside presence to maintain our lead. Halftime, Up 39-35. We're +8 in rebounds

We continued to pound the paint, getting either inside pts or going to the line. Up 52-43, 13:35. SYR trying to come back with their outside shooting, and also from the FT line as our big men found themselves in foul trouble. We're knocking down enough shots to keep SYR at bay. Up 61-54, 7:31.

We were able to capitalize on several miscues by SYR and extend our lead. Up 69-57, 3:41. A couple of turn overs and misses later, SYR put up a late run. I called a timeout. Up 71-65, 1:22. We used up some clock; SG Brett Holmes puts up a shot and missed. Rebound by SYR, 1:04 left. C Michael Jackson comes up with a block and we recovered the ball. I told the team to slow down again. SYR not fouling. PG Chris Hunter able to knock down a jumper from the left corner to give us an 8 pt lead. That shoul do it.


Final Score: Clemson - 75, Syracuse - 70


Box Scores
[INDENT]Jackson 16, 8, 0, 2 blks (*)
Hunter 14, 3, 5
Holmes 11, 1, 1
Ballinger 8, 2, 3, 2 blks
McLean 7, 3, 1, 2 stls
Hickman 6, 5, 1
DeWitt 6, 3, 2
Davis 3, 2, 1
Johnson 2, 3, 0
Swan 2, 2, 1
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 46-44%
REB: +6
TO: -4
Pts in paint: +12
2nd chance: +2
Fast break: +3
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Nov 23, 2010: Creighton (1-1) @ Clemson (2-0)

CREIGH with 5 turnovers, but they're making it up on the off glass. Up 8-6, 13:30. C Michael Jackson (10 pts) has provided most of our offense. Up 16-14, 7:58. We got called for too many fouls, and both our PGs have 3 each. Both teams shot poorly, and execution has been a disappointment; CREIGH with 14 turn overs, while we have 8. Halftime, Up 25-23.

We continue to shoot bricks, and CREIGH eventually took the driver's seat. We'll go favor inside on offense. Down 35-36, 12:35. Consecutive turn overs got us further down, and I have to call an early timeout. We buckled down on defense, but our shooting remains inconsistent. Down 44-45, 7:33.

We went almost exclusively to C Michael Jackson, as he scored our next 6 pts. Then the other players stepped in, and scored 7 unanswered, before CREIGH hits 2 consecutive baskets. Jackson added another FT. Up 58-51, 3:44. We get a steal (our 11th of the game) and scored. CREIGH answers back, and immediately we broke their press and scored on a fast break. Up 62-53, 2:42. A miss by CREIGH; another inside basket by Jackson and we go up by double digits. We slowed things down, and able to hang on. C Michael Jackson able to "dance" his way in the paint, and led us to this hard-earned win


Final Score: Creighton - 55, Clemson - 68


Box Scores
[INDENT]Jackson 32, 12, 0, 2 blks (*)
Hunter 11, 1, 4, 3 blks
McLean 8, 3, 2, 2 blks
DeWitt 6, 3, 1, 3 stls
Holmes 3, 2, 5, 3 stls, 5 tos
Swan 2, 3, 1
Hickman 2, 2, 0
Ballinger 2, 1, 3, 4 tos
Johnson 2, 1, 1
Davis 0, 1, 0
Leach 0, 0, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 47-38%
REB: -8
TO: -6 (16-22)
Pts in paint: +24
2nd chance: -3
Fast break: +10 (20-10)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Nov 25, 2010: (6) California (2-2) vs (3) Clemson (3-0)

CAL shooting the ball cold, 1-9 FG. Up 11-3, 14:02. PG Rob Swan and SG Brett Holmes able to contribute 7 pts off the bench. Up 20-11, 7:39. Our shooting went sour, and CAL able to slowly go back into this game. Halftime, Up 27-25. Both teams with identical 36% FG

Off rebounding, and forcing some turnovers on CAL, gave us a little bit of breathing space. Up 39-32, 13:51. SG Brett Holmes hits a 3 earlier to give us a double digit lead. It is CAL's turn this time to find difficulty shooting the ball. Both teams in penalty. Up 48-36, 6:38. More off rebounds and CAL turn overs extended our lead to 20; safe lead now with under 4 minutes remaining. We slowed things down.

We struggled on offense again, but our defense was consistent


Final Score: California - 44, Clemson - 65


Box Scores
[INDENT]Holmes 13, 3, 1
Jackson 10, 11, 2 blks (*)
Hunter 10, 4, 3
McLean 8, 6, 0
Swan 7, 1, 3
Johnson 6, 4, 0
DeWitt 5, 3, 1, 2 stls
Davis 3, 1, 0
Griffin 2, 2, 0
Hickman 1, 3, 1, 2 stls
Ballinger 0, 2, 3
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 40-28%
REB: +5
TO: -10 (9-19)
Pts in paint: +20
2nd chance: +5
Fast break: +15 (15-0)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Nov 26, 2010: (3) Clemson (4-0) vs (2) #21 Kentucky

SG Jonathan Ballinger, who struggled heavily on our 1st 4 games, opened up the scoring today with 7 straight pts. Up 15-9, 13:15. We have 6 steals already, but UK able to compensate by shooting well from the field. Up 23-20, 6:50. We dominated the rebounding towards the end of the 1st half. Halftime, Up 35-27. We're +6 rebounds, and also picked off 8 steals.

Took us 4 mins to score our 1st FG of the 2nd half, but our defense kept us in the lead despite our offensive woes. Up 40-31, 12:55. We're in the penalty, and UK beginning to threaten once again. But SF Dennis Johnson, who was scoreless for most of the game, came up with 2 huge plays - a 3pt shot, and a converted 3pt play opportunity, to stop our offensive bleeding. Up 50-45, 7:44.

UK keeping themselves within striking distance, with only a 7 pt deficit, until SG Jonathan Ballinger (15 pts) connects on his 3rd triple of the game. Up 60-50, 3:59. Another miss by UK. C Michael Jackson powers his way inside for a bucket plus a foul; Jackson converts the bonus. Up 63-50, 3:44. A 3pt shot by PG Chris Hunter puts the game beyond doubt; we'll slow things down.

Final score did not reflect how close this game is. There was a time early in the 2nd half when we were vulnerable, but our defense saved us again from going down.


Final Score: Clemson - 70, Kentucky - 55


Box Scores
[INDENT]Ballinger 17, 5, 2, 2 stls, 4 tos
Jackson 16, 17, 1, 2 stls (*)
Hunter 10, 3, 5
McLean 7, 2, 1
DeWitt 8, 3, 2, 3 stls
Johnson 6, 1, 1
Davis 4, 2, 1, 2 stls
Hickman 2, 0, 0
Holmes 0, 1, 1
Swan 0, 0, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 44-38%
REB: +6
TO: -6 (13-19)
Pts in paint: +30 (36-6)
2nd chance: +1
Fast break: +10 (14-4)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Nov 27, 2010: (3) #10 Clemson (5-0) vs (4) Weber St (3-2)

WEB with 5 turn overs already. However, my concern is that both starters PG Chris Hunter and SF Frank DeWitt went down with an injury; hopefully not serious. Tied at 7, 13:52. We started to settle down on offense, mostly inside the paint. Up 21-14, 7:49. We got ourselves some 2nd chance pts, which was the main difference in the 1st half as both teams can't hit their outside shots. Halftime, Up 31-22.

SF Frank Dewitt seems to be ok now, and can play limited minutes in the 2nd half; PG Chris Hunter won't be able to play the rest of the game.

More 2nd chance and fast break pts has allowed us to offset our 0-11 3PT shooting today. Up 46-35, 12:31. We finally hit our last 2 attempts from beyond the arc, after missing the 1st 12. We're not yet out of the woods though, as WEB doing its best to keep themselves in the game, and we're in the penalty. Up 53-40, 7:55. WEB exploding with a 10-1 run, and I call a timeout to stop their momentum. Up 54-50, 4:29.

We got an inside basket from C Michael Jackson to increase our lead to 6, but WEB keeps storming back. Up 56-55, 2:55. We'll start to go favor inside. Drive by SF Dennis Johnson is no good. WEB with an opportunity to take the lead, but they missed a 3. Timeout. Up 56-55, 2:07.

We turn it over. We're playing good defense on WEB as they can't get a shot; 4 secs on their shot clock, they put up a shot and it's in. Timeout. Down 56-57, 1:17.

We can't get the ball to C Michael Jackson. SF Dennis Johnson puts up a shot. Blocked. Loose ball recovered by Jackson. Jackson puts it up an scores; Jackson at the right place at the right time. Timeout WEB. Up 58-57, 0:56.

WEB drives to the hole. Miss. We secure the def rebound, and called my last timeout. Up 58-57, 0:34.

We need to take the last shot here. WEB not fouling; they finally did gave up a foul with only 0:20 left. WEB only has 4 team fouls. 3 more fouls. 0:09 left. 1-and-1 for SG Brett Holmes. Holmes hits both FT. Timeout WEB. Up 60-57, 0:09.

We'll press and go 1-2-2 zone. WEB able to get it across across the timeline. Desperation 3 is up, and its goes in! We go to OT. What a game. End of Regulation, Tied at 60.

Not a good start as we turn the ball over. WEB miss their shot. We miss 2 consecutive shots on our next possession, but 2 off rebounds gave us a 3rd chance, and C Michael Jackson scores. Up 62-60, 3:47 OT. WEB answers back with a 3, and they take the lead. Down 62-63, 3:19 OT.

SG Brett Holmes retaliates with a 3pt shot of his own. Up 65-63, 3:08 OT. We played good defense on the other end, forcing a bad shot on WEB. We go back to Holmes who unloads and scores another 3pt shot! Up 68-63, 2:23 OT.

WEB shoots a jump shot against a double team, and another bad shot for them. SG Brett Holmes feeling it, but he missed from 3 this time. WEB goes to the low post. C Michael Jackson comes up with a block, plus he got the ball. But we turned it over on our next play. Up 68-63, 1:23 OT.

WEB drives. Miss, but they get the off rebound and the putback is good. I call my last remaining timeout. We had our chances to put this game away, but we muffed them. Up 68-65, 0:55 OT.

WEB thinks we might go inside to C Michael Jackson. But when SG Brett Holmes got the ball, he immediately puts up a shot from beyond the arc. Nothing but net, as Holmes connects on his 3rd triple in this OT period. Up 71-65, 0:51 OT.

We got called for a foul. They miss both FTs, but they get another off rebound and the put back is good. Up 71-67, 0:39 OT. I shouted instructions to slow down. WEB gave up a foul. 1-and-1 for SG Brett Holmes. Holmes calmly sinks both; Holmes has scored 11 of our 13 pts here in OT. Up 73-67, 0:37 OT.

Another foul called on us. WEB missed both their FTs again; 4 straight FTs missed by WEB in this OT. We secure the def rebound, and able to hang on to the lead for good.

Our shooting was off again for about 90% of the game; just found the right time for SG Brett Holmes to explode.


Final Score: Clemson - 73, Weber St - 67


Box Scores
[INDENT]Holmes 22, 4, 3, 4 tos (*)
Jackson 13, 12, 2, 2 blks
Hickman 11, 3, 0
McLean 7, 12, 0
DeWitt 7, 4, 0
Ballinger 7, 0, 5, 2 stls
Johnson 4, 4, 2
Davis 2, 2, 0
Hunter 0, 1, 0
Swan 0, 0, 2
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 39-39%
REB: +6
TO: -5
Pts in paint: +24
2nd chance: +9
Fast break: +16 (22-6)
[/INDENT]

[randy]

PG Chris Hunter out for 2 weeks (strained knee) and SF Frank DeWitt sidelined for 2 months (broken foot)

Nov 30, 2010: #10 Clemson (6-0) @ #5 Minnesota (5-1)

MINN is 3-4 3PT, and we're fortunate enough to keep up. Tied at 13, 13:32. We're playing better on the defensive end, but our offense has also slowed down. Both teams in the penalty. Tied at 20, 7:50. Both teams playing sloppy offense, clanking a lot of shots. Halftime, Tied at 29. We need to keep playing good defense, as we don't think we can a high-scoring game with our depleted lineup. We'll go favor inside in the 2nd half.

MINN's offense suddenly caught fire, as they started with hitting a couple of 3 pt shots, and they can't seem to miss. We got down by as many as 7, but able to trim it down to 2. We need to reestablish our defensive game. Down 45-47, 12:59. We got into one of those stretches again where we can't buy a basket. Our defense has prevented MINN from getting a big lead, and we're still in this game. Down 50-53, 6:49. Game has been close since. Most of our key players are now tired due to the shortened rotation; we just need to hang on and execute a few more plays. Down 56-57, 3:17.

MINN's SG Marquette Jones (25 pts) has tormented us the whole game, and hit his 5th 3pt shot of the game. Down 56-60, 3:06. We turned the ball over; MINN called for an off foul on the other end. We ended up shooting a forced shot from 3 and missed. MINN converted 2 FTs on their end. Timeout. Down 56-62, 2:04.

MINN comes away with a block. We also blocked their shot. On our next play, we missed a jumper. We get a steal, and scored on the break. Down 4. MINN goes back to SG Marquette Jones who buries another 3! Jones with 28 pts. Timeout. Down 58-65, 0:41. We have no choice but to put up 3s, and foul immediately. MINN able to shot well from the FT line to prevent any late rallies from us.

We kept the game close and had our chances, but MINN's best player came up with big shots in the end to seal the win.


Final Score: Clemson - 63, Minnesota - 69


Box Scores
[INDENT]McLean 16, 6, 1
Jackson 15, 5, 1, 2 blks
Holmes 9, 3, 5, 2 stls
Ballinger 8, 3, 5, 4 stls
Johnson 6, 2, 1, 4 tos
Swan 4, 3, 3
Davis 4, 2, 0
Hickman 1, 2, 1, 2 stls
Griffin 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 42-50%
REB: +4 (+5 off)
TO: -5 (15-20)
Pts in paint: +18
2nd chance: +4
Fast break: +8
[/INDENT]

[randy]

Dec 7, 2010: #13 Clemson (6-1) @ Michigan St (2-4)

We have a double-barrel threat on offense, as C Michael Jackson (8 pts) establishing his inside presence, and our shooters have combined for 3-3 3PT. Up 21-6, 13:19. 1st time in a long while I've seen our offense played this well. Up 29-10, 7:28. MIST slowly chopped off our lead, by hitting a couple of 3s. Halftime, Up 37-24.

We focused on our defense at the start of the 2nd half, and we stormed out with an 8-0 run. C Michael Jackson has made mincemeat of MIST's interior defense, and already has 21 pts. Up 57-33, 12:17. We increased the lead further to 29, as we buried a couple of 3s. MIST making a late push with an 8-0 run. Still a big lead, but we must not be complacent. Up 63-42, 7:09.

MIST still staring on a 22 pt deficit with less than 5 mins remaining. I'll start pulling out my key players and slow down the game. Walk ons to play today.

I'm satisfied with the win. We had a good start on offense, and finished off the game with our defense.


Final Score: Clemson - 71, Michigan St - 54


Box Scores
[INDENT]Jackson 23, 5, 0 (*)
Ballinger 11, 2, 4
Johnson 8, 5, 1
Holmes 8, 4, 4
Hickman 6, 5, 0
Swan 5, 3, 5
Davis 4, 6, 0
Griffin 4, 0, 1
McLean 2, 0, 3
Leach 0, 1, 1
Gelbard 0, 1, 0
[/INDENT]
Stats Comparison
[INDENT]FG: 55-41%
REB: +9
TO: -3
Pts in paint: +32 (40-8)
2nd chance: -1
Fast break: +8
[/INDENT]