Clemson Preview

[Bob Green]

In terms of potential, the sky is the limit for Clemson in 2007-08. They could start 17-0 like last year, but unlike last year, continue to win. The incoming PG, Stitt, could be the key factor. Can he play at the ACC level from the get go? Clemson's situation is much like State's in that they are solid point guard play away from being really good.

[Scoring Point]

While Stitt is important, Hammonds' ballhandling numbers from a year ago - 4.1 apg with 2.5:1 assist/TO ratio - suggest that he can handle the point if necessary. That is a much better Plan B than State has in my view.

[riverside6]

I agree Hammonds could handle the point if necessary, but the fact is they really need Hammonds and Rivers to provide perimeter scoring to keep teams off Mays and Booker. If they add a decent shooting point guard, they would be pretty tough to stop.

That being said, they are still easily one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the ACC.

[ACCBBallFan]

Clemson this year could be a lot like NC State was last year, a player away if they get into foul trouble. The difference though is Clemson can't hit FTs.

Their post players arenot exactly large either.

If things go well, Clemson should be in top half of ACC, a bubble team or better, but my guess is the streak at Dean Dome lives on this year.

[Carlos]

A decent shooting point guard is exactly what Stitt isn't.

I think it's pretty clear that Clemson will start Mays, Booker, Hammonds, and Rivers. The question remains who takes that 5th spot.

If he's healthy - and that's a big if after knee surgery this summer - then the 5th starter could be Julius Powell. He gives them some perimeter shooting to complement Hammonds and Rivers. If he's not healthy thn my guess is that it will be either be Sam Perry or David Potter playing the small forward spot. Neither is that great shooter or even decent shooter that riverside was talking about, but I think they're likely a more attractive option than the alternatives.

I'm having a hard time seeing Stitts as that 5th guy because he's a poor outside shooter and he's an uptempo, high risk/reward kind of guy. If you have a team without a number of great scorers he would be a great fit because he can break his guy down, get in the lane, and make the great pass. Or... he can throw it into the stands. Clemson doesn't need that. They need someone who can get the ball into the hands of Booker, Mays, and Rivers. So instead of starting a freshman point guard I think they'll lean towards one of their more experienced forwards.

ACCBBallFan - Mays is 6-9/230, Sykes is 6-9/220 (6-11 with the hair), and Booker is 6-7/240. Only Booker could be considered undersized by college bball standards and he's such a load that it doesn't matter.

[riverside6]

A decent shooting point guard is exactly what Stitt isn't.

I think it's pretty clear that Clemson will start Mays, Booker, Hammonds, and Rivers. The question remains who takes that 5th spot.

If he's healthy - and that's a big if after knee surgery this summer - then the 5th starter could be Julius Powell. He gives them some perimeter shooting to complement Hammonds and Rivers. If he's not healthy thn my guess is that it will be either be Sam Perry or David Potter playing the small forward spot. Neither is that great shooter or even decent shooter that riverside was talking about, but I think they're likely a more attractive option than the alternatives.

I'm having a hard time seeing Stitts as that 5th guy because he's a poor outside shooter and he's an uptempo, high risk/reward kind of guy. If you have a team without a number of great scorers he would be a great fit because he can break his guy down, get in the lane, and make the great pass. Or... he can throw it into the stands. Clemson doesn't need that. They need someone who can get the ball into the hands of Booker, Mays, and Rivers. So instead of starting a freshman point guard I think they'll lean towards one of their more experienced forwards.

ACCBBallFan - Mays is 6-9/230, Sykes is 6-9/220 (6-11 with the hair), and Booker is 6-7/240. Only Booker could be considered undersized by college bball standards and he's such a load that it doesn't matter.

Powell is a nice player, but I have a hard time seeing him play the small forward along side Booker and Mays. He has been used primarly at the 4 in his career so far, and while Mays could likely guard a small forward, I don't see Purnell doing that too often.

That being said, I could see Perry or Potter getting time with Rivers and Hammonds in the backcourt, but neither are quality shooters, and would allow teams to double-down on the two big guys.

[gw67]

Again, DBR is pretty much on the money with their pre-season review, IMO. Clemson strengths are their experience, coaching, defense and the inside play of Mays and Booker. Last year they were a good passing team and they took care of the ball. Losing Hamilton may impact both areas. Their weaknesses are lousy free throw shooting, so-so three point shooting and the inability to win on the road/late in the season against ACC teams; although, they won three ACC road games last year. Most predict that they will be in the top 1/3 of the league. In order to reach this level, they need to win 5-6 at home and break even on the road. That may be difficult if they don’t improve their shooting from the foul line and three point territory.

gw67

[gw67]

Carlos is correct in describing Booker as a real load. IMO, he is one of the most overlooked players coming into this season. Late last year as many freshmen were running out of gas, Booker came on strong. He has a good back-to-the-basket offensive game, is a strong offensive rebounder, runs the court well, and he passes effectively from the post. He is a good player, with strong fundamentals who should be one of the best frontcourt players in the league even though he was underrated by the recruiting gurus (I believe that he wasn't even in the top 150 by Rivals).

gw67

[Carlos]

riverside - I would see Powell as the guy defending the SF position rather than Mays. At 6-7/220 he's a good size for the position and coming out of HS the book on him was that he could play either forward spot. He was also supposed to be a good shooter but his knee injury last year hindered him in that regard.

gw67 - Booker reminds me a lot of Travis Watson, perhaps with a little bit more explosion and a little less size.

[riverside6]

Trevor Booker had an impressive freshman campaign. Here are his comparable players through their respective freshmen season...

Player Score
Brandan Wright 954.03
Dwayne Collins 927.78
Rasheed Wallace 913.24
Marvin Williams 905.00
Luol Deng 904.00
Nick Horvath 903.00
Sharone Wright 900.95
Jason Clark 899.00
Robert Brooks 898.00
Tyler Hansbrough 897.00
Josh McRoberts 896.00
Travis Watson 894.58
Brandon Costner 894.00
Brian Williams 893.99
Jamaal Levy 893.00

Those are some pretty impressive players listed (maybe the comp was made on Horvath's pickup performances?), as a result he is projected for the following numbers according to my site:

15.3 PPG
1.6 APG
8.8 RPG
0.9 SPG
2.0 BPG
2.1 TPG

Those are 1st or 2nd team All-ACC numbers, and I honestly could see him taking that step forward this season.

[ACCBBallFan]

ACCBBallFan - Mays is 6-9/230, Sykes is 6-9/220 (6-11 with the hair), and Booker is 6-7/240. Only Booker could be considered undersized by college bball standards and he's such a load that it doesn't matter.

Thanks, Carlos. I had not looked them up but Mays is not that materially different than 6' 8" 220 for Kyle or Lance.

Trevor Booker is a little heavier than I thought and is a load, but again only 10 ounds more than King Taylor and an inch taller, but 20 pounds heaver and an inch shorter than lance or Kyle.

Key thing is can Clemson get good enough PG play out of Hammonds/Stitt to leverage their post players.

[ACCBBallFan]

Did not mean to imply that Mays and Booker are not very good players, just that Duke could hold its own against them or at least not get dominated, which is all they have to do, with advantages at 1-3.

[Wander]

Clemson strengths are their experience, coaching, defense and the inside play of Mays and Booker.

Coaching is one of Clemson's strengths? What convinced you of that, the free throw shooting or the late season collapses?

Last year they were a good passing team and they took care of the ball.

Eh, they weren't terrible, but they weren't great, either.

Here's a fun fact: Clemson had the single worst free throw rate in all of Division I last year. 336th out of 336 teams. I like Clemson to finish 5th in the ACC, but this needs to get better.

[ACCBBallFan]

Coaching is one of Clemson's strengths? What convinced you of that, the free throw shooting or the late season collapses?

Yes, Clemson has improved every year that Oliver Purnell has been there.

[Wander]

Yes, Clemson has improved every year that Oliver Purnell has been there.

He's not an awful coach, and I'm not saying he should be on the hot seat or anything, but calling the coaching a strength is a stretch at best. The free throw shooting is becoming a ridiculous joke, and some of that is on the coach. As is the ACC tournament record.

[Carlos]

ACCBBallFan - I've seen Booker play and I've seen Taylor King play and the idea of Taylor defending Booker on the interior is not pretty. Ditto for anyone on Duke's team trying to check Mays.

[riverside6]

In terms of skill, strength, and experience, James Mays and Trevor Booker are far above anything Duke can throw at them.

[JasonEvans]

The folks in this thread have largely hit the nail on the head-- Clemson may be the best interior team in the ACC (Hasbro is so dominaint he may give Carolina the edge, but I think Clemson is probably a little better) while Duke is likely the best team on the perimeter in the ACC. Our game in mid-January will be one of the more intriuging matchups in the ACC because each team will be trying to inflict their style on the game.

That said, there is a reason college basketball tends to be a guard's game. I think it is easier, with the 3 point line, for guards to control a game. Plus, the nature of the officiating is different than in the NBA and it favors outside play more than the NBA does. For this reason, I like Duke's chance a lot against Clemson. Then again, I am always optimistic

And then there is the FT shooting... if you are gonna be a team that bangs it inside, you gotta hit your FTs. If Clemson hits merely 68% of their FTs the past couple season, they easily pick up at least 2 more wins and make the NCAAs.

--Jason "Clemson will spend a lot of time in the top 25 this season" Evans

[JasonEvans]

In terms of skill, strength, and experience, James Mays and Trevor Booker are far above anything Duke can throw at them.

Strength and experience I'll give you... and those are hugely important. But until we really know just how good Kyle Singler is (and he is supposed to be one of the most skilled big men in recent memory), I am not convinced Clemson has us on interior skills.

--Jason "I actually think Thomas and Zoubek have nice skills-- though the speed and physicality of the game limited them as freshmen" Evans

[Carlos]

Actually, in terms of big men quality, you have to put NC State in the mix. Costner and McCauley are both elite big men and JJ Hickson may be the best freshman power player in the conference.

I'm also not sure you can give Duke the nod as the best perimeter team in the conference either. UNC, with Lawson, Ellington, Frasor, Green, and Ginyard could easily be considered better than Paulus, Nelson, Scheyer, Henderson, Smith, and Pocius.