by Blair Morris

Finally!  Finally it has arrived!  College basketball is here, and not a moment too soon.  With exhibition play out of the way, we can now look forward to what Clemson fans will be a continuation of a fabulous off-season.  From first year Clemson coach Oliver Purnell’s first signing class, to the two exhibition games that usher in the regular season, it’ll all be covered in this report.

Exhibition vs. Nike Elite

In a way, you can say November 7, 2003, officially ushered in the Oliver Purnell era at Clemson.  It was the first time Purnell’s Tigers took the court against a team that wasn’t their teammates.  This could be a glimpse of what we can expect from the Tigers this season.

Six Tigers scored in double figures in the 85-68 victory over Nike Elite.  Chey Christie and Chris Hobbs both scored 15 points to lead the Tigers in scoring.  Christie shot 5-9 from the floor in his 28 minutes of play.  The only senior starter, Hobbs, had nine rebounds to go along with 15 points while seeing 21 minutes of playing time.  Sharrod Ford, center, added in 14 points of his own and grabbed six rebounds in 30 minutes of play – most playing time of the night for the Clemson.

Olu Babalola might have been the star of the game with 11 points, eight rebounds, and nine assist with no turnovers in the 25 minutes he saw on the court.  Shooting 4-6 from the court – only two misses being three-point attempts – Babalola had one of his best performances in the Clemson jersey yet.  The only non-returning starter for Clemson this season, Shawan Robinson, put up 12 points to go along with his five assist in 21 minutes of play.

Off the bench, Akin Akingbala was another surprise for the Tigers.  In his 24 minutes, the 6-9 sophomore for Lagos, Nigeria rounds off our double figure scorers with 10 points.  However, he was the only Tiger to manage a double-double with 13 rebounds on the night.  True freshman, Vernon Hamilton, made his debut with four points and five rebounds in 24 minutes of play.  Closing out the scoring for Clemson is red shirt sophomore, Steve Allen, and true freshman, Jimmy Hudson with two points a piece in their four minutes of play.  Lamar Rice, junior college transfer, saw 17 minutes, but put up no points.  Rice did manage a good rebounding game in which he brought down seven boards.

The Tigers shot 46.6 % from the field in the game, while Nike Elite 41%.  Nike’s top scorer was Curtis Millage with 16 points.  Nike had four players in double figures (Millage, Steve Blackmon, Ousmane Cisse, and Shawn Fields).  Nike Elite is coached by former Michigan coach Bill Frieder.

Exhibition vs. EA Sports

In a game that saw Clemson’s Chris Hobbs, Sharrod Ford, Akin Akingbala, and Steve Allen shot for 22-26 for the floor – combined – the Tigers came from behind in the second half to pull off a 89-76 victory over EA Sports.  All four combined for 48 of Clemson’s 89 points, and like the game against Nike Elite, six Tigers were in double figures scoring.

Hobbs was Clemson’s leading scorer with 18 points while shooting a perfect 7-7 from the floor.  Hobbs also added a team high of seven rebounds in 30 minutes of play.  Ford, in 19 minutes of play, had 10 points with six rebounds and one block.  Ford shot 5-9 from the court.  Akingbala had eight points shooting a perfect 4-4 from the court.  Akingbala played 16 minutes off the bench.  Steven Allen, the red shirt sophomore from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida was another Tiger with a perfect shooting night.  Allen shot 6-6 from with 12 points in his 10 minutes of playing time.

Chey Christie scored 16 on 7-12 shooting, he also had three steals and ton turnovers in his 33 minutes on the court.  Olu Babalola put up 13 points as he shot 4-7, 3-4 from three-point range.  Babalola also was accountable for five rebounds and four assist in 31 minutes of playing time.  Shawan Robinson posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 assist in 25 minutes of play.

Also seeing action in the game was Vernon Hamilton, Lamar Rice, and Jimmy Hudson.  In 24 minutes on the court, Hamilton finished the night with no points, four assist, three rebounds and two steals.  Rice, in 10 minutes of action, brought down 5 boards, scored 2 points, and had three assist.  Hudson only saw two minutes against EA Sports.

Clemson shot 62.7% from the field, while EA Sports shot 49.2%.  EA Sports was lead by Josh Murray, a formerly of IUPUI, with 18 points for the game.  Mark Jones, a formerly of Central Florida player, scored 17 points. Texale Archie, formerly of Pepperdine contributed 11.  Johnny Parker, formerly of Missouri, scored 10.

Recruiting

On November 12^th, Purnell signed three top-100 players to for the 2004-2005 season.

James Mays, a 6-9/215 forward out of Garner, North Carolina, signed with Clemson over offers from Florida State, Fordham, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.  Mays is projected as a four at the next level with Clemson.  Mays averaged 16.5 points per game, 12 rebounds, three blocks and 3.5 assists per game for Garner High School in 2002-03.  Mays played AAU ball with the North Carolina Gaters.

Cheyenne Moore, a 6-6/190 forward from South Kent, Connecticut, signed with Clemson over an offer from UConn.  Moore committed to the Huskies his sophomore year, but committed and signed with Clemson after the Huskies backed off of him during his junior year.  Moore is projected as a three, possibly one, at the collegiate level.  In 2002-03, Moore averaged 14.5 points per game, playing both the point and the wing positions at West Nottingham High School, Colora, Maryland.  Moore moved from Colora, Maryland to South Kent over the summer.  Moore played AAU ball with Baltimore Select.

Sam Perry, a 6-5/190 forward from Piedmont, South Carolina, signed with Clemson over offers from Duquesne, Tulane, Appalachian State, Chattanooga, and College of Charleston.  Perry is projected as a three or two at the collegiate level.  He averaged 17.2 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks per game during the 2002-03 season.  Perry played with the North Greenville AAU program.

Additional recruiting news, Purnell is looking to sign one, possibly two, more players in the spring.  The top target is Randolph Morris, 6-11/250, out of Fairburn, Georgia.  Morris is another top-100 player and is projected as a center in the colligate level.  Morris has piled up numerous offers, and right now he lists Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and Clemson as his top three.  He plans to make a decision in early December.  Another name to follow for Clemson fans is Cliff Hammonds, 6-2/175 guard, out of Cairo, Georgia.  Hammonds has offers from Clemson and Mercer, and those are his top two.

Purnell has also received his first commitment for the 2005 class in Joey Cameron.  Cameron is 6-9/245 forward from Leeds, Alabama.  Cameron committed to Clemson over Alabama, Auburn, and Tennessee – all have offered.  Cameron plays AAU ball with Southeast Pump ‘n Run.

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