Clemson Tigers Find Success In Current Home Stand

The Tigers are two-thirds of the way through an all important ACC home stand and Clemson has taken care of business at Littlejohn Coliseum. 

The win against Florida State was pretty.  The Miami victory earlier today wasn’t so much.  Not to worry, conference wins go in the correct column, regardless of aesthetics.

Here’s a breakdown of the Tigers recent success, by position:

Guards

Demontez Stitt is back and said to be 90 percent healthy.  He’s not making cuts to the degree he was before the injury, but his improved shooting has been a big factor in the team's recent success.  On the season, his three-point percentage has risen to nearly 35 percent.  Miami extended their defense to deal with the outside threat, and he made them pay.

Andre Young, in addition to making some key shots, has given the Tigers a burst of speed.  Having him in the game along with Stitt creates a much faster Tiger lineup.  Young’s ball handling was a huge asset against Miami and Florida State’s pressure.

Tanner Smith has shown a surprising degree of toughness.  Coming back to the floor today after injuring his ankle was huge.  That being said, he has to remain aggressive and take the open looks he gets.  He needs to remember that he is getting minutes because Terence Oglesby left early.  Someone has to shoot on each possession.  Passing up open looks is hurting both him and the Tigers.

Forwards

David Potter continues to be an enigma.  He proved that he can be a scoring threat against FSU.  He also can be a huge defensive liability and remains uncommitted to helping the offense when the ball is not in his hands.  He simply has to choose if the Tigers will win (when they win) because of him or in spite of him.

Not much has changed with Trevor Booker.  He plays like he is 6’11’’ on the low post and moves like he is much smaller than his actual 6’7’’ frame when he has the ball elsewhere.  He sees the floor (reference his pass to Jerai Grant) better than any big man in the conference.  This is his team.

Little brother Devin isn’t too shabby either.  As a freshman, he has contributed with good minutes.  He’s still rough, but he can score when given the opportunity.  His role with the Tigers is starting to expand beyond simply being a big body with five fouls to give.

Center

Jerai Grant may well be the reason that Clemson has risen past the .500 mark in ACC play.  His offensive development has led to an amazing big man combination with Booker.  Defense is still his specialty, and his shot-blocking ability made a huge difference in the last two games.

Things get a bit tougher now.  Another game in the friendly confines of Littlejohn Coliseum and then it’s back to the road for the Tigers.  If Demontez Stitt stays functionally healthy, David Potter finds a productive role that he can stick with, and the big boys continue their dominance, Clemson can play their way off of the NCAA bubble and solidify their position come selection time.