Thursday July 20, 2006

Clemson Basketball Theory; $100,000?; Thank Goodness Times Have Changed; British Open

Clemson Basketball Theory
I really like Oliver Purnell and think he has done a great job in his three seasons. The win totals have improved each year and the program gets better each year. But call it like it is: There is no margin for error so this is a difficult job.

I compare Clemson basketball to some of the small market clubs in baseball. As a Yankee fan I know we will compete for a playoff spot every year. On the years where we have injuries we can make a deal and go out and get a player to help us before the trading deadline. In the off-season we are always in the market for the top free agents and have every hope to improve ourselves each year. If we make a bad move like Carl Pavano then we can go out and make another move. The Yankees have margin for error. The Florida Marlins and Minnesota Twins do not. If they make a mistake on a player they are pretty much stuck because of the payroll restrictions. The Marlins and Twins have won titles but they can?t expect to compete every year.

This is Clemson basketball. I thought the Tigers were on their way last year. I really thought this team was an NCAA tournament team. Then came the news about James Mays. I was in the car with my wife and son on the way to Athens to see the Tigers take on the Dawgs when I received a phone call. I told my son then that the season was over. I said we may pull out a few games in the league but the NCAA hopes are gone. Mays was such an important part of the scheme and there was little depth behind him.

Last week Purnell announced that Troy Mathis was leaving the program. In his current state that is not a big loss. Mathis was not a factor after his knee surgery but before the injury he was the best point guard on campus. Imagine what this program would have looked like with a healthy Mathis and James Mays.

Attrition happens in sports. It happens to Duke and North Carolina in basketball too. The difference is they have another McDonald?s All-American waiting to take his place. The margin of error is much greater at those type programs.

I have not seen the incoming freshmen but I understand the staff is very high on the newcomers. I also understand that the staff feels great about recruiting for next year and beyond. I think Purnell will get it done at Clemson. However, I can?t predict what will happen with injuries and attrition, and since there is such a small margin for error, I cannot sit here and tell you that I know it will happen at Clemson.

$100,000?
When the Chicago Cubs drafted Marquez Smith in the 35th-round in June?s baseball draft, I felt for sure that he would come back to school. But the Cubs have been rumored to offer Smith $100,000 signing bonus. That kind of figure is more than some sixth round picks have been offered. Smith is still considering the offer but has asked for $200,000 according to a source. I am hearing that he would like to come back to Clemson but the Cubs have made it interesting.

Thank Goodness Times Have Changed
I remember Wednesday September 25, 1995 very well. I spoke to the Greenville Clemson Club that night. It was a difficult night. My good friend Tommy West was the head coach of the Tigers and I thought they had the thing turned around after beating South Carolina 38-17 to go 8-3 in the regular-season the year before. Then disaster struck. Donovan McNabb and Syracuse beat the Tigers 41-0 on January 1 in the gator Bowl. All of the momentum of the good season was lost.

Clemson opened the season in Chapel Hill the next year and got thumped 45-0. That was 86-0 in two outings. It was hard to explain. The Greenville Clemson Club had asked when I wanted to come up so I picked the Wednesday after the Missouri game. I thought that was a safe bet because you never want to face an angry audience. Little did I know that the Tigers would lose in Columbia (Missouri that is, we all know Clemson does not lose in Columbia, SC).

That Wednesday night I told them everything was going to be OK. I said that Coach West was here to get it straightened it out. I believed in him but he couldn?t get over the hump. Injuries mounted and some players were suspended. With the Syracuse loss, West finished his career 17-19. There were some close losses to some very good programs like FSU, LSU and Auburn.

Perhaps the biggest change is how recruiting has been going lately compared to 1996-98. When Clemson would lose a game like the Gator Bowl or UNC loss, reporters and recruiting experts would be on the phone to recruits asking them if the loss changed their opinion of Clemson. There was not a lot of positive energy in the press. Today, Clemson is perceived in an entirely different light. Like I said in yesterday?s blog, today this staff has stability, facilities and momentum.

British Open
Am I the only person looking forward to ?The Open??? I love the brown grass. I love the links style courses where you have to play the game on the ground. I love the weather changing at the drop of a hat. I like the starter that does not leave his post and announces every player for 10 straight hours without a bathroom break. I like the obscure names on the leader board. I like the Claret Jug. In every country other than America, when you say ?The Open? you mean the British Open. It is the world championship of golf. I also like the fact that it is over around noon so I can go out and get in 18 holes after the coverage has concluded.

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