Wednesday July 05, 2006

Predictions for the 2006 - 2007 Clemson Sports Season

2006-07

In June of 2006, Clemson had just been eliminated by Baylor from the super regionals in Waco, TX. The next day on the radio show I talked about how 2005-06 was going the be a special year. I said on that day how much I was looking forward to the three major sports at Clemson for the upcoming academic year. I was moving to Clemson and could not wait to be a part of something special. Here is what I predicted on the show:

1. Clemson’s football schedule would lead to one of the most exciting football seasons in school history. Texas A&M, Miami, Boston College and Florida State were all coming to Death Valley and it was going to be an exciting campaign. I did not have a lot of confidence in the group winning more than seven games in the season but I knew the Valley would be rocking and I knew it would be exciting. The team had two new coordinators and new uniforms. This was going to be a memorable season.

2. In basketball, I thought this could be a special season. I thought this would be Coach Purnell’s first NCAA tournament team. He hade the key returning pieces to make the tournament and finish ion the top half of the new ACC. I thought the ACC was down and the Tigers could take advantage of it.

3. In baseball, I thought this team was as good as any in the country. I said they would make it to Omaha after playing a tremendously difficult schedule. The nucleus was returning. Kris Harvey was going to be missed but the majority of the talent returned to make this one of the most anticipated teams in Clemson history.

Now that the 2005-06 seasons are over I think it turned out even better than I expected. In football, the home season featured three of the most exciting games I had seen in the stadium. The season opened with great looking uniforms and a tear-jerking pre-game show before a night game in the Valley against A&M that ending on a last second field goal. Will Proctor came in to direct the game-winning drive by handing the ball over and over again to a true freshman tailback who was a star in the making. Jad Dean was the star on an electrifying night in Clemson.

The Miami game was the loudest football game I have ever been to. That afternoon saw a great comeback and the Tigers going toe-to-toe with the nation’s best football program over the last 25 years. A thrilling triple overtime game showed what Clemson could be.

The FSU win was the second time in three years the Noles went down in a blow out in the Valley. It was dominance from the opening kick to the final whistle. It was what FSU had dished out for years. A season finale win over Spurrier’s first USC team ended a successful and exciting regular-season.

My basketball prediction looked on target as well. The ACC was down and the Tigers got off to a terrific start. After the loss of James Mays the Tigers never played as well as they did early. The group did turn it around and play better later but the team was never the same. This was the only major disappointment of the June 2006 prediction.

The baseball season was everything I though it would be and more. Doug Kingsmore Stadium was packed night in and night out and this team was as good as any in the country. The enjoyed an ACC title and another trip to Omaha. A national title still eluded the Tigers but that was the only thing missing from this terrific campaign.

Thirteen months later I am ready to give my overview for the 2006-07 academic year for the three major teams in Clemson.

Tommy Bowden’s will have his most talented squad yet. As I have stated in this blog many times this team has more weapons and less question marks than any team he has coached at Clemson. The home schedule is not as exciting but this team will be ranked and the momentum and enthusiasm should be there despite the opponent. This team also has star power. Gaines Adams, Anthony Waters, James Davis, C.J. Spiller and Chansi Stuckey will be worth the price of admission. Tigers fans love offensive line play and they should love watching this group perform. Clemson should be one of the top four teams in the league and could battle for the ACC title. This program is on the rise and the fans can feel it.

Basketball loses Akin Akinbala and Shawan Robinson but Mays should be back. The ACC will be better this season than it was last year. Part of me says this will be Purnell’s first NCAA tournament team at Clemson but I learned my lesson last year and will wait to see what the newcomers will be like. The recruiting continues to improve and Purnell’s teams have improved each of his three seasons. I like the direction of the long-term more than the short term as we head into the school year.

Some think Clemson will fall back in baseball this season but I disagree. This team will have more holes and question marks entering the season but I think this is still an Omaha team. The infield should be one of the best in the country and two-thirds of the outfield will be proven big-time performers. I think the pitching staff will be as good if not better this upcoming season. Leggett will have this group atop the ACC and hosting NCAA play next season.

If Clemson’s big three sports were stocks right now I would say this: The baseball team is a blue chip stock that will continue to pay big dividends. The basketball program looked like a fast riser but now looks more like a slower long-term riser. Buy football stock today. Buy, buy, buy. It won’t be this low again for years to come. This stock is getting ready to boom.

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