Clemson Tigers men's basketball

Team history

Clemson's basketball history had an unusual beginning. The Tigers' first two basketball games were both played in Greenville, South Carolina on February 9, 1912, a 46–12 win at Furman, followed by a 78–6 victory over the Butler Guards later that evening. Brothers John and Frank Erwin scored a combined 74 points in their second game; John Erwin's 58 points still stand as Clemson's single-game scoring record, unique in college basketball for not being broken in over a century since the program's inaugural day. Clemson won its first seven games in the program's history, the longest streak to open a program among the current 15 ACC schools. Former Pittsburgh Nationals player Frank Dobson was Clemson's first basketball coach, taking the Tigers to a 13–5 record in the first two seasons.

Southern Conference

The Tigers began play in the Southern Conference in 1921, and 1922–23 had an 11–6 finish. Josh Cody coached for five seasons, the longest tenure for a Clemson Basketball coach in the first 25 years. In 1928–29, the Tigers won 15 games, a school record, and then followed that with a 16–9 mark. Cody pulled off the first huge upset in Clemson basketball history when the Tigers defeated Adolph Rupp's 10–1 Kentucky Wildcats, 29–26, at Clemson on Valentine's Day in 1931. From 1931 to 1940, Joe Davis coached Clemson to 101 victories, including 44 wins on the road. Davis still has the best winning percentage in Clemson history on the road and led the Tigers to a 15–3 (.833) mark in 1934–35. In the 1938–39 season, the Tigers won 10 of their last 11 games to close the regular season. Banks McFadden, eventual All-American in both football and basketball, averaged 11.8 points per game to lead the team as the starting pivot to four victories. It was an incredible run in the tournament as Clemson beat North Carolina, 44–43, Wake Forest, 30–28, Davidson 49–33 and Maryland 39–27 to clinch the Southern Conference title. McFadden's best year as coach was the 1951–52 season when the Tigers were 17–7 overall and 11–4 in the Conference.

Atlantic Coast Conference

In 1953, Clemson became a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. In the 1954–55 season, Bill Yarborough averaged 28.3 points per game, 4th best in the nation and best in the ACC. In 1958, Vince Yockel became the first Clemson player to make first-team All-ACC. Press Maravich, father of basketball legend Pete Maravich, coached the Tigers to a 96–94 double overtime victory against a #8 NC State team. Jim Brennan became the first Clemson player to make the first-team All-ACC Tournament in 1962 with 34 points against #8 Duke in the semifinals before losing to Billy Packer and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 77–66. In 1963–64, coach Bobby Roberts guided the Tigers to an 8–6 record in the ACC. The season included the only regular season sweep of North Carolina in school history. Roberts beat the Tar Heels and Dean Smith, 66–64, in double overtime at Clemson to open the season and beat them again, 97–90, in double overtime in Charlotte at the North–South Doubleheader. In 1966–67. Clemson won seven straight ACC games, including consecutive wins over Wake Forest, #14 Duke, North Carolina State and #4 North Carolina. It was the first sweep of "the North Carolina ACC schools" in ACC history. Clemson finished with a 17–8 record and a 9–5 record in the ACC. Randy Mahaffey was a first-team All-ACC selection who became Clemson's first professional player. His teammate Jim Sutherland averaged 17 points a game and was the first Clemson athlete in any sport to win the Jim Weaver Award as the ACC's top scholar-athlete.

In the 1970s, Tree Rollins ushered in a new era in Clemson basketball when he matriculated to Tigertown for the 1973–74 season. He changed the image of Clemson basketball more than any other player. At 7–2, he was a shot-blocking phenomenon who burst on the national scene in his second game when he had 22 points, 20 rebounds and nine blocked shots against St. John's. Rollins started 110 games in a row, which was a national record then. His sophomore year, 1974–75, he joined forces with Skip Wise to take Clemson to its first top 20 final ranking and its first postseason NIT tournament bid. The Tigers defeated 3rd ranked Maryland, 10th ranked North Carolina and 4th ranked NC State at home. Wise was named first-team All-ACC and the first true freshman in league history to obtain that honor.

In 1975, Bill Foster was brought in to build the program further. He had an impeccable reputation and came from a UNC Charlotte program he helped advance. When Tree Rollins decided not to turn professional, Foster coached the Tigers to a 22–6 record, the program's ninth straight year with an improved winning percentage. Before his final game, Rollins had his #30 jersey retired, the first athlete in Clemson history so honored. It was a fitting way to honor Rollins, who averaged a double-double for four years and is still first in ACC history in blocked shots, before starting his 18-year career in the NBA. Bill Foster did a remarkable job in keeping Clemson at a winning level. He won 100 games in his first 147, still fifth in ACC history in terms of the fewest games required to get 100 wins. He could find diamonds in the rough that kept Clemson competitive in the ACC: Bobby Conrad, Horace Grant, Harvey Grant, & Larry Nance an eventual All-West regional choice in the 1980 NCAA tournament and NBA All-Star. Foster's 1979–80 team defeated six top 20 teams during the year, including #1 ranked Duke on January 9, 1980, in overtime, 87–82. Clemson went to the NCAA Tournament defeating Danny Ainge and BYU in Round 2 before being eliminated by Larry Brown and UCLA in the Elite Eight.

Awards

Retired Numbers

Notes

All-Americans

Banks McFadden (1939 Helms Foundation)

Tree Rollins (1977 Helms, 3rd Team – AP)

Billy Williams (1980 Helms, Honorable Mention – AP)

Horace Grant (1987 Consensus 2nd Team)

Elden Campbell & Dale Davis (1990 Honorable Mention – AP)

Sharone Wright (1994 Honorable Mention – AP)

Clemson Ring of Honor

Banks McFadden

Dale Davis

ACC Player of the Year

Horace Grant – 1987

ACC Defensive Player of the Year

K. J. McDaniels – 2014

ACC Freshman of the Year

Skip Wise – 1975

Greg Buckner – 1995

ACC Most Improved Player

Jaron Blossomgame – 2016

Ian Schieffelin - 2024

ACC All-Defensive Team

Greg Buckner – 1997

Vernon Hamilton – 2006 & 2007

James Mays – 2007 & 2008

Cliff Hammonds – 2008

Trevor Booker – 2009 & 2010

K. J. McDaniels – 2014

Landry Nnoko – 2016

ACC Coach of the Year

Cliff Ellis – 1987, 1990

All-Southern Conference

Banks McFadden – 1938, 1939, 1940

Johnny Snee – 1952

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Tigers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 15 times. Their combined record is 14–15.^*

NIT results

The Tigers have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 18 times. Their combined record is 19–18.

Home courts

Clemson Field House/Fike Field House: 1930–1968

Littlejohn Coliseum: November 30, 1968 – February 23, 2002; January 5, 2003 – 2015; 2016 – present

Civic Center of Anderson: November 13, 2002 – December 31, 2002, (For eight games as Littlejohn Coliseum was undergoing renovations)

Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville: 2015–2016 season, (While Littlejohn Coliseum was undergoing renovations)

Coaching history

Current coaching staff

Head coach: Brad Brownell

Associate head coach: Billy Donlon

Assistant coach: Dick Bender

Assistant coach: Sean Dixon

Director of basketball operations: Andy Assaley

Special assistant to the head coach: Jeff Reynolds