Clemson senior guard Alex Hemenway sat down with the press on Tuesday ahead of the team’s first game of the season against The Citadel that is just a little over a week away.
Following a tough overtime loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament to end the 2021-22 season, the Tigers have spent the offseason preparing and trying to improve in all aspects of the game. More specifically, Hemenway says he has been trying to improve his game “everywhere.”
“Just kind of being more than a shooter, that’s really what we’ve hit on most every offseason,” Hemenway said. “Just making sure when I put the ball on the ground I am able to make plays for other guys, just making sure the handle is tight…of course keeping the shooting fine-tuned but just getting stronger and really just making the whole game intertwined into one.”
In the offseason the Tigers welcomed a number of new players to the team, including graduate transfer Brevin Galloway. With many new and old faces, the team was able to connect and grow more during its trip to France this past August.
Galloway spoke on the adversity the team faced in the final game in Nice, France, and how it handled an extremely hostile environment.
“Our last game we were in a very heated battle and adversity was presented to us, and the way we responded was crazy,” Galloway said on Tuesday, “and I was impressed with how well the guys did, especially the younger guys being in that environment. I think going forward, that anytime we’re in a hostile environment we’ll be able to survive… because we’re a brotherhood and we’re a family.”
Hemenway agreed.
“That last game solidified how our team is a team,” Hemenway said. “I can tell with the guys that we have this year, it is going to be a great team, and a lot of us play for each other and one another. That was one of the big things that I took away from France.”
During Clemson’s time in France, the team also had the opportunity to visit the D-Day invasion of 1944 that occurred during World War II.
“It was very impactful,” he said. “Just being able to experience that in person is a whole other experience in itself. You can see pictures and all that kind of stuff, but once you really get to that spot and realize all the sacrifices that all of those people made at our age and even younger, it’s just a really impactful experience.”
With the season on the horizon, the men’s and women’s basketball teams are holding Rock the John this Thursday in Littlejohn Coliseum starting at 7:30 p.m.
The men’s basketball team is set to face The Citadel at home on Nov. 7 for its first game of the season. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
