Tag: Ben Middlebrooks

Tigers ‘ready to get it rolling’ after exhibition romp over Benedict

The Clemson men’s basketball team was back in Littlejohn Coliseum on Wednesday night for the first time this season for an exhibition game. The Tigers dominated Benedict College with a final score of 91-45. The Tigers were lead by graduate student …

The Clemson men’s basketball team was back in Littlejohn Coliseum on Wednesday night for the first time this season for an exhibition game. The Tigers dominated Benedict College with a final score of 91-45.

The Tigers were lead by graduate student Hunter Tyson, who totaled 19 points and was six-of-eight from the floor. Not far behind him was sophomore Ben Middlebrooks, who scored 12 points on a six-of-eight shooting night.

At halftime, Clemson had a comfortable lead of 47-23, and the Tigers’ defense was able to hold Benedict to 28 percent shooting and capitalize off of 10 Benedict turnovers that led to 15 points.

Clemson continued to dominate in the second half. The team’s starting five only played for the first four minutes of the second half, and head coach Brad Brownell stated that was the best four minutes of play from the whole game.

“I challenged our guys at halftime because they weren’t going to get a lot of minutes in the second half,” Brownell said. “I wanted to see them start well and really just kind of shut the door on the game, which they did.”

The Tigers shot 52 percent from the floor and held Benedict to just 22 points in the second half.

“I thought we played pretty well defensively, did a nice job of guarding the ball and defending the 3,” Brownell said.

With many new faces joining the Tigers this season, Wednesday was a small glimpse of what the season ahead has the potential to look like, as well as the future for the Tigers’ basketball program.

Many young players had their chance to see the court Wednesday including true freshman Chauncey Wiggins, who finished the game with 10 points, and the younger brother of current Tiger Chase Hunter, Dillon Hunter, who led the team with four assists on the night.

“It was awesome to get to see all those guys get a lot of opportunities tonight, all of them will help us this season, and I think they’re all ready to help us this season,” Tyson said. “You know, it’s just going to take time to get some of those game experiences, and I am glad they were able to get some of that tonight.”

Looking ahead at the Tigers’ first game of the season next Monday, Tyson and Middlebrooks are not only excited, but also feel like they have a lot to prove.

“I think we’re really excited as a team overall,” Tyson said. “We’re ready to get it rolling, baby. It’s the best time of the year.”

Middlebrooks agreed.

“Absolutely, we’re all ready, we’re amped up,” he said. “We’ve been playing against each other for a long time, practicing really hard, so we’re ready to get some new competition.”

The Tigers’ season opener against The Citadel is set for Monday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. The game will be aired ACCNX.

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Brownell gives the latest on Hall’s recovery

With less than two weeks until Clemson men’s basketball unofficially starts the 2022-23 season, head coach Brad Brownell provided an update on where star big PJ Hall is with his continued recovery. Hall has undergone a pair of surgeries since the …

With less than two weeks until Clemson men’s basketball unofficially starts the 2022-23 season, head coach Brad Brownell provided an update on where star big PJ Hall is with his continued recovery.

Hall has undergone a pair of surgeries since the end of last season, though it’s not the foot injury he dealt with for much of last season that’s got him out of action. After having an operation to repair his fractured foot in the spring, Hall dislocated his kneecap during a summer practice in July, which required another operation.

Now three months removed from that surgery, Hall still hasn’t been cleared for full contact. Brownell initially said following Hall’s latest injury that he hoped to get Hall back at some point in November.

Brownell told The Clemson Insider on Monday that timetable hasn’t changed.

“It’s still about the same,” Brownell said. “He’s still doing well, but we haven’t had him in any full-contact stuff. So it’ll be another couple of weeks before we really know what we’ve got and how he’s doing. But he’s progressing nicely.”

Exactly how soon Hall will return to the court, though, is unclear. He won’t play in Clemson’s exhibition against Benedict College on Nov. 2 and will likely miss the Nov. 7 opener against The Citadel. Beyond that, Brownell said he didn’t know how many games the Tigers might be without their leading scorer from a season ago.

“Not going to speculate,” Brownell said.

Hall averaged 15.5 points and 5.7 rebounds as part of a breakout sophomore campaign. The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder shot 48.9% from the field and 79.1% from the free-throw line in his first season as a full-time starter, earning all-ACC honorable mention honors.

In Hall’s absence, sophomores Ben Middlebrooks and Ian Schieffelin have been practicing at the center position. They’ve gotten the bulk of the reps there since the spring, so Brownell said getting Hall reacclimated will be the biggest challenge once he’s back in action.

“We really haven’t done much with that because there hasn’t really been any need to,” Brownell said. “The more pressing need is to make sure the guys that can play are ready to play.”

Dear Old Clemson is excited to announce a limited edition football and poster signed by Clemson’s Avengers.

Now there is a new way you can support Clemson student-athletes. Purchase collectibles from Dear Old Clemson and the proceeds with go to support Clemson student-athletes. Visit Dear Old Clemson to find out how you can help!

Clemson blows out Azurea Club de Golfe late

GOLFE-JUAN, France — Clemson University men’s basketball routed Azurea Club de Golfe 92-74, which included a 20-7 run in the fourth quarter to secure its third victory of its 2022 France Tour. The Tigers were led by Hunter Tyson (Monroe, …

GOLFE-JUAN, France –– Clemson University men’s basketball routed Azurea Club de Golfe 92-74, which included a 20-7 run in the fourth quarter to secure its third victory of its 2022 France Tour.

The Tigers were led by Hunter Tyson (Monroe, N.C./Piedmont) who finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Tyson scored eight-straight points for the Tigers in the closing quarter to help put the game out of reach.

Josh Beadle (Columbia, S.C./Cardinal Newman) once again shined for the Tigers, finishing with 16 points, three rebounds and three assists.

After finishing 4-for-7, Alex Hemenway (Newburgh, Ind./Castle) finished 12-for-22 from three in three games in France. He finished with 12 tonight and added two rebounds and three assists.

Both Ian Schieffelin (Loganville, Ga./Grayson) and Ben Middlebrooks (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./Westminster) each finished with nine points. Schieffelin nearly missed a double-double after collecting 10 rebounds. Middlebrooks finished with four.

In just 12 minutes, RJ Godfrey (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett) totaled eight points and eight rebounds.

Chauncey Wiggins (Covington, Ga./Grayson) and Chase Hunter (Atlanta, Ga./Westlake) each scored seven points.

Clemson totaled 32 points in the paint and scored 22 points off of 20 turnovers.

–Courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center.  Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix.   If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.

The latest on Hall’s injury

Two days after PJ Hall went down with a foot injury that forced him to miss most of Clemson’s most recent game, Clemson coach Brad Brownell gave an update on the Tigers’ leading scorer. “The X-ray was negative, so that’s good,” Brownell said Monday. …

Two days after PJ Hall went down with a foot injury that forced him to miss most of Clemson’s most recent game, Clemson coach Brad Brownell gave an update on the Tigers’ leading scorer.

“The X-ray was negative, so that’s good,” Brownell said Monday. “He’s still doing medical testing today in terms of availability for Wednesday. We’ll have to wait and see.”

Hall sustained the injury to his left foot less than 2 minutes into the Tigers’ loss at Louisville on Saturday and never returned. Brownell confirmed then Hall reaggravated a stress reaction that he’s been dealing with for much of the season.

Hall, who’s averaging 16 points and six rebounds this season, has had his practice time limited lately in an effort to get him to gamedays feeling as healthy as possible, but Saturday marked the first time the sophomore big left a game because of the injury and couldn’t finish.

The loss was Clemson’s sixth straight, a skid the Tigers (12-15, 4-12 ACC) will try to end Wednesday when Wake Forest (21-7, 11-6) visits Littlejohn Coliseum. Should Hall not be able to go, Brownell said forward Naz Bohannon or freshman center Middlebrooks could get the start in Hall’s place depending on the matchup he feels most comfortable with.

Wake Forest, which is in the mix for an-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, has three starters listed at 6-foot-8 or taller, including 7-footer Dallas Walton.

“Our guys are competing hard,” Brownell said. “We’re playing some decent basketball at times. We just haven’t been quite good enough to win. Our margin for error is small right now. Obviously without Hunter and PJ, it gets even smaller.”

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help.  #SaveNicks

The latest on a possible return for Tyson

While Clemson’s men’s basketball team waits to see if PJ Hall’s latest injury flareup will force him to miss more game action, the Tigers are holding out hope of getting the other starting piece of their frontcourt back at some point this season. …

While Clemson’s men’s basketball team waits to see if PJ Hall’s latest injury flareup will force him to miss more game action, the Tigers are holding out hope of getting the other starting piece of their frontcourt back at some point this season.

Hunter Tyson has missed the last six games after suffering a broken clavicle in Clemson’s win over Florida State on Feb. 2. Brownell initially said the senior forward might be able to make it back for the ACC Tournament, which is set to start March 8 in Brooklyn.

Following Clemson’s loss at Louisville on Saturday, Brownell said a postseason return for Tyson would be optimistic at this point, though he isn’t completely ruling it out.

“If there’s a guy that could get to that point, it would probably be him,” Brownell said.

Brownell added Tyson is “doing everything possible” to play again this season.

“He’s living in the training room,” Brownell said. “He’s doing stuff with (trainer) Brad (Crowe) every single day, and he started doing some things on the court a little bit this week.”

Tyson is third on the team in scoring (10.4 points) and rebounding (5.6) while shooting 38.7% from 3-point range this season, production Clemson has sorely missed in his absence. The Tigers have lost every game Tyson has missed since he sustained the injury. Their six-game losing streak is the program’s longest since also dropping six straight ACC games during the 2016-17 season.

Freshman forward Ian Schieffelin, who had seven points and four rebounds against Louisville, has started the last four games with Tyson unavailable. If Clemson is going to be without Hall, too, for any extended time, Brownell said fellow forward Naz Bohannon and freshman center Ben Middlebrooks are both candidates to move into the starting five.

Clemson has four regular-season games left starting Wednesday at home against Wake Forest.

“I think it would go game to game,” Brownell said. “We’d just have to wait and see with the matchups.”

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help.  #SaveNicks

 

Hall exits early with injury in Clemson’s sixth straight loss

Clemson’s longest losing streak in five years on the hardwood continued Saturday, but that wasn’t the biggest story to develop for the Tigers inside the KFC Yum! Center. Sophomore big PJ Hall exited the game with a left foot injury less than two …

Clemson’s longest losing streak in five years on the hardwood continued Saturday, but that wasn’t the biggest story to develop for the Tigers inside the KFC Yum! Center.

Sophomore big PJ Hall exited the game with a left foot injury less than two minutes into Clemson’s game at Louisville. The Tigers used a game-high 18 points from Al-Amir Dawes to stay close, but without their leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, they couldn’t avoid their sixth straight loss in a 70-61 setback.

Hall was averaging 16 points and six boards going into Saturday’s game despite dealing with inflammation in that left foot for much of the season. The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder’s practice time has been limited during the latter part of the season in an effort to get him feeling as good as possible heading into game days.

But Hall played just 1 minutes, 7 seconds Saturday before appearing to aggravate the injury. Naz Bohannon subbed in for him, and Hall went to the locker room for evaluation. He never returned.

Still, Clemson (12-15, 4-12 ACC) rallied from a nine-point deficit early in the second half to tie the game at 45 on a basket from Bohannon with 10:35 left. The Tigers took a 53-52 lead a few minutes later on a 3-pointer from Dawes, who paced Clemson’s 43% shooting performance by going 6 of 11 from 3-point range. His fifth trey cut Louisville’s lead to one a couple of minutes later, but the Cardinals scored the next five points to spark a 13-5 run to end the game.

Bohannon scored 11 points in a season-high 34 minutes to help Clemson offset Louisville’s advantage on interior without Hall. The Tigers only finished minus-3 in rebounding (33-36) and minus-2 in points in the paint (32-34), but Chase Hunter (10 points) was the only other Clemson player to score in double figures.

Pressed into more playing time, freshman center Ben Middlebrooks had four points and two rebounds in only 14 minutes after getting into foul trouble. Noah Locke had a team-high 15 points for Louisville (12-14, 6-10), which shot nearly 46% from the field to snap its seven-game losing streak.

As for Clemson, it’s going through its most prolonged skid since also losing six straight conference games during the 2016-17 season. The Tigers will again try to end it Wednesday at home against Wake Forest.

This story will be updated.

What Tyson’s extended absence means for Clemson hoops

Just when it seemed like Clemson’s men’s basketball team was building some momentum heading into the back half of its ACC slate, the Tigers were dealt a major blow with news that Hunter Tyson will be sidelined for an extended period of time. Clemson …

Just when it seemed like Clemson’s men’s basketball team was building some momentum heading into the back half of its ACC slate, the Tigers were dealt a major blow with news that Hunter Tyson will be sidelined for an extended period of time.

Clemson notched its fourth Quadrant 2 victory of the season Wednesday with a home win over Florida State, but it came at a price. Tyson played just nine minutes before leaving the game during the latter stages of the first half after taking a blow to the upper body. He never returned, and an X-ray confirmed the Tigers’ senior forward sustained a broken clavicle.

In a statement released Thursday, Clemson said there’s not yet a timetable for Tyson’s return. So for the foreseeable future, the Tigers will be without not only their fourth-leading scorer (10.4 points) and third-leading rebounder (5.6) but also a veteran leader in the locker room.

“One of our smartest guys because he’s been in the program for four years,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of Tyson. “He’s your voice. So you need some of your older guys to provide voice.”

Clemson (12-9, 4-6 ACC) has won two of its last three games by a combined 33 points. The Tigers came up three points short of upsetting No. 9 Duke on the road last week. Otherwise, they would be carrying a three-game winning streak into Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech (8-12, 2-8).

After that, Clemson will return to Littlejohn Coliseum for a key three-game homestand next week against North Carolina, Duke and Notre Dame, all of which sit in the top 70 of the NET rankings.

If the Tigers want to keep their momentum going in Tyson’s absence, they’re going to need others to help pick up the slack at his power forward spot, though Tyson was essentially a big guard on the floor with his ability to also step away from the basket on the offensive end. It sounds like Clemson may try to do that by committee.

“You’re going to need Naz (Bohannon) and Ian Schieffelin,” Brownell said. “My freshmen big guys are going to play more and are going to have to produce.”

Bohannon, the likeliest candidate to move into the starting lineup, performed well when pressed into his most extended action of the season Wednesday. The graduate transfer from Youngstown State stepped in for Tyson and played a season-high 30 minutes, finishing with 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Generously listed on Clemson’s roster at 6-foot-6, Bohannon is a couple of inches shorter than Tyson, but he also pulled down five boards in Wednesday’s win.

Those numbers far surpassed Bohannon’s season averages of 4.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18.9 minutes, but Wednesday’s performance was more on par with what Bohannon did at his previous stop. A 1,200-point scorer in four seasons at Youngstown State, Bohannon also led the Penguins in rebounding (8.2) a season ago. 

“Rebounding is a want-to skill,” Bohannon said. “At that point, at 6-5 or whatever it is I am, I feel like my heart makes me bigger than a lot of guys out there.”

Schieffelin, a freshman, had played in 17 of Clemson’s first 20 games but had seen his minutes decrease of late. He didn’t play against Duke and logged just five minutes in the Tigers’ rout of Pittsburgh the game before.

But with Tyson out, the 6-7, 225-pounder played 10 minutes against FSU. It was just his third time playing double-digit minutes in Clemson’s previous 14 games, but Scheiffelin made the most of it, pulling down five boards to help the Tigers finish plus-13 on the glass.

Fellow big Ben Middlebrooks got just three minutes against the Seminoles, which is right at his season average (3.6). But his playing time figures to increase, too. The 6-10 freshman has spent most of his first season at Clemson as PJ Hall’s primary backup at center, but there’s a chance Brownell could play Hall and Middlebrooks together in Tyson’s absence depending on matchups and the team’s foul situation on any given night.

The facet of Tyson’s game that may be the most difficult for Clemson to replace is perimeter shooting. Tyson has helped the Tigers stretch defenses by shooting 38% from 3-point range on 64 attempts from beyond the arc. Schieffelin is just 3 of 6 from deep this season while the 3-ball is an even smaller part of the repertoire for Bohannon or Middlebrooks, who’ve combined to shoot one 3 all season.

The injury is the latest bout of tough luck for Tyson, who had played through two sprained ankles for most of the season before Wednesday. As a true senior, Tyson still has a COVID year he could use to return to the team next season if that’s something he wants to do even if he’s able to return to the court at some point this season.

For now, though, Brownell said the Tigers will need everyone to elevate their games in the absence of one of their better players.

“He’s basically healthy and ready to go, and then this happens,” Brownell said. “I feel awful for him, but the next man up’s got to go.”

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help.  #SaveNicks

Duke – with its potential No. 1 pick – provides biggest test yet for Clemson

In helping build one of the top five winningest programs in the history of men’s college basketball, Mike Krzykewski has had no shortage of talented teams at Duke in his four decades as the Blue Devils’ head coach. This one, though, has a distinct …

In helping build one of the top five winningest programs in the history of men’s college basketball, Mike Krzykewski has had no shortage of talented teams at Duke in his four decades as the Blue Devils’ head coach.

This one, though, has a distinct characteristic to it, Clemson coach Brad Brownell said.

“I think they’re big, they’re long and extremely physical,” Brownell said. “Aggressive. They’re very athletic.”

In other words, Clemson (11-8, 3-5 ACC) will face another tall task tonight at 7 when No. 9 Duke hosts the Tigers at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first of two meetings between the teams this season. Quite literally, it may be the tallest the Tigers have gotten from the Blue Devils (15-3, 5-2) in recent memory.

And one of Duke’s prized freshmen may be the biggest matchup problem of them all.

One of the nation’s top recruits in the 2021 recruiting cycle, Paolo Banchero was immediately inserted into the Blue Devils’ starting five and hasn’t disappointed during what will almost certainly be his only season of college ball. The only question at this point seems to be whether or not Banchero will be the No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.

His stiffest competition for that distinction will likely be fellow freshmen phenoms Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) and Jabari Smith Jr. (Auburn), but Banchero is firmly in the mix given how he’s performed so far this season. Yahoo Sports draft analyst Krysten Peek has the Orlando Magic taking Banchero first overall in her latest mock draft.

At 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds, Banchero leads Duke and ranks fifth in the ACC in scoring (17.9 points per game), though that’s far from the only elite facet of his game. He’s also averaging 7.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists while being versatile enough at his size to play virtually any position on the floor.

Banchero often brings the ball up and serves as the Blue Devils’ de-facto point guard. He’s just as comfortable finding teammates for open shots as he is creating his own, averaging four assists per game in January. He finished three assists shy of a triple-double in the Blue Devils’ overtime loss at Florida State earlier this month.

But Banchero is far from the only big body Duke can throw at the opposition, which has Brownell just as concerned about how his team is going to score over the Blue Devils’ trees. Sophomore center Mark Williams is the tallest of them all at 7-1 and 245 pounds whilo Theo John, a Marquette transfer, gives Duke a 6-9, 242-pound big off the bench.

Duke has another 7-footer if needed in freshman Stanley Borden, though he’s only played in one game so far.

“I do think it makes it more challenging to plan to go inside against them in some ways,” Brownll said. “You’re not going to have as much success as you would against other teams in some ways, and then other times I think your kids make plays within the game, and then all of a sudden you’re in front of Mark Williams and you’re not used to shooting over a guy like that.

“Guys are going into the basket, you get bumped, you don’t make a shot, you fall down and now Duke’s on a 5 on 4 and you’re in trouble. So I just think they’re are a lot of things that happen within the course of the game where their size, physicality and shot blocking cause problems and, a lot of times, can lead to good offense.”

It makes for the stiffest test yet for Clemson as a whole but particularly on the interior, where forwards PJ Hall, Hunter Tyson and Naz Bohannon like to operate. Hall, at 6-10 and 242 pounds, is Clemson’s best bet to match up with Duke on the inside while Tyson goes 6-8 and 215 pounds.

Hall, the Tigers’ leading scorer (14.8 points per game), has reached double figures in all but one game this season. Tyson had six points and two rebounds in the Tigers’ rout of Pittsburgh over the weekend, though he’s still feeling the effects of a recent ankle injury and not operating at full strength. Meanwhile, Hall continues to deal with a foot injury that’s going to limit his practice time for the rest of the season, Brownell said.

“We’ve got to be careful with him, but I’m optimistic he’ll be fine tomorrow and ready to go,” Brownell said of Hall.

Duke leads the ACC in blocked shots and ranks second in field-goal percentage defense thanks in large part to its ability to protect the rim. That’s going to make Clemson’s ability to knock down perimeter shots all the more important if it has any realistic shot of pulling its first Quadrant 1 win of the season out of Cameron Indoor, a place the Tigers have won just four times ever.

But Brownell said he may try to better match Duke’s size with more of his own. Freshman center Ben Middlebrooks played nine minutes against Pittsburgh – the second-most he’s logged all season – something Brownell said could become more frequent for the 6-10, 232-pounder going forward.

“Just in terms of sheer size and physicality, we’re going to need that, especially (Tuesday) night against Mark Williams and Banchero. They’re big, strong, physical dudes, and we’re going to need some guys that can match that strength.”

Clemson Variety & Frame is doing their part to help bring you some classic new barware and help one of the local businesses that helps make Clemson special.

Order your Nick’s barware and do your part to help.  #SaveNicks

Hoops signee a big addition to Clemson’s roster

Clemson’s men’s basketball program is getting some additional frontcourt help for the upcoming season with the addition of Ben Middlebrooks, who signed with the Tigers on Wednesday. Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound center out of Westminster …

Clemson’s men’s basketball program is getting some additional frontcourt help for the upcoming season with the addition of Ben Middlebrooks, who signed with the Tigers on Wednesday.

Middlebrooks, a 6-foot-10, 225-pound center out of Westminster Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was originally a 2022 prospect but has reclassified to 2021. Ranked a three-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, Middlebrooks averaged 20.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game last season.

“Ben is a skilled, versatile big who moves very well for his size and rebounds the ball at a high level,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said in a statement. “He has a high motor and excels because of his skill level and high basketball IQ. His passion for Clemson was evident throughout the recruiting process, and fans will see it in his play.”

Middlebrooks’ sister, Mackenzy, was a member of Clemson’s women’s tennis program before graduating earlier this year.