Tag: Hunter Tyson

Tyson addresses his future

Some of the fans inside Littlejohn Coliseum made it known to Hunter Tyson where they would like him to be playing basketball next season. With the Clemson men’s basketball team’s win over Virginia Tech still fresh late Saturday afternoon, chants of …

Some of the fans inside Littlejohn Coliseum made it known to Hunter Tyson where they would like him to be playing basketball next season.

With the Clemson men’s basketball team’s win over Virginia Tech still fresh late Saturday afternoon, chants of “one more year!” were directed at the Tigers’ senior forward, who might have just played the final home game of his Clemson career. With the additional year of eligibility granted to student-athletes by the NCAA a couple of years back in response to the coronavirus pandemic, Tyson also has the option of returning to the Tigers’ program for another season.

When Tyson eventually grabbed a microphone to address the fans lingering in the arena, he didn’t offer much clarity as to what his decision might be.

“I don’t really know what the future holds, but I can promise you one thing: Clemson will always be home, and this will be the best four years of my life,” Tyson said.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell said he and Tyson recently had a “preliminary talk” about his future beyond this season but didn’t get into many specifics about exactly what factors Tyson is weighing when it comes to staying or leaving. A two-year starter, Tyson is still tied with fellow senior David Collins as Clemson’s third-leading scorer this season (10.3 points per game) despite missing eight games with a broken clavicle.

“Want to support him. Want to help him be informed. Want to see where his head is and how motivated he is to come back and why that would be and if it makes sense for him,” Brownell said. “We’ll wait and see. Obviously he wants to get through the season and see what things look like.”

Tyson scored just five points on 2 of 7 shooting Saturday in his second game back from the injury, but he made a timely jumper to extend Clemson’s lead to three points in the final 30 seconds of what became a 63-59 win for the Tigers, their fourth straight heading into next week’s ACC Tournament. It was a moment to savor for Tyson if it is the final shot he ever attempts inside Littlejohn Coliseum.

“Need to talk to my family, sit down and pray about it a little more,” Tyson said. “Regardless, it was a great way to end the season here at Littlejohn if that’s how it is.”

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Clemson holds off Virginia Tech, takes momentum into ACC Tournament

Clemson’s men’s basketball team became whole again Saturday. Now the Tigers are streaking into the ACC Tournament. Clemson closed out the regular season with a 63-59 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. PJ Hall returned from a …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team became whole again Saturday. Now the Tigers are streaking into the ACC Tournament.

Clemson closed out the regular season with a 63-59 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday at Littlejohn Coliseum. PJ Hall returned from a two-week hiatus to lead four Tigers in double figures with 12 points while junior guard Alex Hemenway added 11 for Clemson, which will take a four-game winning streak into next week’s tournament in Brooklyn.

Clemson (16-15, 8-12 ACC) held its largest lead at 50-44 with 10:08 remaining after a 7-0 run capped by Ian Schieffelin’s jumper, but four free throws were the only points the Tigers mustered over the next 5 minutes and change. Hall ended the drought with a layup that gave Clemson a 56-54 lead with 3:57 left.

Buckets were hard to come by for both teams down the stretch with Clemson clinging to a 60-59 lead with just 44 ticks left after a pair of free throws by Tech’s Justyn Mutts. But senior forward Hunter Tyson sank a timely jumper to extend the Tigers’ lead, and Tech (19-12, 11-9) missed its last seven shots, including five 3-pointers, as Clemson matched its longest winning streak of the season.

Playing for the first time since reaggravating a foot injury against Louisville two weeks earlier, Hall scored just two points in four minutes in the first half before he got going in the second. The Tigers’ sophomore big got off nine shots, making five of them, and pulled down four rebounds in just 13 minutes.

It was the first time Hall and Tyson, who returned to the lineup earlier in the week after missing six games with a broken clavicle, were simultaneously available since Clemson’s win over Florida State on Feb. 2. That put two of the Tigers’ top three scorers on the floor together for the first time in more than a month.

But with Tyson struggling for most of the game (five points on 2 of 7 shooting in 25 minutes), Clemson got more significant contributions from its guards to help pick up the slack. Hemenway scored all of his points off the bench, finishing 4 of 4 from the field and 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. Al-Amir Dawes and senior David Collins, playing his final game at Littlejohn, each chipped in 10 points for Clemson, which shot 43.8% from the field and 40% from 3-point range to deal a major blow to Tech’s NCAA Tournament at-large hopes.

The Hokies, who were paced by Nahiem Alleyne’s 17 points, had won three straight games and nine of their last 10 coming in.

This story will be updated.

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Good news for Clemson hoops

Clemson’s leading scorer will return to action for the Tigers’ regular-season finale today. PJ Hall is active for Clemson’s 2 p.m. game against Virginia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum, returning the Tigers’ frontcourt to full strength for the first …

Clemson’s leading scorer will return to action for the Tigers’ regular-season finale today.

PJ Hall is active for Clemson’s 2 p.m. game against Virginia Tech at Littlejohn Coliseum, returning the Tigers’ frontcourt to full strength for the first time in more than a month. The Tigers’ sophomore big, who’s averaging 15.5 points on the season, has missed the last three games with irritation in his left foot.

Today’s game will mark the first time Hall and senior forward Hunter Tyson have both been available since Clemson’s win over Florida State on Feb. 2. Tyson, who sustained a broken clavicle in that game, returned to the lineup Wednesday against Georgia Tech, the Tigers’ third straight win.

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Goods news for Clemson hoops

Clemson’s men’s basketball team is getting a starter back for tonight’s game against Georgia Tech. The team announced senior forward Hunter Tyson will be available against the Yellow Jackets. Tyson has missed the last eight games with a broken …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team is getting a starter back for tonight’s game against Georgia Tech.

The team announced senior forward Hunter Tyson will be available against the Yellow Jackets. Tyson has missed the last eight games with a broken clavicle.

It’s a boost for Clemson’s frontcourt, which will again be without leading scorer PJ Hall (foot) for Wednesday’s game.

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Could Hall, Tyson return to action for Clemson this week?

Clemson has managed to start its first winning streak in ACC play without its starting frontcourt, but the Tigers hope to have PJ Hall and Hunter Tyson back for the home stretch. Tyson and Hall have each missed the last two games, though Tyson’s …

Clemson has managed to start its first winning streak in ACC play without its starting frontcourt, but the Tigers hope to have PJ Hall and Hunter Tyson back for the home stretch.

Tyson and Hall have each missed the last two games, though Tyson’s absence has been much longer than that. Clemson has played without its senior forward for the last eight games after Tyson broke his collarbone against Florida State back on Feb. 2. Meanwhile, Hall’s season-long foot ailment flared up on him against Louisville a couple of weeks back.

Like they did Wednesday against Wake Forest, Hall and Tyson looked on from Clemson’s bench Saturday as the Tigers took down Boston College on the road to cap a 2-0 week. Hall, Clemson’s leading scorer at 15.5 points per game, sported the same walking boot on his left foot that he did earlier in the week.

Clemson coach Brad Brownell said after the midweek win that Tyson was closer to returning, suggesting he could possibly return to action as soon as Wednesday when Tigers host Georgia Tech, the first of consecutive home games to end the regular season. Brownell said then that Hall was day to day.

Brownell said following Saturday’s game that not much had changed on that front when asked about both players’ status again.

“I don’t know with both guys,” Brownell said. “I think Hunter, for the first time next week, is going to start maybe some live practice. We’ll see what that entails. PJ didn’t do anything all week. We’ll see if he does something next week. We’re crossing our fingers and hopeful but just really day to day. How does the foot feel and where is he at? So we’re just going to have to play it by ear.”

Tyson is third on the team in scoring (10.4 points per game). Yet Clemson won both of its games last week thanks in large part to more production from its backcourt, particularly Chase Hunter. The sophomore guard combined for 44 points in the wins on 17 of 21 shooting from the field, setting career-highs in scoring in back-to-back games.

Following Saturday’s 70-60 victory, the Tigers sit at 14-15 overall and 6-12 in league play. Clemson, which is trying to avoid its first losing season since the 2012-13 campaign, has Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech left on the schedule before the ACC Tournament begins March 8.

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Clemson clamps down on Boston College, starts first ACC winning streak

Clemson has played consecutive games without its starting frontcourt. The Tigers have won both of them. Three days earlier, it was more than half a hundred combined points from Chase Hunter, Al-Amir Dawes and Nick Honor that propelled Clemson to an …

Clemson has played consecutive games without its starting frontcourt. The Tigers have won both of them.

Three days earlier, it was more than half a hundred combined points from Chase Hunter, Al-Amir Dawes and Nick Honor that propelled Clemson to an upset of Wake Forest. On Saturday, the Tigers’ defense stole the show.

Now Clemson (14-15, 6-12 ACC) has its first winning streak in ACC play following a 70-60 victory at Boston College. Chase Hunter poured in a career-high 23 points while Al-Amir Dawes added 16 points, and Clemson held the Eagles (11-17, 6-12) to just 36% shooting in their own building, a vast improvement from the teams’ first meeting more than a month earlier. Again without the services of two of its top three scorers in Hunter Tyson (broken clavicle) and PJ Hall (foot), Clemson also got a lift from freshman center Ben Middlebrooks, who posted career-highs in points (8), rebounds (9) and minutes (27).

Boston College made more than 48% of its shots back on Jan. 15 to escape Littlejohn Coliseum with a two-point win, pulling off one of the largest comebacks in ACC history in the process. This time around, Clemson clamped down to eventually pull away in what began as a tightly contested contest.

The Tigers trailed 35-34 with 15:03 left before holding the Eagles without a field goal for more than 8 minutes. Clemson took the lead on three free throws from Hunter, who scored eight straight points to ignite a 17-2 run that gave the Tigers their largest lead, 51-37, with 7:32 left.

Boston College answered with a 16-8 spurt over the next 5 minutes and change to get back within single digits, but defense again came through for the Tigers to stifle Boston College’s momentum. Naz Bohannon came up with a diving steal and got a timeout to preserve possession for Clemson with 1:40 left, and the Tigers made 11 of 14 free throws in the final 63 seconds to close out the win.

This story will be updated.

Another Clemson hoopster dealing with injuries

Clemson’s men’s basketball team is already dealing with its fair share of injuries, but the list is even longer than what’s been publicized. While the Tigers went through Wednesday’s game against Wake Forest without its starting frontcourt, …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team is already dealing with its fair share of injuries, but the list is even longer than what’s been publicized.

While the Tigers went through Wednesday’s game against Wake Forest without its starting frontcourt, Clemson’s backcourt was intact. Clemson coach Brad Brownell revealed afterward that was only because David Collins continued to push through thumb and thigh injuries that have been bothering the senior guard all season.

Brownell said Collins didn’t practice at all leading up to Clemson’s win over the Demon Deacons.

“I didn’t know if he was going to play (Wednesday),” Brownell said. “He barely did much in the shootaround (Wednesday) morning. You could see him limping.”

Collins played 30 minutes, scoring seven points, dishing out four assists and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds in a win that snapped Clemson’s six-game losing streak. The 6-foot-4 guard is still the Tigers’ leading rebounder at 7.0 boards per game.

The South Florida transfer has started all 27 games he played this season, averaging 10 points and 2.5 assists on the season. He served a one-game suspension against Notre Dame four games ago after committing a flagrant foul against Duke on Feb. 10 that got him ejected from that game.

But Collins has been available for the Tigers for most of the season even with the injuries. Brownell said Collins reaggravated his thigh injury during the course of Wednesday’s game.

“He got kneed in the thigh,” Brownell said. “He’s had an issue with his thigh all year, and there are just games where it’s really hard for him. He’s got kind of that big, physical body, and he plays so hard with so much physical contact. He’s one of those guys that is going to be hurt some.

“His thumb has been bad all year, and every time he starts to get better, somebody hits it. It’s just something he’s had to deal with.”

Clemson won’t have Hunter Tyson (broken clavicle) and could still be without PJ Hall (foot) when it travels to Boston College on Saturday, but Collins should be available for the rematch of a game the Tigers dropped by two in mid-January.

“At this time of the year, you just do the best you can,” Brownell said. “He gutted it out (Wednesday). You could tell he was hurting. He showed great toughness and fight.”

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An update on Clemson’s ailing frontcourt

As the final seconds ticked away on Clemson’s win over Wake Forest as well as the Tigers’ six-game losing streak, all Hunter Tyson and PJ Hall could do was watch. Other than supporting their teammates in spirit, Clemson’s starting frontcourt players …

As the final seconds ticked away on Clemson’s win over Wake Forest as well as the Tigers’ six-game losing streak, all Hunter Tyson and PJ Hall could do was watch.

Other than supporting their teammates in spirit, Clemson’s starting frontcourt players didn’t contribute to the Tigers’ 80-69 victory Wednesday inside Littlejohn Coliseum, the first time that’s happened in the same game all season. Tyson and Hall looked on in street clothes while seated next to each other on the bench.

Hall was sporting a walking boot on his left foot. Tyson didn’t have a sling supporting his surgically repaired collarbone, a good sign for the senior forward in his desire to return to the court at some point this season.

With three games left in the regular season followed by the ACC Tournament, Clemson coach Brad Brownell updated the statuses of Tyson and Hall following Wednesday’s game. He confirmed Tyson is inching closer to a return.

Tyson, Clemson’s third-leading scorer, sustained the broken clavicle in Clemson’s win over Florida State back on Feb. 2 and hasn’t played in the seven games since. Earlier this week, Tyson posted a photo to his Instragram story of himself shooting a basketball with a caption that read, “Soon.”

Brownell said Tyson did some team work during practice Monday and Tuesday. Tyson won’t be available Saturday when Clemson plays at Boston College, but Brownell said there’s a chance he could return before the conference tournament, which starts March 8 in Brooklyn.

“I don’t know if he could play Wednesday (against Georgia Tech). I don’t know,” Brownell said. “It’s hard for me to speculate. He’s trying to get ready for next week maybe. We’ll see if he can get there.”

As for Hall, Brownell said the Tigers’ leading scorer is “day to day” with the left foot injury that flared up on him over the weekend against Louisville. Hall left that game less than 2 minutes in and didn’t return. Brownell said earlier this week that an X-ray of Hall’s foot came back negative.

“He’s had the medical people look at it,” Brownell said. “We’ve sent it off to NBA folks and doctors, and I think everybody feels like he can still play as long as he feels like his foot is OK. He just needs to rest it for a lot of time. If he feels OK, he’ll play. It wasn’t good (Wednesday), so there was no chance of putting him out there.”

Hall has described the injury as a stress reaction that he’s been dealing with for much of the season and even going back to his prep days at Dorman High School. Hall said last month he didn’t envision needing corrective surgery, though he didn’t rule it out if the injury got worse.

Brownell said Wednesday it could be in the cards once the season is over.

“He’s had a little problem with it in high school, so I don’t know if there’s something structurally they’re looking at that could be problematic,” Brownell said. “We haven’t gone all the way to that point yet, but that certainly is a possibility.”

With Hall and Tyson unavailable, Clemson’s current frontcourt rotation consists of senior forward Naz Bohannon and true freshmen Ian Schieffelin and Ben Middlebrooks. Schieffelin got his fifth straight start at Tyson’s power forward spot against Wake Forest and finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Middlebrooks made his first career start in place of Hall, notching two rebounds and two steals in 20 minutes.

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Perimeter shooting suddenly a ‘problematic’ trend for Clemson

PJ Hall did all he could to try to help Clemson stop the bleeding. The Tigers’ sophomore big, who has a strong case as the ACC’s most improved player this season, poured in more points than he ever has in his first two seasons in the men’s …

PJ Hall did all he could to try to help Clemson stop the bleeding.

The Tigers’ sophomore big, who has a strong case as the ACC’s most improved player this season, poured in more points than he ever has in his first two seasons in the men’s basketball program. Despite foot inflammation he’s dealt with for much of the season and being at the top of every opponent’s scouting report at this point, Hall still scored a career-high 28 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the floor and 12 of 13 shooting from the free-throw line Tuesday at Florida State.

“Obviously his efficiency in the offense (Tuesday) was fantastic,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of Hall, who’s averaging 21.2 points over the last five games. “I’m super proud of him. The kid is in a (walking) boot 90% of every day. He’s walking to games in boots. He’s giving us everything he has, and (Tuesday) he was special in terms of finishing plays.”

But, for multiple reasons, it was all for naught in an 81-80 loss to the Seminoles, which ran Clemson’s longest losing streak in five years to five games.

One was FSU guard RayQuan Evans, who scored 20.5 more points than his season average to match Hall’s 28 on a night when the Seminoles shot nearly 44% from the field and 42% from 3-point range (8 of 19). Throw in 17 points from forward Cam’Ron Fletcher, who came in averaging just 5.9 on the season, and it helped FSU overcome the absence of four of its top six scorers because of injuries.

Hall also didn’t get much help offensively from the backcourt, which has become a trend during Clemson’s skid. Junior guard Al-Amir Dawes bounced back from an 0-for-6 shooting performance against Notre Dame to score 18 points Tuesday, but the Tigers’ guards combined to make just 24.4% of their shots, which included a 23% clip from 3-point range.

Nick Honor and Chase Hunter combined to go 1 of 13 from the field. David Collins, back after his one-game suspension, shot 2 of 3 but missed his lone 3-point attempt.

“They’re not playing quite as well as I’d like or probably they’d like,” Brownell said. “There’s great effort, I thought. But we’re not making enough shots from the perimeter. And it’s problematic for us.”

Dawes, who shot 4 of 10 from beyond the arc, accounted for all but two of Clemson’s buckets from deep. In fact, Dawes is the only guard that’s made more than two 3-point shots in a game during the Tigers’ losing streak.

It’s uncharacteristic of Clemson, which still ranks fifth in the ACC in 3-point field-goal percentage (36.7). But the Tigers’ perimeter shooting has been a real struggle without stretch forward Hunter Tyson, who was shooting nearly 39% from 3 before breaking his clavicle in Clemson’s most recent win back on Feb. 2.

Clemson is shooting just 28.3% from 3-point range during its losing streak. The Tigers have gone three straight games with six made 3s or fewer. They haven’t made more than eight since sinking 11 3s against Duke on Jan. 25, which was seven games ago.

Brownell admitted there have been “a few bad ones.” But, for the most part, he said getting quality looks from deep hasn’t been the issue.

“The last two games (against Notre Dame and Duke), we have five and six turnovers, and we only score in the low 60s because we don’t make enough shots,” Brownell said. “It’s hard. It’s not like we’re not executing things. That’s the frustrating part. … When we go back and analyze it, we’re getting the ball to places where we like, and we’re just not making enough shots to be consistent to win.”

Clemson’s final possession against FSU was a prime example. After Evans converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the Seminoles the lead with 14.4 seconds left, Brownell called a timeout with 4 ticks remaining once Clemson got the ball past halfcourt to draw up one last play. 

Hunter inbounded the ball to Hall near the wing. As Hall tried to drive toward the basket, three defenders converged on him, leaving Alex Hemenway alone near the corner. Hall found him for a clean look at the buzzer, but Hemenway’s shot bounced off the front of the rim, capping a 2-of-8 shooting night from deep for a 39.5% 3-point shooter.

“We had obviously our best shooter coming open,” Brownell said. “Alex got a wide-open shot. It’s as good a shot as you’re going to get under the circumstances. He makes it a lot, and unfortunately it was short and didn’t go.”

Clemson’s next opportunity to end its late-season slide will come Saturday at Louisville. More consistent complementary play from the backcourt would go a long way in helping the Tigers’ chances.

“We have to do better,” Brownell said.

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Clemson going through type of late-season funk it hasn’t experienced in nearly a decade

Clemson’s men’s basketball team returned to Littlejohn Coliseum five days ago hoping to stop the bleeding. Yet after a three-game homestand, the Tigers are just trying to make sure they don’t start hemorrhaging. Clemson capped an eventful and …

Clemson’s men’s basketball team returned to Littlejohn Coliseum five days ago hoping to stop the bleeding. Yet after a three-game homestand, the Tigers are just trying to make sure they don’t start hemorrhaging.

Clemson capped an eventful and winless week with a 76-61 loss on Saturday to the ACC’s co-leader, Notre Dame. That came on the heels of a blowout loss to No. 7 Duke that included an ejection and subsequent one-game suspension for senior guard David Collins and a narrow setback to North Carolina in a game that was up for grabs until the final seconds.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “I thought we fought pretty hard. You’re playing three of the best teams in the league. The first game, we’ve got the lead with a minute to go and have a chance to win. The second game, we battle for a half and, the first five or six minutes of the second half, we’re hanging in there. And then Duke pulls away with size and numbers. And they played well.

“Then Notre Dame was ready. I thought they had a good plan. We got punched in the mouth. Right away, we’re down double figures, and it’s hard. We could’ve caved. But I thought our kids fought, and we battled back several times.”

For the fourth straight game, though, Clemson came up short, which hasn’t happened to the Tigers this late in a season in nearly a decade. The last time Clemson had a four-game losing streak beginning in February was 2013 when the Tigers lost seven straight to end that season.

The 2012-13 campaign was also the last time Clemson had a losing season. With six games left this season (not counting the ACC Tournament), the Tigers are in danger of ending that streak, too.

Clemson fell to 12-13 overall with Saturday’s loss, the first time all season the Tigers have dipped below .500. They also fell to 4-10 in ACC play, which has another streak – four straight seasons with at least nine regular-season conference wins – in jeopardy, too.

The Tigers have lost eight of their last 10 games overall. If the ACC Tournament started today, Clemson would be the No. 13 seed in the 15-team event. Only Georgia Tech, which began Clemson’s losing streak on Feb. 5, and North Carolina State have worse records in league play so far.

Asked following Saturday’s game how he tries to go about keeping his players engaged in an effort to keep this season from further unraveling, Brownell said it starts with heavy doses of honesty and truth.

“When I think we play well, we talk about it. And when I don’t think we’re playing as well as we can, we talk about that,” Brownell said. “As much as anything, you try to remind them of their development and then remind them of the opportunity they’re in. They’re playing ACC basketball at a great school and in a program that we’re proud of what we’re doing. So it’s easy to get a little whoa is me, feel sorry for yourself and get wrapped up in all of that, but, man, there are a lot of people that would like to trade places with you. And you better be mindful of that.”

Of course, there’s a caveat to the Tigers’ skid besides the quality of competition they have faced.

Senior forward Hunter Tyson, the team’s third-leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer, didn’t play in any of the last four games after sustaining a broken clavicle in Clemson’s last win Feb. 2 against Florida State. Clemson got yet another double-digit scoring output from leading scorer PJ Hall (19 points) against Notre Dame while point guard Nick Honor added 12 in his just his second start in the last nine games, but the Tigers didn’t have their leading rebounder in Collins, who was suspended for his flagrant foul on Duke’s Wendell Moore Jr. two nights earlier.

Clemson also missed the defense of the 6-foot-4 Collins against a Notre Dame team that shot better than 54% from 3-point range (13 of 24).

“Would’ve loved to go 3-0 this week,” said junior guard Alex Hemenway, who matched a season-high with 26 minutes and scored eight points against Notre Dame in Collins’ absence. “I feel like this is another speed bump we’ve just got to overcome this season. We’ve had a lot of them, but I still believe we can turn this thing around.”

The schedule eases up a bit the rest of the way with four of the Tigers’ last six regular-season games coming against teams in the bottom half of the league standings. It starts with a trip on Tuesday to face a Florida State team that’s without four of its top six scorers because of injuries, but Clemson hasn’t won a road game since beating N.C. State back on Jan. 8.

The Tigers haven’t lost five consecutive games since losing six straight conference games during the 2016-17 season.

“It’s easy to have some discourse right now, but we’re sticking in there,” Brownell said. “We’re battling hard. We’ve got another chance on Tuesday to try to bounce back and continue to play a little bit better.”

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