Julian Betko Class: Junior Hometown: Ruzomberok, Slovakia Height / Weight: 6-5 / 200 Position: F Experience: HS Major: Business

Overview: Solid shooter who has range from three-point land…needs to improve on consistency as a sophomore…finished the season strong with fine performance in the ACC Tournament against Florida State, he made 2-2 field goals and scored five points in just five minutes…will be in the mix at a wing position this year… made 58 percent of his 3-point attempts his senior year in high school and over 90 percent of his free-throws…did not reach those numbers as a freshman in the ACC, but showed potential throughout the season… has good quickness and can penetrate when needed…one of four foreign players on the Clemson roster… grew up in Slovakia, but played his high school basketball in Pennsylvania.

In 2002-03: Freshman guard who played in all 28 games as a first-year freshman for an average of 10 minutes per game...missed just one game all year…36 of his 51 field goal attempts were three-point shots, or 71 percent.....scored five points on 2-2 shooting against Florida State in ACC Tournament to finish his season on a solid note...had a strong final regular season game at Georgia Tech, he hit a three-point goal in his only attempt, had two steals and an assist without a turnover in 12 minutes.....had best game in ACC action against Wake Forest on 3-4 shooting overall to go with a 2-3 performance on three-point shots…had career high eight points in 14 minutes of play in the game played at home against the Demon Deacons...had six points in 13 minutes against Morris Brown....had season high tying eight points in 12 minutes and sparked the team off the bench in each half against Winthrop...one of the top nine players in the rotation all season...had six points in 12 minutes at High Point in just his second career game, he also had a pair of assists and two offensive rebounds...had two steals in win over Penn State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, he shows smarts on defensive end…played well at Duke in a game decided by just 10 points, he had four rebounds to set a career high in 16 minutes of play…also made his only three-point attempt in Cameron Indoor Stadium…got season off to a good start be scoring 14 points over first three games in 45 minutes…made 7 of his first 14 shots to open the season…played double digits in minutes in16 games during the season, including seven ACC games.

In High School: Averaged 22.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game as a senior at Sharon High in Pennsylvania…shot an incredible 58 percent from the floor as well as 91 percent from the line…had a high scoring game of 31 points, a high rebound game of 14…made six three-point goals in one game…played against fellow Clemson freshman Akin Akingbala in the Born2Run Championship at LaRoche College in Pennsylvania this past summer…Akingbala won the MVP awards, but Betko held his own, scoring 12 points …MVP of the Hoyle Tournament for the Mercer County All-Stars…missed 15 games with an injury his senior year, the team was 8-2 with Betko in the lineup…played high school ball under Head Coach Jim Hoy…chose Clemson over Kansas, Ohio State and Virginia…signed with Clemson on April 11, 2002, he was the fourth member of the Clemson signee class of 2002…parents are Ludovit and Eva Betko, who live in Slovakia…host family in the United States in Pittsburgh were Brian and Sandy Hoover of Sharon, PA…born 6-3-83 in Ruzomberok, Slovakia…majoring in general business at Clemson.

Clemson Basketball Personality Chart
Nickname (& Why): JuJu, My host family gave it to me.
I Wear number: 1 because: In Europe, I couldn’t wear a number smaller than 4.
Favorite NBA Player: Tracy McGrady
Favorite Basketball Player when I was 10 Years Old: I didn’t play ball back then.
Favorite Pro team: Sacramento Kings
Favorite College team to follow when I was young: None
The Best Thing about Clemson is: Playing in the ACC and health care that we receive.
Person in history I’d like to meet (& Why): Nostra Damus –just to talk to him
Person I pattern my style of play after: I am trying to take something from all good players
Most impressive person I have met: My parents
Best opposing player I have faced: Tony Parker, now with San Antonio Spurs
Most Respected player on this team: Chris Hobbs
Best Athlete on this team: Olu Babalola
Player on this team with highest basketball IQ: Chey Christie
Player on this team who will be a surprise this year: There will be more surprises than one
People say I look like: Ben Stilller
Favorite Movie of all-time: Scarface and Remember the Titans
Favorite Actor: Al Pacino Favorite Actress: Jennifer Lopez
Favorite Cartoon when I was growing up: Smurf’s
If I could play another sport it would be: Ice Hockey
Person who has had the biggest influence on me as a person: My mother
Person who has had the biggest influence on my basketball career: My Father, Brother, and coach in Europe
The Best advice my mother gave me: Always stay humble
When I want to get away from sports I : Watch TV or go out with my friends
My Dream Vacation: Somewhere in Caribbean with my friends and fine girls
So Far my favorite moment at Clemson took place when: When we beat North Carolina last year
My Advice to Young people is to: If you set a long term goal, go for it day-by-day. Also, stay away from drugs