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Jan. 12, 2009
GALLERY (courtesy of Mark Crammer)
Clemson, SC - Nearly 70 former Clemson men's basketball players and managers returned to Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday to watch the Tigers defeat NC State 63-51. Each year Oliver Purnell invites former Tiger lettermen for a weekend home game. This year's attendance was the highest in the history of the event.
"We appreciate all the alumni coming back to campus and we want them to feel a part of our program," said Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell. "It is important that they are a part of our basketball family. They have all made a contribution to our program and it is appreciated."
Among the former Clemson players on hand were Grayson Marshall, Clemson's career leader in assists, former McDonald's All-American Ricky Jones, a member of Clemson's ACC regular season championship team of 1990, and Jim Sutherland, a first-team All-ACC player on Clemson's 1967 team who won the ACC's Jim Weaver Award as the top all-around student-athlete in the ACC regardless of sport.
Also attending were all four of the Mahaffey brothers, who dominated the backboards for the Clemson program during the 1960s. Donnie, Randy, Richie and Tommy Mahaffey all rank in the 15 in Clemson history in career rebounds. They are also the top scoring brother combination in ACC history with a combined 3,555 points.
The group was treated to a Clemson victory that resembled an old school physical ACC game. The two teams combined for just 41 points in the first half as the Tigers led 24-17. But, Clemson pulled away behind Trevor Booker, who scored 23 points and had six blocked shots. The victory improved Clemson to 16-0 for the season, tied for the third longest winning streak in Clemson history.
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