April 13, 2008
GALLERY (courtesy of Mark Crammer)
Clemson, SC - The Clemson men's basketball program announced its award winners for the 2007-08 season at the team banquet Sunday, held at the Madren Center on the school's campus. The Tiger coaching staff handed out awards to the team's top performers as well as various support staff.
Cliff Hammonds was the recipient of four awards, including the Paul Bowie Most Valuable Player. James Mays earned the team's Defensive Player Award, while David Potter was named the Tom Lynch Most Improved. Fellow seniors Matt Morris and Sam Perry also took home awards. Morris won the team's Mr. Effort Award, while Perry was presented with the inaugural Vigodsky-Nash "Spirit of Clemson Basketball" Award.
Other award winners Sunday were Trevor Booker, Terrence Oglesby, K.C.
Rivers and Jesse Yanutola.
Paul Bowie Most Valuable Player
Cliff Hammonds
Second-team All-ACC selection and All-District choice by the U.S.
Basketball Writers Association.
Ranked first on the team in assists (133), steals (66), and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.22).
Ranked second on the team in points per game (11.4), fourth in rebounds per game (4.1).
Ranked second in the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.22), third in steals per game (1.94), and seventh in assists per game (3.9).
Defensive Player of the Year Award - Spartanburg County Clemson Club
James Mays
Ranked third on the team in steals (50) and blocked shots (20).
Ranked seventh in the ACC in steals per game (1.78).
Ranks in the top 10 in Clemson history in both career steals (166) and blocked shots (94).
Tom Lynch Most Improved Award
David Potter
Improved from 2.5 points per game as a freshman to 4.8 as a sophomore.
Improved overall field goal accuracy from 32.7 to 41.2 percent.
Improved three-point accuracy from 17.1 to 33.9 percent.
Doubled amount of blocked shots as a sophomore (13), and nearly tripled his steal total (29) from his first year with the program.
Road Warrior Award - Cherokee County Clemson Club
K.C. Rivers
Led the Tigers in scoring on the road with 13.5 points per game and at neutral sites with 16.3 points per game.
Shot over 40 percent from three-point range both on the road and at neutral sites.
Had a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the road.
Scored career-high 32 points in rout at Virginia, where he tied a school record with eight three-pointers in the game.
Academic Excellence Award
Jesse Yanutola
Possesses top cumulative grade-point average on the team.
Member of the Calhoun Honors College.
Two-time President's List (4.0 GPA) selection.
Majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Tiger Strength Award - Lexington County Clemson Club
Cliff Hammonds
Won the award for the third time in his four years with the program.
Strongest player on the team on a pound-for-pound basis.
Ranked in the top five in the ACC in minutes played per game as a senior.
Ranks first in Clemson history in games played (134), starts (133), consecutive starts (130), and minutes played (4,285).
Mr. Effort Award - Aiken County Clemson Club
Matt Morris
Played his first three years as a walk-on before earning a scholarship for his senior season.
Played in 16 games as a senior and 54 in his career.
Scored 69 points in his career, second-most in Clemson history for an original walk-on in the ACC era (1953-present).
Served a valuable role the past four years as a member of the scout team.
Most Assists Award - Union County Clemson Club
Cliff Hammonds
Ranked first on the team with 133 assists, 3.9 per game.
Ranked seventh in the ACC in assists per game.
Concluded his career with 473 assists, fifth-most in Clemson history.
Field Goal Percentage Award - Greater Columbia Clemson Club
Trevor Booker
Led the team in field goal accuracy at 55.5 percent (min. 4 made field goals per game).
Made 20 of 26 shots in consecutive games versus Charlotte (32 points) and Florida State (29 points).
Ranks fifth in Clemson history with a career 57.8 percent field goal accuracy.
Free Throw Percentage Award - Greater Greenwood Clemson Club
Terrence Oglesby
Led the team in free throw accuracy at 85.1 percent (min. 1 made free throw per game).
Ranks second in Clemson history for free throw percentage by a freshman in a single season.
Made 8-8 in the NCAA Tournament game against Villanova, which tied for the highest single-game percentage by a Clemson player in the 2007-08 season.
Leading Rebounder Award - Greenville Clemson Club
Trevor Booker
Led the Tigers in total rebounds (249) and rebounds per game (7.3).
Ranked fourth in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (2.7) and sixth in total rebounds per game (7.3).
Posted career-high 17 rebounds at East Carolina, most by a Clemson player since 2002.
Posted 10 double figure rebound efforts for the season.
Air Force ROTC "Aim High" Award
Cliff Hammonds
First-ever winner of the ACC's "Skip" Prosser Award as the league's top scholar-athlete for men's basketball.
Inducted into Clemson's chapter of the Blue Key Honor Society in the fall.
First Clemson player since 1967 to be named All-ACC on and off the court in the same season.
Vigodsky-Nash "Spirit of Clemson Basketball" Award
Sam Perry
Presented to a player on the team that embodies the spirit of Clemson basketball through dedication, enthusiasm, and a selfless attitude.
Played in 128 career games, second-most in Clemson history, despite multiple injuries in his four years with the program.
Scored 545 career points and added 342 rebounds, 114 steals, and 58 blocked shots.
