Despite being the biggest guy on Clemson's roster, 7-foot-2 Catalin "Bobo" Baciu has had precious little impact on the Tigers program over his first three seasons. But that may be changing.
Baciu recently got his first start in an Atlantic Coast Conference game, and although he contributed a modest six points and three rebounds it represented a healthy improvement for a player who entered the season with career averages of one point and one assist.
Over his first three years, Baciu seldom got quality playing time, with the majority of his appearances coming in "mop-up" duty in lopsided games.
"The biggest thing was getting him to believe in himself," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "He was a circus act a little bit; he didn't feel like a basketball player. He's now a valuable member of our team.
He's playing some good basketball, making some good plays. He isn't confident all the way yet, he's still learning. But he's so much further ahead than he was when we got here.
"He's a very happy-go-lucky kid. By nature he's not a competitive, nasty guy. But once he gets going and gets a little angry, he can do it."
Brownell noticed improvement in Baciu's game last spring and then began telling his senior center that he'd be counted on to play about 15 minutes a game.
Baciu is, in fact, averaging 15 minutes per game in ACC play as well as 5.5 points and 3.0 rebounds.
"I'm really proud of him," Brownell said. "He's come a long way. He's had enough success that he feels good about himself. And I think he can be a factor for us the last six weeks of the season."
NOTES, QUOTES
--Clemson's 71-60 win over Wake Forest on Saturday produced good moments for a lot of Tigers, but none more so than senior F Bryan Narcisse. Narcisse was presented his bachelor's degree at center court before tipoff, then promptly went out and scored a career-high 11 points.
"I love the fact that I was able to get my degree beforehand," Narcisse said. "Then the career-high was just the icing on the cake."
Narcisse, who also had a steal, two blocked shots and four rebounds in 20 minutes, is known as the team's primary energy source.
"He's a high-energy kid," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. "When he's active like that, it really helps take some pressure off of the other guys."
Narcisse and fellow senior Tanner Smith each received diplomas before the game. They missed their graduation ceremony in December while playing in the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii.
--The home court advantage is huge for Clemson. The Tigers are 3-1 in ACC play at Littlejohn Coliseum this season, with the lone defeat a six-point loss to league-leading Duke.
"The ACC's got a lot of really good teams, so when you have a bunch of good teams beating up on each other, you need to protect your home court," senior guard Tanner Smith said. "It's tough to go on the road and win in the ACC."
And it's certainly tough for opponents to win at Littlejohn. Clemson has gone 7-1 in home ACC games three times in the past four years and
hasn't had a losing record in league games in Littlejohn since the 2004-05 season.
--Senior G Andre Young is on a roll. After going 4-for-20 from three-point range in a recent three-game span, Young has gone 10-for-15 from beyond the arc in the Tigers' last two games -- wins over Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.
Young appeared to have benefitted from a week off between the two games.
"It gave us a chance to really get our feet back under us," Young said. "It gave us a chance to take care of some nicks and bruises and get our wind back a little bit."
QUOTE TO NOTE
"We've shown signs of playing good basketball. We just haven't always been able to carry it out for 40 minutes." -- Clemson coach Brad Brownell on the Tigers' inconsistency.
THIS WEEK'S GAME
--at Virginia, Jan. 31
Clemson has lost five of its last six games at Virginia, including a 49-47 decision last year in which the Tigers shot just 33 percent from the field -- their third-lowest percentage of the season -- and made only 3-of-18 shots from 3-point range. As Clemson's primary long-range threat, Andre Young will need to have a big game and the Tigers defensively will have to find a way to curtail the production of the Cavaliers' Mike Scott, who boasted the league's top field-goal percentage and ranked in the top six in the ACC in both scoring and rebounding, entering the week. Clemson reserve Bryan Narcisse, a high-energy guy who plays sticky defense is alters shots with his leaping ability, may see more time to help slow Scott.
--at Virginia Tech, Feb. 4
This is a matchup of two teams who often live and die by the 3-point shot. Clemson's Andre Young has been hot of late and ranks among the ACC leaders from long range while Tech's Dorenzo Hudson is a streaky shooter who can almost singlehandedly beat a team. The Hokies also rank No. 1 in the league in 3-point defense, so the Tigers may have to get some contributions from elsewhere if they struggle -- most notably from forward Milton Jennings, who at 6-9 is a tough matchup for anyone.
FUTURES MARKET
Jaron Blossomgame, the headliner of Clemson's five-player 2012 recruiting class, continued to impress in his final season at Chattahoochee High School in Alpharetta, Ga. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Blossomgame, who already was the school's all-time leading rebounder and shot blocker, became the leading scorer in school history as well during a recent game against Sequoyah High.
The first 2012 player to commit to Clemson last February, Blossomgame is enjoying the best season of his career, averaging 27 points and eight rebounds per game. He also was recently nominated for the McDonald's All-America Game, providing further evidence that he's the top recruit in Brownell's two recruiting seasons at Clemson.
PLAYER NOTES
--Senior G Tanner Smith was the only player in the ACC averaging at least 10 points, five rebounds and four assists per game, entering the week, and was vying to become the first Tiger ever to accomplish such a feat.
--Junior F Milton Jennings, who averaged 8.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in non-conference games, was averaging 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds in ACC play.
--Coach Brad Brownell earned his 200th career victory when Clemson beat Wake Forest on Jan. 28. He is 200-106 overall, a .652 winning percentage.
