With starting junior forward Milton Jennings still on indefinite suspension for failure to comply with the team's academic standards, the emergence of K.J. McDaniels is coming at a good time for Clemson. The Tigers are in dire need of someone to compensate for the loss of Jennings, who was averaging 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds when he was suspended on Jan. 30.
McDaniels, a 6-foot-6 freshman forward, got the first start of his career on Feb. 4 at Virginia and responded with career highs in points (14), rebounds (five), blocks (five) and minutes (28). More important, he was the catalyst of the Tigers' second-half comeback that came up just two points short.
McDaniels was fouled on a dunk attempt in the game's final seconds and missed two free throws -- the second intentionally -- with 3.3 seconds left, but the misses didn't diminish his effort in coach Brad Brownell's eyes.
"He just decided to put his head down and go make a play," Brownell said. "I'm proud of him for that. I told him it was a big-time drive."
Brownell wants to see McDaniels pocket the experience and continue to feel good about himself.
"Hopefully he has confidence from the standpoint that we went to him," Brownell said. "He was playing well. He was aggressive."
With Jennings' immediate future in doubt, McDaniels may emerge not only as a key contributor but as a potential every-game starter -- regardless of whether Jennings returns.
NOTES, QUOTES
--Clemson coach Brad Brownell preaches ball protection, so it's no wonder he loves point guard Andre Young. Young, who entered the season as one of Clemson's all-time leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, has only enhanced his standing this season.
In fact, in the Tigers' last three games, the 5-foot-9 senior has 10 assists and no turnovers despite averaging 34 minutes per game. One of those games was a win against Wake Forest in which Young duly impressed Wake coach Jeff Bzdelik.
"Look at his line: five assists, two steals, no turnovers, 19 points," Bzdelik said. "It's important to have seniors like that who have been around for a while and who understand this game."
Young's scoring took a hit in the Tigers' recent two-game road trip to the state of Virginia -- he went just 3 of 14 from 3-point range in losses to Virginia and Virginia Tech -- but he hasn't let that impact his playmaking or ball control.
Young has improved his assist-to-turnover ratio to 3.1 this season, which now ranks as the second-best figure in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
--Junior F Devin Booker has been productive of late, and the Tigers could certainly use similar efforts from him the rest of the ACC season. Booker has scored in double figures in three straight games and recently scored 16 points in back-to-back games -- the most he has scored in consecutive ACC contests.
"I just need to keep being aggressive," Booker said. "As long as I keep being aggressive, going after rebounds hard, I'll be a factor."
In the Tigers' following game at Virginia Tech on Feb. 4, Booker had 11 rebounds and 11 points for his third double-double of the season.
--Clemson continues to be plagued by close defeats. The Tigers are winless on the ACC road, with their four losses coming by a combined 11 points, including a pair of two-point defeats.
"We have to find a way to make a play at the end of these games," coach Brad Brownell said.
Clemson has historically struggled on the road in the ACC, with a meager record of 73-326.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I gave our guys credit for battling. But I also just told them that we can't wait that long to decide we're going to get involved in a fight." -- Clemson coach Brad Brownell after his team fell behind by 17 points, then rallied with a late 15-3 run before losing 67-65 at Virginia Tech on Feb. 4.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES
--vs. Maryland, Feb. 7
Clemson hasn't lost to Maryland at Clemson since 2007, but if the Tigers hope to maintain their home-court mastery over the Terrapins, they'll have to come up with a way to slow down Terrell Stoglin. Few other teams have been able to do that, as Stoglin, a sophomore shooting guard, leads the ACC in scoring. The bulk of the burden may fall to senior Tanner Smith, who at 6 feet 5 holds a decisive height advantage and has a knack for steals -- he's second on the team behind fellow senior guard Andre Young.
--at Wake Forest, Feb. 11
Clemson will be playing Wake Forest for the second time in two weeks. The burden of keeping Wake's Travis McKie under wraps could fall to freshman K.J. McDaniels if junior Milton Jennings remains on academic suspension for the Tigers. McKie had a double-double against Clemson the first time around, but Clemson prevailed by 11 points by wearing the Deacons down with depth. Expect more of the same. Coach Brad Brownell played 10 players at least five minutes and the depth exacted a heavy toll on Wake, which has precious little depth.
FUTURES MARKET
Clemson coach Brad Brownell would love to see continued improvement from freshman Bernard Sullivan. Sullivan, a 6-foot-7 forward who was the highest-rated of the Tigers' five incoming rookies, saw limited action earlier in the season while trying to overcome some asthma-related issues, but he has come on of late. Sullivan posted career highs of seven points and four rebounds in Clemson's 67-65 loss at Virginia Tech on Feb. 4.
"Bernard was great -- it was the best game he's played all year," Brownell said. "I have not seen that kind of energy out of Bernard very often. He still is unsure about things he can do during a game, but (I) thought he gained confidence."
PLAYER NOTES
--Senior C Catalin Baciu was shooting 61.3 percent from the field through eight ACC games.
--Senior G Andre Young did not have a steal against Virginia Tech on Feb. 4, ending a streak of seven consecutive ACC games with at least two steals.
--Senior G Tanner Smith has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team, making him the only three-time honoree in Clemson men's basketball history.
