Blossomgame to take medical redshirt
By: rmacrae@bellsouth.net November 15, 2012

By Will Vandervort.

By Will Vandervort

CLEMSON — Jaron Blossomgame has decided it is best that he redshirt this basketball season, despite being told by doctors he will be 100 percent in January. The 6-foot-7 native of Alpharetta, GA has been recovering from a broken leg suffered during a workout in April when he was still enrolled as a senior at Chattahoochee High School.

The freshman forward announced his decision to use a medical redshirt Thursday inside Littlejohn Coliseum as the Tigers were previewing Friday night’s Furman game.

“I don’t want to come back in the middle of the year not knowing any of the plays,” Blossomgame said. “Coming back in the middle of the year is going to be tough anyway because (the doctors) are saying in January I will be 100 percent, and that’s when we start playing our ACC schedule.

“I don’t want to be back and my first game is an ACC game. I think that will make it a real tough adjustment to the college game.”

Blossomgame is the most decorated of Clemson’s five-man freshman class, earning four-star status from ESPNU, who rated him the nation’s No. 94 prospect in the class of 2012. Blossomgame, a first-team AAAA all-state selection last season, averaged 25.8 points per game and was a standout on the 17 and under Georgia Stars AAU squad last summer.

“It will benefit,” Blossomgame said. “It will help me get more experience because I’ll be able to watch K.J. McDaniels at the small forward spot, and I can see more of what Coach Brownell wants from his small forward. I can get used to watching the offense and seeing what he likes to do.”

Blossomgame sat down with Clemson head coach Brad Brownell Wednesday afternoon and discussed his future and his health.

“He is very good about this,” the Clemson coach said. “He has really enjoyed his time here at Clemson. Certainly it feels and looks like he is improving both physically and mentally as a player. He is working out on the side in getting shots up and working on his ball handling a little bit so that part of that is good.

“Certainly, we are going to miss him because he is a terrific front court athlete and would help us with depth, scoring and things of that nature, but I think it is in his best interest to be a five-year guy, here.”