It’s no secret that Clemson forward Ian Schieffelin has been playing through some pain of late.

Not only has Schieffelin been dealing with a calf strain, but the veteran big man has also been dealing with back spasms. The issues were readily apparent in the Tigers road win over Georgia Tech last Tuesday when Schieffelin needed to wear a back brace during some of the timeouts.

In Saturday’s overtime win at Pitt, Schieffelin didn’t appear to be as bothered but sometimes looks can be deceiving.

“It’s more spasms and tightness than an injury,” Brownell said during the ACC Men’s Basketball Coaches Zoom Call on Monday. “Obviously, he is a warrior. He plays his tail off.”

Schieffelin has been a key piece to Clemson’s success this season, with the big man averaging a 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

He battled his way through the pain to finish with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Panthers, giving him eight double-doubles on the season. And he did that despite practicing very little in the leadup to the contest.

“He’s not practicing hardly at all. I think he didn’t practice Thursday,” Brownell added. “Just did some non-contact stuff. Then a couple of things on Friday just to keep moving.”

As for his prognosis moving forward, that is still very much in the air. With Syracuse visiting Littlejohn on Wednesday night, Schieffelin will have three days between games.

However, seeing as he’s dealing with spasms and not a specific injury, there is just no way to know how he might feel from one day to the next.

“I don’t know that it will be much different here for awhile,” Brownell said. “I doubt he will practice (Monday). I’m hopeful… crossing my fingers, that everything is going to be fine. But he’s a tough kid.”