CLEMSON – After dropping back-to-back heartbreakers in overtime to Memphis and South Carolina, Brad Brownell’s Clemson basketball team has responded the way he would have liked.
The Tigers took care of business at home by beating Wake Forest 73-62 on December 21, then after a long layoff returned to the court on New Year’s Day and knocked off Stanford 85-71.
A big part of the win over the Cardinal was due to the play of Chauncey Wiggins. The junior forward was coming off a three-game stretch that saw him score just seven points. All of those came in the overtime loss to the Gamecocks.
Against Stanford, Wiggins had a bounce-back performance, scoring 17 points and going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. However, it wasn’t his shooting that impressed Brownell. It was Wiggins’ performance on the defensive end.
“He stuck his nose in there and got five defensive rebounds. I’m proud of him for that,” Brownell said. “He hasn’t done a very good job of that in his career.”
On top of the five rebounds, Wiggins also blocked a shot and it’s that part of Wiggins’ game that Brownell wants to see more of.
“It’s something we’ve talked a lot about,” the head coach added. “Certainly, I’m happy he made the four threes, but he’s made threes like that before. He can do that. This is him becoming a better player. This is him getting out of his comfort zone, doing competitive, tough things. Like defending the other team’s best player and rebounding the ball. He was fantastic.”
The Tigers (11-3, 3-0) return to action on Saturday night as Cal (7-6, 0-2) comes to town for a 8:30 p.m. tipoff in Littlejohn Coliseum. While Clemson is looking for its third straight win, the Golden Bears are still looking for their first-ever ACC victory.
Getting a similar performance from Wiggins would go a long ways towards Clemson keeping its perfect start to ACC play intact. And if practice is any indication, that is a distinct possibility.
“From Christmas, he has had some really good practices,” Brownell said. “He’s been very engaged, more competitive. I am happy that he was rewarded for that because he has worked hard.”
A limited number of signed replica road signs from Cade Klubnik are available! Visit Clemson Variety & Frame or purchase online!
