TigerIllustrated.com - Great expectations

October 6, 2009

Larry Williams
TigerIllustrated.com Senior Writer

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CLEMSON, S.C. -- Several times during his media golf outing Tuesday, Oliver Purnell jokingly suggested that he and his three playing partners "redefine the expectations" of their round.

Purnell's group was over par at a few points - never a good development in a captain's choice format -- and ended up secretly pleased to finish even for the day at Clemson University's Walker Course.

Entering his seventh season as the Tigers' basketball coach, Purnell has redefined the expectations of a program that's traditionally been a punch line nationally and regionally.

And unlike Tuesday's round of golf, the bar is set high instead of low.

"We talk about basketball around here now in July," Purnell said.

Clemson has been to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments the past two years. The Tigers also finished with winning ACC records in successive seasons for the first time since the 1960s.

Yet there's an element of disappointment and unmet potential because Purnell's team has suffered first-round flameouts in the NCAA Tournament as the higher-seeded team.

"We feel we still have some climbing to do with this basketball team," said Purnell, who has amassed 72 wins in the last three seasons.

Just two starters return from the bunch that went 23-9. Gone is wing K.C. Rivers, who hit 281 3-pointers over his career before finishing seventh on the school's scoring list with 1,684 points. Also gone is feared long-range shooter Terrence Oglesby, who departed to play professionally in Europe with two years of college eligibility remaining.

Purnell doesn't see any reason why the expectations should be diminished. Forward Trevor Booker returns for his senior season, and Purnell said he might be the best returning player in the ACC.

Purnell also welcomes back two experienced point guards (Demontez Stitt and Andre Young), and a sophomore wing (Tanner Smith) who has made major offseason progress.

Add to the mix a freshman class that might be the most impressive in school history, and you can see why Purnell thinks this could be his most talented Clemson team yet.

"We're at the point now where in every game we go in expecting to win," he said.

Purnell acknowledges that the lack of proven perimeter shooting is a concern. He anticipates facing a lot of zone after seeing very little of it last year.

He thinks the shooting void left by Rivers and Oglesby can be overcome with better defense and more athleticism. He said he wants to be a better running team.

"Speed, the ability to slash to the basket, and the ability to run and defend will make us a better basketball team," he said.

Purnell isn't showing his hand regarding a starting lineup. But he doesn't really have a hand to show beyond Booker, the only guy who's guaranteed a spot in the top five.

That means Stitt, who has started 52 career games, is on notice. It's the same story for David Potter, a senior who has played in 102 career games. And the same for junior Jerai Grant, whom Purnell called the team's most improved player last season.

The influx of talent has elevated the competition. All four freshmen - former McDonald's All-American Milton Jennings, Noel Johnson, Devin Booker and Donte Hill - are deemed worthy of challenging for starting roles if they adhere to Purnell's defense-first philosophy.

"It's competition," he said. "It's going to be very transparent. Everybody is competing. We've got one guy that you look out there and you can put in pencil that he's in the starting lineup. Everybody else is going for it. They'll tell us. It's going to be transparent. We'll chart everything. ?

"Defensively, we have to be a better team. Offensively, we have to play as one. The freshmen that do that early will play early."

Purnell said he needs 11 players in the rotation for his desired system to work this year.

"For us to be the kind of team some people say we can be - top 15, top 10 team - then we need 11 guys."

The Tigers, who begin practice next week, will get a high-profile test early when they travel to Anaheim, Calif., for the 76 Classic on Thanksgiving weekend. Clemson plays Texas A&M in the first game, then West Virginia or Long Beach State in the second game.

The final opponent will come from a pool that includes UCLA, Butler and Minnesota. All games will be televised nationally by one of ESPN's platforms.

"We'll find out where we are pretty early and then go from there," Purnell said.

Purnell called the ACC "wide open." The Tigers finished fifth in the conference standings last season after placing third in 2007-08.

North Carolina has dominated the ACC the last five years, compiling a 64-16 regular-season conference record while winning two ACC Tournaments. The Tar Heels have also won two national titles over that stretch (2008 and 2005).

"We have an awful lot of teams in our league that aspire to be ACC champions as well as national champions, and we're one of them," Purnell said. "North Carolina lost an awful lot, so it's got all of us licking all of our chops that we can dethrone them."

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