GREENVILLE – Thanks to a 9 o’clock tip at Minnesota on Monday night, Brad Brownell & Co. didn’t get back to Clemson until 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
Class started at 8. Players were instructed to go to sleep that afternoon, before reconvening that night at 8 for film and game planning.
The Tigers shot-around today and “jogged through some things” to get ready for Wednesday night’s game at The Well against USC-Upstate. Clemson rolled to a 76-56 win.
“I thought our mental approach was really good. Our approach and attention to detail was where it needed to be,” Brownell said.
Avry Holmes set a Clemson career-high with 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the field (3 for 4 from 3). He also handed out six assists as the Tigers improved to 5-2 on the season.
“Our guys are mentally tough,” Holmes said. “That’s all it is. Our bodies are tired, but I feel like we’re a mentally tough team. That’s all it is and we got through it today.”
Ty Hudson chipped in off the bench with 11 points. Nine came in the first half off of three 3-pointers.
Entering the night, he was 1 for 6 from downtown.
“He’s got a nice, compact stroke and a quick release,” Brownell said. “Even though he’s a little shorter, a little smaller, he does have a nice, quick release, and he’s confident with it.
“He just needs to see a couple of balls go in. Like a lot of guys, he just needs to make a couple to kind of get your confidence going.”
On Legend Robertin’s debut…
“I thought he did fine. He did what we think he can do. He’s a big, tall, long guy that can run the floor and alter shots at the rim. He can throw one in over his shoulder when he gets it deep. He’s got to continue to work. He’s got a ton to learn. He’s only been playing about three years and hasn’t had a lot of coaching. He’s a developmental big guy, but he has tools that you can’t teach.”
– Brownell
“It’s good seeing guys that have been working hard everyday get in. It’s unfortunate what happened, but hopefully he’s better. He looked good when he was out there.”
– Holmes
“He was hype about it. He was ready.”
– Hudson
On Holmes…
“He’s got the same competitive fight that Rod Hall, that you like out of players. He wants to guard the other team’s good players. He stays in his stance. He fights. He works. He comes off screens. He grinds in the game, which is a great skill. Toughness is a skill that’s often over-looked and, certainly, he has toughness.”
– Brownell