CLEMSON – Clemson men’s basketball returned to Littlejohn Coliseum on Monday night, winning their season opener with the help of veteran player, Alex Hemenway, who had just returned to the lineup due to injury issues.
Hemenway came off the bench and scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting, while also adding three assists in the Tigers’ 78-56 win over Winthrop. It was a sweet return for the graduate senior.
The 6-foot-4 guard was out for most of last season after battling a foot injury. More recently, Hemenway battled through a hamstring injury which kept him out of several preseason practices leading up to Monday night.
“Words don’t even really describe how great it felt,” said Hemenway. “It was a long grueling kind of year and a half just getting my body right and in the right mental state to be out there and to compete.”
Clemson guard Alex Hemenway (12) scores three of his nine points against Winthrop Monday, December 4, 2023 at Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum. (Bart Boatwright/The Clemson Insider)
Despite missing almost all of the off-season preparation, Hemenway was right back in rhythm. Besides his shooting, he was active on defense too (credited with a blocked shot), while playing nearly 21 minutes.
“I thought he was very confident, comfortable, he got a couple really good open looks and that’s kind of been his thing,” Clemson head coach Brad Brownell said. “That was one of the things with last year’s team that you don’t talk about a lot but think if we had that guy healthy all of last year.
“The plantar fascia injury really hurt our team because we lost a potent shooter off the bench and an experienced player.”
But the Tigers have him back now, and Hemenway is expected to play a big role as Clemson looks to make another run at the NCAA Tournament this season.
Clemson returns to action on Friday when it plays UAB as part of the 2023 Asheville Championship. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The Tigers return to Littlejohn on Sunday, Nov. 19 to face Boise State at 1 p.m.
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