Shelton Mitchell, Gabe DeVoe go from high school rivals to leading Clemson to Sweet 16

Gabe DeVoe was tired of losing to Shelton Mitchell. Finally, he convinced his high school rival to join him.

The two veteran guards, who are leading Clemson in scoring in the NCAA Tournament, started playing basketball on the same court during their high school days in North Carolina.

DeVoe’s sophomore and junior seasons at Shelby High ended with seven-point losses in the playoffs. Both years Shelby was defeated by Cuthbertson High and Mitchell.

“It was frustrating,” DeVoe said Thursday in Omaha, ahead of a Sweet 16 matchup with Kansas. “In AAU, I beat him every time, but in high school, he knocked me out of the final four in the state playoffs two years in a row. I kind of didn’t like him there for a minute.”

Mitchell, Clemson’s junior point guard who is averaging 5.5 assists per game in the NCAA Tournament, has more fond memories of the high school matchups against DeVoe.

“When we were sophomores and juniors, we killed them every time in state,” Mitchell said with a smile. “At the time, we weren’t too fond of each other, because we were always competing against each other. Our schools were rivals. But it was fun. We’re both competitive, a little bit of trash talk, but it was fun.”

Mitchell transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his senior season of high school and signed with Wake Forest to play for Jeff Bzdelik. When Bzdelik resigned as the coach of the Demon Deacons, Mitchell was granted his release and ended up at Vanderbilt for his freshman year.

He played one season for the Commodores before deciding to transfer.

Mitchell and DeVoe had become friends by this time, and DeVoe started getting excited about the possibility of playing with Mitchell instead of against him.

“We texted and talked a lot through his first year at Vanderbilt. Through the recruiting process, I tried to get him down to Clemson and it worked out well,” DeVoe said. “I was excited because I’ve seen him since I was 14 or 15 years old and I knew what he could do.”

Clemson was a finalist for Mitchell coming out of high school, so he already was familiar with the Tigers’ coaching staff.

Having a friend on the team helped.

“Gabe was here at the time, and I’ve known him since we were really young,” Mitchell said. “So once I came on a visit and he was my host, I met with the coaches and they told me the team we were going to have, I felt like this was the right place for me.”

The former high school rivals are now close friends and have led Clemson into the Sweet 16 for the first time in more than 20 years. The fifth-seeded Tigers will face No. 1 seed Kansas on Friday night in Omaha, Neb.

DeVoe is leading Clemson in scoring in the NCAA Tournament at 22 points per game. Mitchell is second at 16.5.

“We complement each other well,” Mitchell said. “I like to distribute and get in the paint and make plays, and he’s a knockdown shooter.”

Mitchell is a pass-first point guard who has a rare ability to see angles and openings others do not.

“Shelton’s court vision is ridiculous. He can be at half court and you think he’s looking at you but he’s looking at three people when he’s got two eye balls,” Clemson forward Aamir Simms said. “It’s crazy to have Shelton as a point guard. He’s really helpful. He’s always looking for the next guy and making the right pass.”

It took Simms, who has been filling in for an injured Donte Grantham the second half of the year, some time to adjust to the way Mitchell sees the floor.

The freshman was hit in the head by some passes and had balls zoom by him and land out of bounds during his first few weeks of workouts prior to the season.

Now, Mitchell’s teammates are accustomed to the way he runs the offense, and the Tigers are playing their best basketball.

Clemson is averaging 81.5 points per game through the first two rounds of the tourney, and DeVoe and Mitchell are a big reason why.

“It’s great,” DeVoe said. “He sees the open guy. His speed in transition really separates him from a lot of guards. I think he really flourishes in transition.”

He also flourishes with his former high school rival by his side.

Sweet 16

Who: No. 5 seed Clemson vs. No. 1 seed Kansas

When: 7:07 p.m. Friday

Where: Omaha, Neb.

TV: CBS

This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 4:44 PM with the headline "Shelton Mitchell, Gabe DeVoe go from high school rivals to leading Clemson to Sweet 16."