After losing his brace, Mays finds his shot

Forward fuels March surge after going against his doctors’ advice about cast

By PAUL STRELOW - pstrelow@thestate.com

TAMPA, Fla. — No more broken bones about it, Clemson’s team doctors were not thrilled when senior forward James Mays discarded his hand brace.

Unable to consistently hang on to passes because of the padding around his fractured left hand, Mays hit his boiling point with roughly 10 minutes remaining in the Tigers’ comeback win Feb. 27 at Maryland.

He has not worn the soft cast since, and the Tigers have been better off because of it.

Entering Friday’s first-round NCAA tournament game against Villanova, Mays had averaged 13.4 points during that span — three more than his previous average — while shooting 54.5 percent.

“I definitely took it off at the right time,” Mays said.

He said he has no regrets about not removing the wrap earlier because of his hand’s slow healing process. In fact, he still experiences soreness.

Mays needed 17 points Friday to reach 1,000 for his career. He would become the 33nd player in Clemson history to do so, joining teammates Cliff Hammonds and K.C. Rivers.

Keeping score. Junior reserve center Raymond Sykes has revealed a sudden desire to be a low-post scoring threat, and it is by design.

Sykes said coach Oliver Purnell began pressing him to develop his offensive game last season, but only recently has he gained confidence in his back-to-the-basket moves.

With Mays’ eligibility expiring at the end of the season, Sykes anticipates being the leading candidate to start next season — ahead of freshman big Jerai Grant and sophomore swingman David Potter.

Grant had surpassed Sykes in Clemson’s rotation midway through the regular season.

“I understand the game a lot better now,” Sykes said. “I feel like I showcased the ability to start next year.”

Dramatic duo. Both previous games pitting Purnell against Villanova’s Jay Wright were decided in the final second.

In 2001, the Wildcats beat Purnell’s Dayton squad 59-57 on a 10-foot baseline jumper with 0.7 seconds left. The next year, Dayton prevailed 80-78 on a bank shot at the buzzer.

NBA material. If history is an indication, Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds, who averages 15.6-points per game, has the makings of a pro player.

In five of Clemson’s previous six NCAA tournament games dating to 1990, the Tigers faced an opponent with at least one player who went on to play in the NBA.

Beyond their most recent appearance — a 1998 first-round loss to Western Michigan — Clemson played against Bobby Jackson, Michael Ruffin, Wally Szczerbiak, Shandon Anderson, Scott Burrell and Lionel Simmons in consecutive tourney games.