After disappointment, questions remain for Clemson

By PAUL STRELOW - pstrelow@thestate.com

John Raoux

Clemson's James Mays reacts after fouling out of the game against Villanova during the second half of an NCAA Midwest Regional first-round tournament basketball game Friday March 21, 2008 in Tampa, Fla. Villanova upset Clemson 75-69. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

TAMPA, Fla. — James Mays closed his eyes and leaned against the wall behind his chair.

Mays then leaned forward and smacked the back of his head twice.

It did not work. Clemson had not awoken from a bad dream.

Amid the sense of shock and disappointment in the Tigers’ locker room early Saturday morning, teammates watched with remorse as the trio of seniors — Mays, Cliff Hammonds and Sam Perry — fielded the majority of questions about how their careers had come to an end with their first-round NCAA tournament loss to Villanova.

“This is a team that did impossible things, proved a lot of doubters wrong and came from the bottom up,” Mays said.

Sophomore center Trevor Booker said that sullen feeling will be a driving offseason force to make NCAA tournament appearances the norm, not the exception.

Five questions for the Tigers as they look to the 2008-09 season:

1. Can they duplicate this year’s successes?

Maybe, but there are reasons to predict they will not reach the same level.

Clemson returns some pieces to put around all-ACC candidates Booker and senior guard K.C. Rivers. But the Tigers are by no means alone.

Duke returns intact, and North Carolina will be a national title favorite if Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson come back. Virginia Tech returns a young nucleus, while Wake Forest welcomes three top-25 recruits.

Anything less than an NCAA bid will be a letdown, but a finish within the ACC’s top five should be construed as positive, too.

2. How effective will the press be without Mays?

For all of his faults, players with Mays’ combination of size and agility are few and far between, making him perfect for Clemson’s diamond press.

It will be interesting to see if Oliver Purnell grows comfortable with either Raymond Sykes or Jerai Grant in Mays’ slot. Both have the length to deflect passes, but neither moves as well laterally. Plus, neither possesses the ball skills to convert turnovers into easy baskets.

3. How will K.C. Rivers handle the leadership mantle?

Hammonds was Clemson’s glue, contributing tangibles and intangibles the team lacked — lockdown perimeter defense and a steadying influence during its numerous down-to-the-wire contests.

Rivers inherits the latter responsibility, whether it fits his laid-back persona or not.

Rivers should again be an all-ACC caliber scorer. But the next step in his maturation is developing a take-charge presence the Tigers need when facing adversity or needing a basket with the shot clock winding down. He flashed such abilities down the stretch, but he must prove them on a consistent basis next year.

4. Can the freshmen guards be counted on off the bench?

Two things separated this year’s NCAA tournament Tigers from previous years’ NIT finalists: clutch execution and lineup flexibility.

Purnell did not appear comfortable with his bench options the season before, but getting contributions from four different reserves this season bailed Clemson out of numerous situations.

Having Jerai Grant and swingman David Potter returning takes pressure off incoming Catalin Baciu, a slender 7-foot-1 center who may not be ready for major minutes against stronger ACC post players.

With point guard Demontez Stitt and sharpshooter Terrence Oglesby presumably elevated into the starting lineup, the key will be getting spot minutes from its pair of incoming guards. Andre Young needs to reliably spell Stitt, and wing Tanner Smith figures to share perimeter minutes with Oglesby.

5. Will T.O. stand for Terrific Option or Taken Out?

As Oglesby’s role increased during Clemson’s postseason, his defensive flaws were magnified. He is the type of player for which the hockey plus-minus statistic tells the truest story.

Oglesby is too valuable to be limited to situational duty. But whether Purnell can afford to play him 30 minutes a game will rest on whether the Tigers can afford to keep him on the floor, if he is not disqualified first.

Oglesby gives defensive effort, but he is prone to either losing focus or being overwhelmed by a quicker and stronger offensive player.

Oglesby’s main adjustment will have to be learning to rein in his emotions. He collects too many cheap fouls by virtue of his reputation with officials as a drama king.

Projected lineup