Basketball
KHAVON MOORE CLEARED TO PLAY, CLEMSON BEATS ANDERSON 75-48 IN EXHIBITION
- 2019-10-31 13:01:29
0
CLEMSON, SC - The Tigers hosted Anderson University in an exhibition game Wednesday night at Littlejohn, and circumstances are quite different this year than they've been in the past, as the Tigers open their season against Virginia Tech in less than a week. It's the first time ever they will open the season against an ACC opponent, so they have little time to get their ducks in a row, and they are replacing four starters from last season with a few transfers. The big news on Wednesday, of course, was that Texas Tech transfer Khavon Moore, a versatile forward, has been cleared by the NCAA to play immediately rather than sit out the season. That's a game-changer for Brownell and this team, which was thin in the front court due to the losses of Eli Thomas and David Skara, plus the summer injury to Jonathan Baehre. Moore did not start, however, and was just 0-1 from the field in 15 minutes of play. As will be the case most of the season, Aamir Simms was the leading scorer with 16 points. Transfer guard Curan Scott added 15, and transfer Tevin Mack scored 14. Brownell told me after the game that Scott has been inconsistent at practice, so it was good to see him have a good game. He performed well at the World Games in Naples back in July, helping the Tigers bring home the Gold Medal. Scott will split time at point guard and shooting guard when Chase Hunter is running the point.
The Tigers lost a couple of great shooters in Marcquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell from last season, and to make matters worse, the NCAA extended its 3-point line a few inches to the international distance. The Tigers were just 6-23 from the arc on Wednesday, and that percentage will have to improve in a hurry. They had some early experience with the new distance playing in the NIT last season as well as the World Games. Aamir Simms told me after the game that it does make a difference, but he still feels comfortable shooting from that distance.
The Tigers host Virginia Tech next Tuesday night in Littlejohn in one of three ACC games before Christmas. Our post-game interview with Brownell and Simms is below!
Never miss the latest news from CUTigers!
Join our free email list