Tigers defeat the Gamecocks: What we learned, especially about Ian Schieffelin

Schieffelin is not afraid to dive after a loose ball (Photo by Merrell Mann).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Dec 07 11:11:05 GMT-04:00 2023

CLEMSON – Clemson basketball is now 8-0 after the win over South Carolina Wednesday night, and we’ve learned a few things about this team along the way. So has head coach Brad Brownell.

Chauncey Wiggins tossed in a career-high 15 points, and Ian Schieffelin posted a double-double as the Tigers knocked off the Gamecocks in front of a rocking and packed house. The Tigers overcame an 11-point second-half deficit to grab the win.

What did we learn?

Ian Schieffelin is under-appreciated

Let’s start with the fact that Schieffelin is not afraid to do the dirty work, and his teammates appreciate it. He posted 17 rebounds in the win at Pitt last weekend and then grabbed 12 in the win over the Gamecocks. He also scored 12 points. He’s third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rebounds, averaging 9.6 per game.

His teammates appreciate his hard work, and I asked PJ Hall about it.

“I'd love to compliment him. Ian has been tremendous all year. People don't realize how skilled Ian is outside. That's a huge skill,” Hall said. “That's a very undervalued skill. Dennis Rodman, a huge rebounder. There are guys in the NBA who are rebounders nowadays. But when you have somebody like that who can shoot the ball. I mean, they took two steps off of him late in the game, and he hit a big three. You have somebody who can shoot the ball like he can, put it on the floor, create plays, and pass the ball. But he's willing to just go and do that dirty work.

“I mean, Ian Schieffelin is an absolute X-factor for us. He and RJ Godfrey are a little bit the same. He's huge for us. I watched the presser with Coach (Jeff) Capel at Pitt, and he had some great words for him. I thought that was really good for people to notice how awesome he is for us and to know that these games aren't won without him. I mean, 17 rebounds at Pit. He had six offensive rebounds in the first half. You don't win eight games in a row without Ian Schieffelin. He knows that. He does an incredible job doing his role. I love that guy.”

Wiggins agreed.

“I love him. Yeah, he also might be the funniest dude on the team,” Wiggins said. “I love him. Been with him since high school. He's always really had that. In high school, he just never really showed it. Now that I'm with him, I am glad that all his skill, and all the toughness, and all the grit is coming out. I just love playing with that guy.”

The crowd was fantastic

Clemson’s students showed up and were a factor from the start, and the rest of Littlejohn was packed. Students even packed the portals and stood against the walls to watch the contest.

“I think tonight's crowd was really good for the state of South Carolina for basketball,” Brownell said. “Both teams playing well, unbelievable basketball environment. This is what it should be. This is what it is a lot of times when we play the ACC games, but we need these kinds of environments in November and December if we're going to continue to elevate our program.

“This was fantastic. And we probably won't win the game if we don't have a great environment to help us. I told our guys at halftime, too. I said, ‘Hey, the crowd's here. They want to help you, but you have to give them something to cheer for. We're just not making any shots. We haven't knocked the ball loose and gotten a dunk. We've got to grind our way into some plays that an offensive rebound kick out three something that just gets the crowd going a little bit.’”

The Tigers are resilient

Clemson overcame a halftime deficit for a win for the third time this season, the mark of an older team that knows how to win games.

“I know we're resilient. We've hung in there, and we've played with pretty good poise in the second half of a lot of close games,” Brownell said. “It's a long season, though, really long. I really would like to get Alex (Hemenway) and Jack Clark back because I just think depth and numbers and there's a wearing effect on all these hard games back-to-back to back. We've had a really hard week and a half, but that's going to be the ACC and high major game after high major game.

“Having said that, our team is really good and efficient offensively or has been most nights, tonight not as good. We've got to get better at some things for sure, but certainly very pleased, and they're an unbelievably fun group to be around.”