Friday Thoughts and Random Information

I have been a little tied up as of late, but wanted to get a few thoughts out there before the weekend and before Clemson gets into the final days of the 2010 signing day sprint. 

First off, Clemson has done a pretty good job bringing in talent when you take into account staff experience.  It is a tall effort for a rookie coach to come in and recruit immediately.  While I think Swinney had a bit of an advantage (signing the "dandy dozen" last season and being at Clemson for 7 years or so total), I think this class looks pretty good on paper.  We had the core of this group committed early in the process and seem to have done a good job keeping the early commitments.  We will discuss the positives and negatives (and yes, we have quite a few areas we screwed up) after NSD.

The two guys we are all watching are Allen and Parker.  Most of the Bama sites and outlets out of Tuscaloosa have the Tide gripping over Allen.  Many Tide fans are cautious of also bringing in Maynard in a package deal.  Everyone here would be excited about this deal because of the initial talent upgrade that Allen would provide (and I personnally don't mind accepting a former D-1 starter in a package deal for a potential gamechanger).

Everyone is looking at Parker as a Clemson lean, and I really hope they are correct.  Swinney can close this one out Saturday night with Parker's last in home.  I think this is a huge advantage for the Tigers, as Parker has swayed a lot during this process and Dabo is where he is because of his ability to recruit.  This is an ultracritical area for the Tigers, Clemson royally effed up by not going after more backers, and the loss of Parker coupled with the already thin LB corps would be an epic fail for this staff.

Ironically, Marcus Lattimore will affect Clemson even though we have been off of his radar for a while.  I think he goes to Carolina and is (and has been) just toying around with the fans and media.

Clemson basketball is at a critical point in this season.  Another loss would be a tough pill to swallow for the Tigers.  Clemson has lately been playing sloppy, uninspired basketball--all displayed in the embarrasing loss earlier in the week to Boston College.  We cannot shoot (freethrows or from the perimeter), run anything out of a half court set.or play basic fundamental basketball.  OP has got to get these guys motivated AND require more discipline at both ends of the court.  I wish he could find a way to light a fire under Trevor Booker, as Booker is a shell of the beast he was in past seasons.  Clemson has really dug itself into a hole and needs to fill the void that a less than healthy Stitt leaves in this lineup.  I also cannot find one person who has watched CU bball this season who can tell me why Potter is ever on the floor other than to give up a foul.  This has been a huge disapointment this year and I would much rather see a freshman get some experience (and possibly contribute).

Finally, we are planning an in-depth review of the football program following signing day.  This will include position analysis, grading, and opinion pieces as we close out 2009 and look towards 2010.  We will (of course) keep up with the basetball squad, address some administrative items, and are looking forward to baseball season.  With all this in mind, we are constantly seeking input on topics that are of intrest to everyone else.  If you have any ideas or items that you would like expanded upn when things slow down, we are always open to suggestions.

If anyone is bored, this one should provide some entertainment.  Apparently these Koreans are Iowa Football fans?!?!  Maybe they mistaked the Hawkeye helmet for that of the Pittsburgh Steelers and peninsula hero Hines Ward?  Here is the link.