Previously I noted that “after 3 years, two games, and a statistical boatload of zeros, Derrick Hamilton has signed as a free agent with Atlanta.”

Let’s update that to “after 3 years, two games, and a statistical boatload of zeros, Derrick Hamilton has signed as a free agent with Atlanta which kept him for only about 12 weeks.”

The Falcons announced yesterday that they waived Hamilton along with a couple other players.

Sources and links: Read the rest of this entry »

James Mays has opted to withdraw from the draft and stay at Clemson. And there will be much rejoicing.

“I have decided to return to Clemson for my senior year,” Mays said. “I am glad that I went through this process, but feel coming back will give me a chance to continue to develop as a player, and enhance my draft status for next year.

“It will also allow me to work towards getting a degree, which is important to me and my family. My focus now is to do everything possible to help Clemson win an ACC Championship.”

I’m a little bit more excited about basketball season than I was yesterday.

This news was mostly expected. Everyone figured he withdraw from the draft unless his grades were bad or he somehow became first-round material. Neither of those has happened.

“We’re still in comeback mode,” [his dad] said. “ We’re still planning on him coming back and having a great season unless he’s going to be a first- rounder. That hasn’t changed. We’re still hoping for the first round.” …

Mike DeCourcy, who covers college basketball for The Sport­ing News, wrote that Mays “played with great energy and produced as a scorer and rebounder” at the pre­draft camp. “ There’s a spot for him in the league, though he might have a better shot at the first round in the 2008 draft,” DeCourcy wrote.

Sources: Read the rest of this entry »

Last week the baseball team took the series from Florida State in Tallahassee. Tuesday they pounded College of Charleston. Then they returned to form and lost 2 in-a-row to NC State. They won the third game but I’m pretty sure there is no chance for Clemson to host a regional this year. The next game is against Miami in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday at 4. They play Wake at 4 on Friday and FSU on Saturday. This year the Tournament has been modified to be an 8-team round-robin format. Clemson is seeded #4.

The golf team played in the East Regional where the top 10 teams would advance. The Tigers tied for 10th but faltered in the playoff. In other words, season over. On the upside, Kyle Stanley finished tied for 3rd.

And current Jets player Justin Miller was arrested. Apparently, he was involved in a brawl with 3 other men. When he went to punch of them, he missed and instead struck a woman standing nearby. He was charged with 3rd Degree assault.

Gaines is/was part of the Nike Rookie Class. They have a website with some videos and behind the scenes stuff. Be prepared to see a lot of shoe footage.

Both Scout and the State have informational summaries of how the Clemson contingent did in this year’s draft.

Gaines, as you already know, was the 4th pick overall and is heading to Tampa Bay.

From Scout:

*Anthony Waters was taken with the 96th pick of the 2007 draft by the San Diego Chargers.
*Dustin Fry was Clemson’s third player chosen in the draft as he was a fifth-round pick of the St. Louis Rams.
*C.J. Gaddis… was a fifth-round selection of the Philadelphia Eagles.

From the State:

Chansi Stuckey… was finally taken with 25th pick of the seventh and final round, No. 235 overall, by the New York Jets.

At least four undrafted Clemson players agreed to terms on free-agent deals Sunday night: offensive guard Nathan Bennett (Carolina), tailback Reggie Merriweather (San Diego), cornerback Duane Coleman (Buffalo) and right tackle Marion Dukes (Miami).

Quarterback Will Proctor expected to choose between three candidates by today, while seldom-used cornerback Sergio Gilliam is believed to be considering an offer from San Diego.

It’s going to be hard not to root for the Chargers this year. I followed them some last year because of Whitehurst. The additions of Waters and Merriweather will add some spice.

On a final note, Will Proctor… NFL…

• The baseball team had gained some momentum before the Hurricanes came to town. That momentum is now gone, as the ‘Canes took the first and the third games of the series. Sunday’s Game 3 score was 7-6.
• The 8th ranked women’s tennis team went to Chapel Hill and kicked some baby blue ass this weekend. The #13 Tar Heels lost 6-1.
• Men’s tennis, on the other hand, lost on Friday to #2 Virginia 5-2. And they also lost to Virginia Tech 4-3. The lesson to be learned is that people from Clemson just don’t belong in Virginia.
• The bad news continues on into the world of men’s golf. The team finished 10th at the Administaff ASU Invitational. Coastal was first, UNC was 2nd. USCe finished 4th. The team did finish 8 shots better than 15th place USC-Aiken.

And for the golf team alumni at the Shell Houston Open:

• Lucas Glover missed the cut.
• J. Byrd earned $66,660 by finishing tied for 19th at -8.
• Matt Hendrix had three solid and one “oh my god what happened” rounds en route to winning $34,100 and finishing at -5.
• Charles Warren fared less well, but still made the cut. He finished tied for 66th at 2 over. His check was for $11,300.
• Finally, DJ Trahan finished all alone in the 8th spot. He was 10-under for the weekend and 11-under for the tournament. That performance was worth $170,500.

It may be worth noting that the 5 golfers above combined to win $282,500. I’m fairly certain they won more in a weekend that all the Gnomes make combined in a year. Which all goes to show that the time spent in the classroom would have been better spent harassing the cart girl.

• Coach Leggett finally reached the 1,000 win milestone. David Kopp threw seven scoreless innings and the Tiger bats struck early for 3 runs in the 2nd inning. The win kept the Tigers from being swept by Maryland for the first time ever.
• Trevor Booker’s little, I mean younger brother verbally committed to the Tiger basketball team. Devin is 6’7″, 215ish pounds, and the first commitment for the class of ’09.
• Lucas Glover won $69,500 as he finished tied for 26th at the WGC-CA Championship. [Hopefully I'll remember to keep up with more of the former Clemson golfers through the course of the year.]
• Travis Padgett went on to victory in the 100-meters at the Clemson Relays on Saturday. The NCAA 60-meters champion posted a 10.22 second time that qualifies him for regionals. He and the 4×100 relay team also posted a regional qualifying time.

After 3 years, two games, and a statistical boatload of zeros, Derrick Hamilton has signed as a free agent with Atlanta.