Clemson's has San Juan to-do list despite strong start

DEATH VALLEY - Clemson&#39;s Oliver Purnell realizes he couldn&#39;t have expected a better start than the Tigers&#39; 8-0 mark. Still, he&#39;s packing a long and varied to-do list for his players at next week&#39;s San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico.<br> <br> Purnell wants improved execution on offense, better rebounding against zone defenses and strengthening the tight bond he&#39;s already felt among his club. Along with that, Purnell said he&#39;ll fit in a few touristy activities for players who&#39;ve just slogged through final exams.<br> <br> ``I think anytime you take these kind of trips ... I look at it as, first of all, it&#39;s good for you&#39;re recruiting and makes a statement about your program that you&#39;re doing things in a first class way,&#39;&#39; Purnell said Friday. Also, ``it should be an educational opportunity for these kids who have never been there.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Purnell&#39;s a big believer that along with the difficult tournament games, his players should visit local shops, hit the beaches and experience the culture of a place they may never visit again. If they win a few games, that&#39;s even better.<br> <br> Purnell remembers when he coached at Dayton and brought the Flyers to the Maui Invitational over Thanksgiving 2000 and faced three straight ranked opponents in Connecticut, Arizona and Maryland. Dayton came away with third place in the stacked field, defeating No. 12 UConn and the sixth-ranked Terps to earn the school&#39;s first top 25 ranking in more than a quarter century.<br> <br> The hurdles Clemson takes on next week in San Juan at the eight-team tournament seem a lot less daunting. It opens against an island school, Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, on Monday. A victory there would match the Tigers against either Chattanooga or Holy Cross. Should Clemson reach the championship game, the best of the other half of the bracket looks like Mississippi State, although the Bulldogs have fallen to Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana so far this season.<br> <br> Purnell acknowledges the Tigers appear the tournament favorite. But he points to his team&#39;s hard-fought victories over Wofford and East Tennessee State, both from the mid-major Southern Conference like Chattanooga.<br> <br> ``We expect a tough go of it down in Puerto Rico,&#39;&#39; Purnell said. ``Things can happen.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Purnell thought it critical the Tigers play like they did at the end of last season when they won four of their final six Atlantic Coast Conference games, including a victory over Maryland in the conference tournament, and ``played as well as anybody in the league,&#39;&#39; the coach said.<br> <br> Purnell wasn&#39;t sure things would come together as quickly as they have. Part of the reason is point guard Vernon Hamilton continuing his strong play from the end of last season. Once his every miscue was ridiculed by critics as a ``Vern-over,&#39;&#39; Hamilton has taken care of the basketball while increasing his scoring average to a career best 11.8 points a game.<br> <br> On the inside, Purnell said Akin Akingbala has played so well at center that freshman big man Raymond Sykes has not logged the kind of minutes the coach expected entering the season. Akingbala leads the club in rebounds (6.8 a game), field goal percentage (.667 on 38-of-57 shooting), and is tied for second in scoring with Hamilton.<br> <br> Amid the games and visits to tropical beaches and rainforests, Purnell knows the tournament is one of the few chances left for the Tigers to prepare the ACC season just around the corner. Clemson opens league play Jan. 4 against Florida State.<br> <br> So Purnell will work his players on several fronts, particularly recognizing changed defenses and adjusting without the stumbling he has seen at times this year. ``We want to be able to switch those gears right away,&#39;&#39; he says, ``to keep playing basketball no matter what defense they&#39;re in.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> That&#39;s what makes these holiday tournaments so appealing, Purnell says there&#39;s time for basketball, for friendship and for sightseeing. ``You can wear two or three caps while you&#39;re there,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> Purnell will make sure Clemson will try them all on next week.<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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