Hammonds' resume grows

ACC Notes

CHARLOTTE — Add another accolade to Cliff Hammonds' long list of them.

Hammonds, a senior guard for Clemson, has been named the recipient of the inaugural Skip Prosser Award. Named for the Wake Forest coach who passed away unexpectedly to a heart attack last summer, the award is given to the top scholar athlete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Hammonds, a double major in architecture and psychology, has a 3.21 grade-point average and is on schedule to graduate in May. He is one of only five players in ACC history with at least 1,400 points, 400 assists, 400 rebounds and 200 steals in his career.

"Cliff Hammonds is the best all-around student athlete I have been around in all my years of coaching," said Tigers coach Oliver Purnell. "Cliff has the total package. He has been an outstanding player, one who ranks among the top players in ACC history when it comes to his contributions in many different areas of the game. He is a top student with an academic honor roll resume in a unique double major."

In order to be nominated for the award, one must be an upperclassman with a GPA of 3.0 or better — both in his career and in the previous two semesters. Sixty percent of the award is based on academic achievement and 40 percent on athletic accomplishments, according to the ACC.

In compiling a 291-146 record in 14 seasons as a head coach, including 126-68 in six years with the Demon Deacons, Prosser graduated every Wake Forest senior he coached. Wake Forest also placed nine players on the ACC's annual all-academic team.

Gearing up for Lawson

Florida State's Jason Rich knows he'll see a different Ty Lawson tonight against North Carolina.

On March 4 in Chapel Hill, Lawson was in just his second game back after sitting out six full games with a high ankle sprain. The sophomore point guard was still gimpy, and an injured hip didn't help.

The Tar Heels pulled away in the second half to win 90-77, and Rich — who put up 21 points in Thursday's victory over Wake Forest, knows today could be dicey with Lawson in better shape.

"He's progressively gotten better the last few games," he said. "He just makes that team go in so many different ways. Having him at 70 to 80 percent is better than not having him at all."

This and that

Because of seating concerns, the ACC did not allow the bye teams (UNC, Duke, Clemson, Virginia Tech) to attend Thursday's sessions at Bobcats Arena. Purnell said he would have liked to have let his team witness some of the action. ... The Seminoles have not won more than one game in the ACC Tournament since joining the league in 1992. ... N.C. State scored 17 points in the first half, the fewest since Virginia scored 16 against Duke in the 1989 semifinals.

... Wake Forest has lost 27 openers in 55 ACC Tournaments.

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com.