Booker leaving lasting legacy

CLEMSON -- Trevor Booker might not exit with the same fanfare Clemson football star C.J. Spiller received back in December, but Booker has been just as instrumental to his respective program.

In their junior and senior seasons, Spiller and Booker each produced at least a fifth of their team's scoring.

Clemson coach Oliver Purnell says you must go beyond the numbers to understand the importance of Booker, who plays his final home game tonight at Littlejohn Coliseum against Georgia Tech. Purnell sounds much like Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney in explaining the total value Spiller added to the football program.

"You look at (Booker) improving and his production, and it mirrors what we've done since he's been here," Purnell said. "He certainly picked up the mantle and moved this program forward."

He moved the program to a win from its third consecutive winning ACC season at Florida State on Sunday night with his critical block and free throws in the closing minutes. Clemson has never enjoyed three straight winning seasons in the ACC. And it's the first time in Clemson history the Tigers have recorded four consecutive 20-win seasons.

Like Spiller's former teammates, the Tigers aren't quite ready for life without Booker.

Clemson's shooters will miss his ability to draw double teams along with his accurate passes.

The coaches will miss his ability to bail out the team with turnaround fade-away jumpers and energy-producing dunks.

"A lot of people are saying that this year: 'What are you going to do next year when Trevor leaves?' " point guard Demontez Stitt said. "We can only focus on the season right now. While he's here, we have to use him to our advantage."

Booker enters tonight with 1,670 points, 14 back of former teammate K.C. Rivers for sixth in school history in scoring.

He has passed Horace Grant for third on the team's rebounding list (1,028). And he's five blocks shy (205) of Dale Davis (210) for fourth place in school history.

He joins Davis as the only player in school history to score 1,500 points and grab 1,000 rebounds.

Not bad for a kid who only had two major scholarship offers coming out of Union High.

Not bad for a kid who chose Clemson over South Carolina because he wanted to play in the ACC, and against the Tar Heels he grew up cheering for.

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North Carolina didn't have Booker on its radar due to his lack of power forward size. His 6-6 frame also played a role in Booker returning to school this year after he was not guaranteed a spot in the NBA Draft's first round last spring.

By returning, he's cemented his status as a signature player in Clemson history and is now a potential first-round pick. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called Booker one of the best players not only in the ACC, but in the country.

"I knew if I worked hard I could be a good player, but I didn't think I'd have the impact I've had," Booker said. "When I first came in as a freshman I was just playing in the post, I was scared to go outside. As the years have gone on I have gained perimeter skills."

Booker and the Tigers don't want to share one part of Spiller's resume: the star running back never won an ACC Title and never played in a BCS bowl game.

Similarly, Booker has never won an ACC title or an NCAA Tournament game.

Regardless of how his final chapter plays out, said Booker: "I've given the team everything I had."