Ask Clemson's Greg Buckner about his personal achievements and he shies away from the topic as if it were some sort of infectious disease. Talk to him about the tremendous success he's had in nearly four years at Clemson and you can almost feel him squirming at the question. Mention his individual accomplishments and he'll quickly give credit to his teammates and coach Rick Barnes.
Buckner was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection last year, and in many preseason publications was picked to be a first-team selection this year. He is the leading scorer for the Tigers this year and the focal point of the Clemson attack. It could be argued that the key to stopping Clemson is to stop No. 21. Just don't tell him that you said that.
Buckner doesn't want to hear any of that kind of talk and instead likes to focus on the Clemson basketball team as a unit: not as individuals, not separately, but as one.
"Because of the team's success, I've gotten a lot of my recognition," Buckner said. "I just hope to keep getting more recognition as a team and not worry about individual stats. That's not what basketball is about; it's a team game."
Despite his modesty, Buckner has made an impact at Clemson from day one. His success has come as a pleasant surprise to Clemson fans. Buckner would be the first to admit that coming out of high school in Hopkinsville, Ky., he lacked the skills that many big-time college programs look for. For this reason, Buckner was not recruited by Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina.
"In high school I wasn't that good anyway, so it's best that those guys didn't recruit me," admits Buckner.
While other highly recruited players such as Duke's Ricky Price and Florida State's Corey Louis initially received much more publicity, Buckner has made a name for himself and has outperformed many other players in his recruiting class.
Clemson coach Rick Barnes is the one that discovered Buckner and has also been instrumental in tapping his potential as a player. Buckner gives credit to Barnes for instilling in him a hard work ethic that he lacked in high school.
"He's made me a better person and a better man on and off the basketball court." Buckner said.
To his credit, Buckner is a big reason that Clemson, as of late, has begun to receive more respect nationally as a legitimate basketball power and not just as a football school.
"When I first came here it was just football, but now it's football and basketball. It's a very gratifying time right now," Buckner said.
Buckner is quick to point out that Clemson's new-found success on the basketball floor is merely the first step towards establishing a top-notch program like Duke, North Carolina or Kansas.
For Buckner and Clemson, an immediate measuring stick of the team's quest to reach the next level will come in tomorrow's game, as they face off against second-ranked Duke.
Buckner doesn't put much stock in who is favored or what the newspapers have to say, but instead chooses to focus on the simple fact that all that really matters is who is standing at the end.
"Our main goal is to to go out there and play harder than our opponent," he said. "If we do that, things will take care of themselves. The game is not won in publications, it's won on the court."
Clemson will come in hoping to knock off the Blue Devils by utilizing a style of play that is very physical, aggressive and punishing. Buckner typifies the style of ball that Rick Barnes employs.
Buckner causes lots of problems for defenders because he plays about any position on the floor except point guard. He can go outside and drain the long jumper or post up on a smaller defender inside and muscle his way to the basket.
Duke will have to contain Buckner to keep the Tigers in check, and though he shuns the individual attention off the court, it will be tough for him to avoid the spotlight in tomorrow's matchup in Cameron.
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