As Booker Brothers Bond, Clemson Strives Ahead

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Trevor Booker deserves to shout his accomplishments through a megaphone, push a siren to announce his arrival or pound his fists on a table for attention. Come on, he should be college hoops royalty, one of only two players in Atlantic Coast Conference history with at least 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 200 blocks and 200 career assists. You may have heard of the other player -- Tim Duncan.

Instead, Booker, a senior forward at Clemson, speaks in polite, measured tones. He doesn't say much about himself or his legacy, pointing to his work ethic, though he admittedly says he once heard somebody marvel over his durability. Booker has started all 132 career games of his career, a Clemson record for consecutive starts.

The best part of Booker's journey, which continues here at the ACC tournament, is that he has gotten to share this season with younger brother Devin Booker. You know Devin, right? Freshman forward, an inch taller than his older brother, at 6-foot-8. A smiling Devin says he's the better athlete, better looking and, not to mention, oh so proud.
"Just knowing Trevor has accomplished so much here, it actually helps me," Devin told FanHouse. "He's putting me in a great spot, because now I have to go out there and show them I can do the same thing.

"Of course, I don't want to show him up too bad," Devin added with a laugh. "I am going to let him have a little bit."



Share Sixth-seeded Clemson (21-9), of course, will need every bit of Trevor Booker if it wants to beat 11th-seeded North Carolina State (17-14) in Thursday's fourth and final opening-round game at the Greensboro Coliseum and advance deep into the four-day tourney.

The Tigers have lost their ACC Tournament opener four times in their last six appearances, including last season when fifth-seeded Clemson was stunned by last-place Georgia Tech. The good news is the Tigers have beaten the Wolfpack five consecutive times and surely have secured their third consecutive berth into the NCAA Tournament to tie the school record.

Just don't tell Trevor Booker. He'd rather not peek ahead. It's about today's opportunity. It's about playing hard, playing as a team and winning together. No excuses. No fanfare.

"I am trying to do the best I can," Booker told FanHouse.

"I just try to go out there and play my game, not force anything, and do the things I do well and have had success doing. My teammates trust in me and I trust them."

Booker has been called the C.J. Spiller of Clemson hoops.

Spiller was extremely effective in leading the football Tigers in many ways. Ditto for Booker, who is Clemson's leading scorer (15.3 ppg) and rebounder (8.3 rpg) and is also second in blocked shots, second in steals and second in assists.

Booker is also ranked in the top 10 in the ACC in five different statistical categories.

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

Moved it on his shoulders, to be more specific.

Booker, 22, was a first-team All-ACC selection earlier this week. He was also named to the league's all-defensive team, making the senior from Whitmire, S.C., the only first-team pick also named to the defensive team. He is the first Clemson front-court player to be named first-team All-ACC since Dale Davis and Elden Campbell in 1990.

Not bad for a player who also loved baseball and envisioned himself as an accomplished pitcher before he suffered an arm injury in high school. Booker also has kept his consecutive-starts streak alive at Clemson despite ankle sprains and sickness.

"It's kind of tough to keep me off the court," said Booker, named Gatorade Player of the Year in South Carolina as a senior at Union High School, averaging 21.9 points, 16.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 2005-06.

"This is fun. The team chemistry is the best it has been since I've been here, and I think that's a big key to our success. I knew in the offseason this team could be special but a lot depended on how hard we worked and everyone came together and worked hard."

While much of the credit goes to Trevor, the Booker brothers have combined for 1,835 points and currently rank eighth on the ACC Brother Career Scoring list. (They have combined for 598 points and 338 rebounds this season).

"The team chemistry is the best it has been since I've been here, and I think that's a big key to our success."
-- Trevor Booker Trevor has kept an eye on his younger brother but admits he also lets him "fend for himself, which I think is important. He's doing well."

Clemson actually has a history of good brother combinations, dating back to the program's first game in 1911. Say hello to James and John Erwin. The four Mahaffeys (Tom, Donnie, Randy and Richie), whose careers spanned from 1958 to 1970, combined to score 3,555 points, tops in the ACC.

Clemson also has featured the Buckners (Greg and Andre), the Krajacks (George and Ed), the Grants (Horace and Harvey), the Bynums (Clarke and Edward) and the Seitzs (Larry and Donnie). Together, the eight families have scored more than 11,000 points.

Devin Booker, 19, hasn't played as much as he had hoped his freshman season, averaging 11 minutes per game, but he has made the most of his opportunities. Devin is averaging 4.7 points per game.

Together, the Booker brothers are averaging a rebound every 3.6 minutes this season.

"This team works so well together on the court and we have fun together off of it, hanging out, playing video games," said Devin, who set Union County High's all-time career scoring mark over -- guess who? -- his brother with 1,514 points.

"It was pretty competitive back at home with Trevor, be it down at the court or playing video games, but it was fun, too. Sure, every now and then in high school I would hear people talking about us and comparing us, but I really never paid attention to it."

Devin, of course, has certainly paid attention to Trevor's collegiate career.

Trevor may take a reserved approach, but his accomplishments speak loud and clear.