Greg Bailey WCNC Sports Director

Butler alum and Clemson guard Demontez Stitt gains instant access to the WCNC Sports Hall of Honor. Stitt smiled and fought a losing battle with a laugh when I kidded him about his great timing -- hitting the game winning free throws in the final 3 seconds against Virginia Tech Sunday before coming home for a hero's welcome with a really good Clemson team to play at Bobcats Arena this week.

Demontez looks like he's about 14 or 15, but he insisted that he's bigger and stronger than he was when he played high school ball for the Bulldogs. Whatever he's doing in the weight room (still young and skinny), it's working. Stitt has been a key contributor for the Tigers, and he doesn't bother to hide his enthusiasm for a shot to play at Bobcats Arena. He smiled again when he admitted that he's never played in the arena, he's only watched games there. There are a million reasons to watch the ACC Tournament, and we need to add a hometown product to the list.

While we're at it, we'll add KC Rivers, too. He's a couple of years older than Stitt, and the Independence product is a little bit better at masking his joy for the trip home to play at Bobcats Arena. But he's also pumped to play in front of his grandmother. I'm a big fan of anyone who loves and respects Grandma and it's obvious that KC does. He told us that she's coming to see her grandson play Friday, but she loves ACC Hoops so much that she might watch other games, too. Way to go, Grandmother Rivers!

Clemson didn't go through the motions on practice day -- they worked, they ran and they hustled. I'm intrigued by the idea of a Clemson run in the tournament. We'll see when the third seed plays for the first time Friday.

Click here to watch our interview with Demontez Stitt.

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