Dennis Clifford

[BC923]

May be facing some legal troubles. Apparently was arrested after crashing his car into a tree outside lower.

[ILikeBC]

*Drunk*

[claver2010]

CONTENT IS KING!

maybe he really wanted a double cheesesteak

[TobaccoRoadEagle]

is it too late for him to redshirt this season? he should have the paperwork handy

[eepstein0]

I couldn't care less about this. As long as he's gone in 3 games

[TobaccoRoadEagle]

maybe yesterday's article helped him realize it's all over

http://www.patriotledger.com/article/20160229/SPORTS/160226140

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Bridgewater's Dennis Clifford nears end of Boston College career
The former Bridgewater-Raynham and Milton Academy graduate, who struggled with a knee injury during his time at BC, is having his best season this winter for a team that is winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The final game of his Boston College basketball career is rapidly approaching, with upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference tournament marking the end.

Dennis Clifford of Bridgewater has been part of the Eagles’ program for five seasons since 2011, starting not long after graduating from Milton Academy, and there have been a lot of bumps along the way.
BC has not had a winning season in that time and Clifford, a seven-foot center, struggled mightily through his sophomore year with a knee injury, then red-shirted as a junior following surgery.
There was a time when Clifford, a former Enterprise All-Scholastic during his stay at Bridgewater-Raynham High, didn’t know if he would be able to finish his career with the Eagles.

But Clifford has put together his best season at The Heights as a graduate student this winter, even as BC stumbles along with 16 consecutive losses in the ACC and only two regular-season games to go.
Clifford has started all but one of the Eagles’ 29 games and is averaging 9.3 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds with 33 blocked shots for a team that is 7-22 and winless since edged New Hampshire in overtime Dec. 30.

After what Clifford went through in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons due to the knee injury, though, he is happy to be on the court for a second straight year.
“Individually, I do think about it a lot, how it’s a miracle that I’m able to play this game,’’ said Clifford, “because there was a two-year segment where I thought my basketball life was over.
“That was really tough for me to handle for a while. This year, it’s kind of shed light on my basketball abilities and my life in general. I just thank God for that.’’

Clifford got his BC career going on a positive note, starting 25 of 31 games as a true freshman in the 2011-12 season and averaging 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds. He was also named the sole captain of the 2012-13 team as a sophomore.

Then, during a preseason practice in 2012, Clifford injured his left knee, and his season quickly turned sour.

“We had a tough week of practice and I didn’t know how to take days off or take care of my body and listen to my body,’’ recalled Clifford. “I kept going and going. One day at the end of practice, it was cold in the gym and I just remember my legs hurt and I went up to dunk and I felt something in my knee.

“Ever since that day, it just really, really bothered me. I played on it and didn’t know how to make my knee feel better. It just got worse and worse.

“It bothered me a whole lot. It was a pain I would not wish on anybody. It was really hard. If you look back at the tape, you can probably see how much I was struggling to move out there. I feel like I wasn’t myself.’’

Clifford wasn’t able to practice that season and played less than 15 minutes per game, starting 14 and coming off the bench for 16 others while averaging just 2.8 points and 3.2 rebounds.

The pain in the knee persisted, and Clifford had arthroscopic surgery in October 2013 to clean up the knee, delaying the start of his junior season. Clifford returned for January games against Clemson and Virginia Tech, but when it was obvious the knee or his body wasn’t ready, he received a medical red-shirt and sat out the year.

“I was so out of shape,’’ said Clifford. “I felt like my legs weren’t working correctly. It wasn’t my knee. It was my whole body.

“I didn’t practice my sophomore year and I basically forgot how to play and how to move. There were a lot of things going into it. I felt better, but I wasn’t ready to play at this level.’’

Clifford used the time off to get back into playing shape and was ready to go in the fall of 2014. He started 28 games and averaged 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds before receiving a degree last May.

Now a graduate student, Clifford is wrapping up his career by playing his best basketball. He averaged 15.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in recent games against North Carolina, Syracuse and Clemson, shooting 64 percent.

Clifford watched the coach who recruited him, Steve Donahue, get fired in 2014 and is now playing for Jim Christian in a program that is trying to get going.

He will depart next week not pleased with all the losses that have piled up, but thankful about being able to return to play the past two seasons.

“At my worst time, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to play basketball again,’’ said Clifford, who hopes to find a team at the professional level next season. “That’s why sophomore year was so tough because my whole life I’ve been a basketball player and that’s the main thing in my life that I’ve been able to create relationships with people, the main thing that brought me happiness.

“My sophomore year when I was fighting through the injury and my junior year, that was definitely the toughest feeling.’’

[twballgame9]

I couldn't care less about this. As long as he's gone in 3 games

While I will not miss the 8 years of 60% he has given the program, I do not wish problems on most college age athletes.

[eepstein0]

I couldn't care less about this. As long as he's gone in 3 games

While I will not miss the 8 years of 60% he has given the program, I do not wish problems on most college age athletes.

Oh nor do I. I just don't care about this team for the remainder of this season except that Carter and Clifford leave after 3 more games.

[DavidGordonsFoot]

CONTENT IS KING!

maybe he really wanted a double cheesesteak

We've all been there. It's very frustrating when they shut down the grill 30 minutes before closing.

[eagle9903]

CONTENT IS KING!

maybe he really wanted a double cheesesteak

We've all been there. It's very frustrating when they shut down the grill 30 minutes before closing.

I think this is ultimately how Sanders ended up at Fairfield

[Hoff]

Talked with an assistant. It was actually Garland Owens who got in the fender bender on campus. Police conducted a sobriety test and he passed. Someone called Clifford when they saw Owens was talking with police. Clifford came down to make sure he was OK and when he was down there people were snap chatting him being there. Sounds like the rumors flew from there. Neither player was arrested or got a ticket and they are both on the flight to Raleigh.

[TobaccoRoadEagle]

i guess you can't dodge all the bullets

[b0mberMan]

This is what happens when your designated driver is that older guy that you met at Citysides who is there all the time hitting on the waitresses and says he used to go to BC.

In short: don't get in a car with Dave Shinskie.

[longdistanceeagle]

Turner and Robinson both are playing tomorrow.

[commavegarage]

why in the world are we bringing them back to this shit storm.

if either of them get hurt i want christian fired on the spot

[DavidGordonsFoot]

why in the world are we bringing them back to this shit storm.

if either of them get hurt i want christian fired on the spot

this

[eepstein0]

why in the world are we bringing them back to this shit storm.

if either of them get hurt i want christian fired on the spot

this

Disagree just let them play if 100% healthy.

Can we finally not play Carter anymore?

[longdistanceeagle]

Some of you guys are pretty funny. You bitch because they might go winless in the ACC, but they try to win a game by playing guys who obviously have been cleared medically, and you bitch again.

[twballgame9]

why in the world are we bringing them back to this shit storm.

if either of them get hurt i want christian fired on the spot

this

Disagree just let them play if 100% healthy.

Can we finally not play Carter anymore?

Agree with both of these sentiments. Both would be designed to secure a win.

[eagle9903]

why in the world are we bringing them back to this shit storm.

if either of them get hurt i want christian fired on the spot

this

Disagree just let them play if 100% healthy.

Can we finally not play Carter anymore?

Agree with both of these sentiments. Both would be designed to secure a win.

This feels wrong but i also agree

[eepstein0]

Some of you guys are pretty funny. You bitch because they might go winless in the ACC, but they try to win a game by playing guys who obviously have been cleared medically, and you bitch again.

When you're 0-16 people are going to bitch a lot. I wouldn't sweat it.

Anything more on Vital or Bowman? I'm far more interested in that than these last two games

[commavegarage]

Some of you guys are pretty funny. You bitch because they might go winless in the ACC, but they try to win a game by playing guys who obviously have been cleared medically, and you bitch again.

at this point who cares? 0-18 vs 2-16 isn't the difference in this season being labeled a success as opposed to failure. the ONLY way this season gets worse is if a young player gets hurt.

[eepstein0]

Some of you guys are pretty funny. You bitch because they might go winless in the ACC, but they try to win a game by playing guys who obviously have been cleared medically, and you bitch again.

at this point who cares? 0-18 vs 2-16 isn't the difference in this season being labeled a success as opposed to failure. the ONLY way this season gets worse is if a young player gets hurt.

It's about 2 additional games of experience for them. Agreed this year's results are irrelevant

[twballgame9]

A win would help the psyche of the frosh

[TobaccoRoadEagle]

A win would help the psyche of the frosh

which is good for the ones that are invited to stick around... but losing how ever many of them we do to getting retired will cause just as much hurt to the psyche

[Tom Dooder]

Some of you guys are pretty funny. You bitch because they might go winless in the ACC, but they try to win a game by playing guys who obviously have been cleared medically, and you bitch again.

at this point who cares? 0-18 vs 2-16 isn't the difference in this season being labeled a success as opposed to failure. the ONLY way this season gets worse is if a young player gets hurt.

I would prefer BC doesn't go winless in the ACC. Bates isn't getting fired either way.

Hope the kids get plenty of burn.

[twballgame9]

A win would help the psyche of the frosh

which is good for the ones that are invited to stick around... but losing how ever many of them we do to getting retired will cause just as much hurt to the psyche

I don't know what this means.

[longdistanceeagle]

There is another point guard in play who they are strongly pursuing. He is from Florida and is a pure point guard. I have not heard his name yet.

[eepstein0]

A win would help the psyche of the frosh

which is good for the ones that are invited to stick around... but losing how ever many of them we do to getting retired will cause just as much hurt to the psyche

I don't know what this means.

It means you'll probably lose some of the freshman on this team for whatever reason.

It's a god awful point by TRE per usual

[twballgame9]

If you lose frosh from this team, it will be the marginal guys, which is actually good because it distributes the class. Robinson, Turner, Milon, SBT aren't looking at this roster and the three guys coming in (none of whom are wing players) and thinking that they should transfer. And Diallo is in an ideal situation. Those are really the only 5 that matter. A win for them would be good.

Also Owens and Hicks can't have too many options to play ball at this level. So that's 10 on next year's roster. Meznieks and Reyes are 11 and 12. So if you figure they want a 5th year and a frosh PG, then one of those two would be a candidate ot leave. Don't see a mass exodus however.