Clemson athlete in any sport to win the Jim Weaver Award as the ACC's top scholar athlete. In the 1970s, Tree Rollins ushered in a new era in Clemson basketball when he matriculated to Tigertown for the 1973–74 season. He changed the image of Clemson basketball more than any other player. At 7–2 he was a shot-blocking phenomenon who burst on the national scene in just his second game when he had 22 points, 20 rebounds and nine blocked shots against St. John's. Rollins started 110 games in a row, a national record at the time. His sophomore year, 1974–75, he joined forces with Skip Wise to take Clemson to its first top 20 final ranking and its first postseason NIT tournament bid. The Tigers defeated 3rd ranked Maryland, 10th ranked North Carolina and 4th ranked NC State at home. Wise was named first-team All-ACC the first true freshman in league history to obtain that honor. Bill Foster In 1975, Bill Foster was brought in to further build the program. He had an impeccable reputation and was coming from a UNC Charlotte program that he helped advance. When Tree Rollins decided not to turn professional, Foster coached the Tigers to 22–6 record, the program's ninth straight year with an improved winning percentage. Prior to his final game, Rollins had his #30 jersey retired, the first athlete in Clemson history so honored. It was a fitting way to honor Rollins who averaged a double-double for four years and is still first in ACC history in blocked shots, before starting his 18-year career in the NBA. Bill Foster did a remarkable job in keeping Clemson at a winning level. He won 100 games in his first 147, still fifth in ACC history in terms of fewest games required to get 100 wins. He had an ability to find diamonds in the rough that kept Clemson competitive in the ACC: Bobby Conrad, Horace Grant, Harvey Grant, & Larry Nance an eventual All-West regional choice in the 1980 NCAA tournament and NBA All-Star. Foster's 1979–80 team defeated six top 20 teams during the year, including #1 ranked Duke on January 9, 1980 in overtime, 87–82. Clemson went to the NCAA Tournament defeating Danny Ainge and BYU in Round 2 before being eliminated by Larry Brown and UCLA in the Elite Eight. Cliff Ellis Cliff Ellis became the winningest coach in Clemson basketball history on