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We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators in the country. We continue our coverage with Southern Miss assistant coach Clarence Weatherspoon. He was a 3-time All-American at Southern Miss , a top-10 NBA draft pick, and now coaches his son at his alma mater. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Weatherspoon about being a 3-time conference POY and his expectations for this year.
You grew up as 1 of 13 siblings in Crawford, MS (population 500), which also happens to be the hometown of NFL legend Jerry Rice (who is 8 years older than you): did you know the Rice family at all when you were growing up, and how did growing up in such a small town with so many siblings affect your life? I was the youngest of 13 and we were very family-oriented and knew most of the rest of the people in the town. We knew the Rice family but Jerry played at the rival high school on the other side of town.
In the 1990 NCAA tourney as a player at Southern Miss (the 1st tourney in school history) you scored 16 PTS and had a tourney-school-record 14 REB in a loss to La Salle: where does Lionel Simmons (32 PTS/16 REB) rank among the best college players that you have ever seen? Lionel was very talented and had some other teammates who played in the NBA as well. He was the senior leader that year but we had beaten him in the NIT a few years earlier. He was a really versatile forward who could score.
In 1992 you shot a career-high 45.3% from 3-PT range, which remains 1 of the best single-season marks in school history: how were you able to shoot so well from behind the arc considering that you are also the school’s all-time leading rebounder/shot blocker? The key was that I did not shoot that many (24-53 3PM)! It was something that I had worked on since arriving as a freshman. I always tried to improve my range/shooting ability but for our team to be successful I had to rebound/defend and play tough on the inside.
You were a 3-time All-American and remain the only 3-time POY in Metro Conference history: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I was not looking at my individual stats: I just tried to do whatever it took for my team to win.
In the summer of 1992 you were drafted 9th overall by Philadelphia (7 spots behind Alonzo Mourning): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It definitely was an honor and the ultimate reward for all of my hard work/sacrifice. I started out in high school just wanting to be a good player and get a college scholarship, but I put in the time and got better every year before making the NBA.
In Game of the 1999 Eastern Conference 1st round with Miami you had 5 REB but Allan Houston made the series-winning jumper with 0.8 seconds left: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It was a tough loss but was still a great series. We were the #1 seed that year and the Knicks beat us the following year on a buzzer-beater as well. Coach Pat Riley helped me become a better player and showed me the importance of playing together as part of a team.
You currently work as an assistant to Coach Jay Ladner at your alma mater: how do you like coaching, and what do you hope to do in the future? It has been really good for me. Getting to coach at your alma mater and bring the programm back to where we should be is exciting.
Clay Weatherspoon is 1 of 2 seniors on the current roster: how do you like coaching your son, and how much pressure is there on him to be a leader this year? He started as a walk-on but has worked his way up to being a senior leader. He knows what it takes to become a leader and will help the team in any way possible. We have a more improved team this year and hopefully we will get a chance to play despite COVID.
What is it like to be an African-American man in 2020? Everything in the US is changing. We face challenges that other races have not had to experience, which dates back to when slaves 1st arrived more than 400 years ago. It has been a continuous fight for equality but you cannot let that stop you from believing in the system: it is still an evolving process.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? My goal is for us to be a better team. There is a pandemic going on so I want us to stay as healthy as possible and then go out and play our best. All you can do is prepare.