- Clemson’s Catalin “Bobo” Baciu. Photo by Rex Brown.
By Jaclyn DeBacco
CLEMSON – With the Clemson basketball season opener less than a month away, many of the men on the team are anxious to get on the court. For some, this season is a chance to remind Tiger Nation how talented they are. But for one player in particular, this season brings a chance to show everyone why he was the highest-rated prospect in the 2008 class.
Coming in at a towering 7-foot-2-inches tall, Catalin Baciu stands at a height that really is “towering.” Almost any person that meets him has to look up at him in order to have a conversation. Being such a tall basketball player, one would expect he is a big guy physically. However, the thing that held him back the most was the fact his size came with too small of a weight.
“I think (my weight) was the thing that held me back a little bit,” said Baciu. “It was hard for me to out there and compete; it was easy for them to push me around.
“I’ve been trying to gain a lot of weight, and I’m almost where I should be with my weight. Coach (Mike) Winiecki and Coach (Brad) Brownell definitely worked me out. I think I’ll be alright.”
With his body weight about up to where it should be, Baciu is not only carrying more weight physically, but he is also carrying more weight on his back due to the fact Clemson is going to be looking to him more than ever before.
“For us to be good, (Baciu) has to play 10-15 minutes a game,” said Winiecki, an assistant coach on the men’s team. “He showed a glimpse against (UNC’s) Tyler Zeller in the ACC tournament, and then he had a China tour with Athletes in Action and that was really good for him, just to get more time.
“He probably averaged 20-25 minutes a game in China, and averaged eight or nine points, so that’s good. Now he just has to keep working. We work on all his inside moves and being a good screener. He’s got to be more reactive trying to get rebounds outside of his area and be more physical and grabbing the ball and being strong with it.
“So, yeah, for us to be good he has to play major minutes for him, and 10-15 minutes would be great for us.”
Winiecki was not the only coach talking about how Baciu needs to be on the court a lot this season. Head Coach Brad Brownell is also making it clear how important Baciu is to this Clemson basketball season.
“He’s got to play…he’s got to play,” said Brownell. “He’s got to be productive. He is fine now in terms of understanding what to do, he’s fine in terms of size, and he’s fine in terms of skill level.
“It’s all about toughness, and competitive spirit. That’s the hardest part to coach. He’s got to take it to the next level as a competitor. It’s not ok to get scored on. It’s not ok to give up that rebound. It’s not ok to fumble the ball. His mentality has to become more confident in himself. He has to be productive, and expect more to perform at a high level. And that’s coming, it’s coming. But, that whole competitive fire that you just have to have, especially playing around the basket, a little nastiness, that’s not his genuine personality. But he’s got to get out of that, and the more he does and the better he does of getting out of all of that, the better he’ll play.”
With the Clemson coach’s making it clear they need Baciu to have a successful season, one can only wonder if Baciu ready for that kind of challenge and the physicality that comes with it.
“Well, I’ve been getting ready for it for the whole summer and for the whole beginning of the season,” he said. “I think I will be ready for it.”
