Davidson Brothers' Grief & Basketball Journey

0:00On March 20th, Nick and Blake Davidson have faced a tough year balancing college basketball at Clemson with the sudden loss of their father, Kirk, who? Die from a heart attack at age 53 last April. The brothers joined the Tigers right around that time, Nick as a transfer from Nevada and Blake as a freshman, and they've credited the program for, standing by them through the grief. Now, with Clemson's seeded eighth in the NCAA, A tournament at 24 wins and 10 losses, the team heads to Tampa for their opener. The timing hit hard, Nick committed on April 2nd, and Kirk passed away the very next day. The family from Southern California was caught off guard, especially since he was in great shape. But Clemson staff reached out immediately, with messages of support, giving the brothers space to grieve and handle family matters before moving east. Both brothers say the coaches and teammates made them feel right at home, offering patience during early season struggles and helping them ease back into routines. Coach Brad Brownell calls them incredibly strong, praising how the whole program rallied

1:04around these good, hard-to-guys without hesitation. On the court, 24-year-old Nick has averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds as a key rotation player in this final college. Season 19-year-old Blake wretchshirted for development, building toward his future years of eligibility. Kirk, a former 6-plit 10 college center, inspired their love of the game and taught them to always play hard. He was also a family man who worked, and pharmaceuticals and love shows like Hawaii 5-0. Their story adds heart to Clemson's match up Friday at 6.50pm against 9th-seated Iowa at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, airing on. T-N-T. The winner advances to face the Florida Prairie View A&M Victor on Sunday.