May 4, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Two former South Carolina men's basketball standouts have helped their respective NBA teams advance to the Conference Semifinals of the 2009 NBA playoffs. Tarence Kinsey's Cleveland Cavaliers will begin semifinal play against the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, May 5, while Renaldo Balkman's Denver Nuggets currently hold a 1-0 lead in the semifinal series against the Dallas Mavericks.

Balkman, a 6-8 forward in his third season in the NBA and first with the Nuggets, has contributed 5.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 53 outings this season. Balkman scored a season-high 22 points and collected 11 rebounds in a 107-94 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in mid-March and has posted nine double-digit scoring and five double-figure rebounding efforts this season.

Kinsey, a 6-6 guard in his third season in the NBA and first with Cleveland, has contributed 2.0 points and nearly one rebound per game in 50 appearances this season for the Cavs. Kinsey tallied a season-high 11 points three times during the regular season and played 20 or more minutes in seven games.

Renaldo Balkman

During their time at South Carolina, Balkman and Kinsey helped the Gamecocks advance to the 2004 NCAA Tournament, while also helping the team earn back-to-back NIT Championships (2005, 2006). Balkman averaged 7.4 points and 8.3 rebounds in his three-year Gamecock career, while Kinsey contributed 9.8 points and 3.3 boards per game.

Cleveland will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Tuesday, May 5, at 8 p.m. ET live on TNT. Denver continues its quest for the Western Conference title in game two of the conference semifinals against Dallas on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET, also live on TNT.