CLEMSON — Strong, confident and one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top returning forwards, Trevor Booker appears ready to face all comers this season for No. 24 Clemson.

First, though, he’ll have to get by his younger brother, Devin Booker, a 6-foot-8 freshman who’s rarely backed down during years of hometown playground battles with Clemson’s star.

“I usually got the better of him,” Trevor Booker says, “although he might say different.”

And Devin does, convinced he gave as good as he got.

“No matter who was there, I’m just going to do to what I have to do, go up strong and try and finish,” he said with a grin.

The Bookers make their debut Friday night as the Tigers open the season against Presbyterian at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Trevor Booker was one of the ACC’s strongest finishers last season as Clemson went 23-9 and earned its second straight NCAA tournament appearance. He became the first to lead the league in rebounding and field goal percentage since Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan accomplished that in 1996-97.

Even when opponents knew who’d get the ball underneath, Trevor Booker was near impossible to stop.

The highlight last season may have been his 21-point, 8-rebound performance in Clemson’s stunning 74-47 win over Duke. He converted nearly everything he touched, going 8 of 10 from the field and sending Duke to its most lopsided loss in 19 seasons.

The Tigers eventually made their second straight NCAA tournament. Booker’s stock was on the rise and talk was he might leave early for the NBA draft.

There was more he wanted to accomplish, though, and quickly chose to return for his senior season. One reason, Booker acknowledged, was his brother’s arrival. They’ll be the first brothers to play basketball for the Tigers since standouts Horace and Harvey Grant in 1984-85.

“He’s definitely going to take the load off of me,” Trevor Booker said with pride.

That’s if he’s not getting a face full of Devin’s elbows at practices.

Clemson coach Oliver Purnell predicted a year ago at Devin’s signing that the rest of the Tigers might want to get out of the way when the big-bodied Bookers matched up down low. The rumbles have yet to happen, mostly because of Devin’s bad ankle that he’s dealt with most of fall camp.

The skirmishes have mostly been limited to a brotherly smack talk. “I think they about ready to shape up,” Purnell said. “They’ll go at each other.”

They come by it naturally. The Bookers grew up in Whitmire, a town of 1,600 people about two hours from Clemson’s campus. Trevor Booker said there were many afternoons and nights when he, Devin and a third Booker brother, Darrion, would play for hours at a court two houses down against all kinds of competition.

When it was just the three of them, Devin and Darrion would double-team Trevor. “It was fun, just a bunch of (boys) with a competitive spirit,” Trevor Booker said.

Devin says he’ll put that fire to use on the court this year. He’s worked in improving his positioning for rebounds and his defensive effort. “It’s getting there,” he said.

Purnell raised a few eyebrows last November, suggesting Devin could be more advanced at this stage than his big brother. Trevor Booker says his coach is on target.

“I’ve seen my mature a lot since high school. He’s elevated his game. He’s in pretty good condition. He’s using his left and right hand,” Trevor Booker said. “It’s a big difference.”

There’s also a difference in Trevor Booker. He played for the Team USA at the World University Games this summer, helping the Americans to a bronze medal. Booker discovered in training camp that he was surrounded by teammates every bit as much of a star at their schools as he’s been at Clemson.

Booker said he learned patience and the importance of filling a role that he thinks will help him during breaks in the game when Purnell uses others in the Tigers’ deep rotation.

Trevor Booker shouldn’t worry, though. Purnell has said since the end of last season that Clemson had only one starting spot guaranteed — and that was for Booker, the team’s force in the middle.

The ball may come Booker’s way more often this season. The Tigers lost their top two outside threats from 2008-09 in K.C. Rivers and Terrence Oglesby. Purnell has said the team should use its defense to trigger a faster pace of play, putting a premium on finishers like Trevor and younger brother Devin.

Trevor Booker says it won’t be long before Devin is thunder-dunking and giving ACC opponents a second big Booker to worry about.

“I can see it,” he said. “It’s coming.”

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