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Doing Good In The Neighborhood

Miami Athletics captured first place in the annual NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition powered by Helper Helper, the NCAA announced Wednesday.

Miami earned the Division I award, with 100 percent of its 450-plus student-athletes participating in at least one community service activity. Pittsburgh and North Dakota finished second and third, respectively. This is the second time Miami has captured the NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition – the Hurricanes also took top honors in 2018.

“I am incredibly proud of our student-athletes and our student-athlete development staff for working together to win the NCAA Team Works Community Service Competition for the second time in four years,” Vice President/Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich said. “It speaks to the culture of service that lives here at UM, which our student-athletes have continually taken to heart.”

NCAA Team Works, which coordinates community service efforts at NCAA championships, and Helper Helper, a volunteer management and tracking platform, launched the community service competition to recognize student-athletes and schools who give back to their communities. This was the 10th year of the competition, which ran September 1 through December 15, 2022, and is based on the number of service hours completed and the number of participating student-athletes. Helper Helper tracks the school participation data throughout the competition.

Miami’s community service efforts during the 2022 Challenge included its Pen Pal program matching 86 student-athletes with students at local elementary schools; a Day of Giving when the football team delivered Thanksgiving meals to the Miami-Dade Foster and Adoptive Parent Association; an Operation Christmas Child drive for gifts to send to children in need overseas; and the swimming team giving free lessons for children at the South Miami Community Center.

“I am beyond proud of the work we have put into community service and student-athlete engagement here at the University of Miami,” said Shirelle Jackson, Executive Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development. “I am thrilled for our student-athletes, the communities we serve and our Canes Connect team. Our student-athletes continue to be receptive to our outreach opportunities, which has had an incredible impact on both our student-athletes and our surrounding communities.”

For schools that opted into the challenge, their total service hours were 218,594 hours, more than double last year’s total. The estimated economic impact of those service hours was $6.5 million, based on the calculation by the organization Independent Sector of the national value of a volunteer hour.

Duke Holds On To Beat Miami By Two

The University of Miami men's basketball team fell by two at Duke, 68-66, Saturday afternoon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Fifth-year senior guard Jordan Miller registered a game-high 19 points, including 13 in the second half, for No. 17/16 Miami (15-4, 6-3 ACC) in its first defeat against the Blue Devils in league play in exactly three years.

The Hurricanes used a late 12-3 run, including a fourth 3-pointer in five attempts by third-year sophomore guard Nijel Pack to retake the lead, to grab a 36-32 edge with 3:13 on the first-half clock. Duke (14-5, 5-3 ACC) hit two 3-pointers in the closing two minutes, sandwiched around a Miami basket, and the teams went into the locker room even at 38 apiece.

Miami shot 5-of-9 from 3-point range, including hitting five of its first seven attempts, and 9-of-10 at the line in the opening 20 minutes, while the Blue Devils went 5-of-11 and 3-of-7, respectively.

Coming out of the break, an early 8-2 personal surge by Miller put the Hurricanes ahead by two. However, Duke used a 10-0 run in 4:28, started with two shot-clock-beating 3-pointers, to go up by eight, 55-47, with 11:48 to play.

Miami, buoyed by a trio of 3-pointers and a three-point play, closed within one, 64-63, with 2:54 remaining. Despite holding Duke to 2-of-16 down the stretch, including zero field goals in the final five-plus minutes, the Hurricanes could not level the score or regain the lead, as the Blue Devils held on for the home win.

The Hurricanes finished the day shooting just 34.9 percent (22-of-63) from the floor, but their 47.6 percent (10-of-21) ledger from 3-point range and 80.0 percent (12-of-15) total from the line kept them in it throughout. Miami, which had just six giveaways, also posted an 8-2 edge in points off turnovers and an 11-0 tally in fast-break points, but Duke logged a 26-11 margin in bench points.

Miami continues play Tuesday at 7 p.m., when it squares off with Florida State at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center in Tallahassee, Fla., live on ESPNU.

Too Many Turnovers

The University of Miami men’s basketball team rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to take a four-point lead Saturday afternoon at PNC Arena, but dropped an 83-81 overtime decision against NC State.

Fourth-year junior guard Isaiah Wong paced No. 16/15 Miami (14-3, 5-2 ACC) with a game-high 25 points, including 18 after halftime.

“I thought that was a very entertaining college game. Both teams played very hard and, I’d say, very well, for the most part. It comes down to the overtime,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “We just had too many turnovers for the game. We only have five assists with 17 turnovers. I would prefer the opposite.”

After the teams played evenly through 15-and-a-half minutes, NC State (14-4, 4-3 ACC) closed the frame on a 14-4 run to take a 42-32 lead into the locker room. Miami shot 56.0 percent (14-of-25) before the break, including start 10-of-15, but committed nine turnovers and forced just three.

The Hurricanes opened the second frame on an 8-0 run to pull within two, 42-40, with 17:43 to go. NC State countered with an 11-2 burst to go back ahead by nine, 53-44, just 2:20 later, but Miami answered right back with an 19-6 surge to go in front by four, 63-59, with 8:20 remaining.

The Wolfpack retook the edge, 65-64, exactly four minutes later after a 6-1 run, but Miami scored four points in a row to go up, 68-65, with 3:46 on the clock. NC State answered again, this time with an 8-2 burst to go up, 73-70, with 55 ticks left. Miami fifth-year senior guard Jordan Miller then drilled a game-tying 3-pointer with 27 seconds to go and the Hurricanes got a stop at the other end to force overtime.

Miami took an 81-78 edge with 2:13 on the overtime ticker, but NC State scored the next five points to go ahead by one, 82-81, with 30 seconds to go and added a free throw 18 seconds later to double the advantage. It then forced a turnover at the other end to claim the home win.

Round Ball Rules

The University of Miami men’s basketball team jumped eight spots to No. 14 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll this week. In addition, the Hurricanes moved up six places to No. 16 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. 

For Miami (12-1, 3-0 ACC), the rise comes after knocking off then-sixth-ranked Virginia, 66-64, Tuesday night at the Watsco Center. Head coach Jim Larrañaga’s team went from 208 points in the AP Poll to 658 this week and from 150 points in the Coaches Poll to now 290, an increase of 140-plus in each.

The Hurricanes’ No. 14 AP ranking is their highest since placing sixth on Dec. 18, 2017, and their first top-15 position since coming in at No. 15 on Jan. 1, 2018. Meanwhile, Miami’s No. 16 spot in the Coaches Poll matches its spot on the final 2021-22 list after its run to the Elite Eight.

Isiah Wong of the University of Miami men’s basketball is the ACC Player of the Week for the second time this month, as announced Tuesday afternoon by the league office. Wong, who was also named ACC Player of the Week on December 12, led Miami to a 66-64 win over then-sixth-ranked Virginia last week.

A fourth-year junior guard, Wong scored 24 points and added six rebounds and five assists in the win over the Wahoos. Wong, whose 24 points marked a game high, became the first Hurricane to post four straight 20-point games since Jack McClinton did so in January 2009.

The New Jersey native forced a turnover on the final play to deny Virginia a shot at the Watsco Center as the game clock expired. Wong became the second high-major player in the last decade to record four straight games with at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists. He finished 7-for-13 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and 8-of-9 from the free throw line in the victory.

University of Miami head men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga is a first-time nominee for the prestigious Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as announced Wednesday afternoon.

Larrañaga is one of nine first-time North American nominees, alongside three other coaches (John Beilein, Gregg Popovich and Stan Spirou) and five players (Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade and John Williamson).

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be named a nominee for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. To be considered alongside some of the giants of our game was beyond my wildest dreams when entering this profession over 50 years ago,” Larrañaga said. “I’d like to deeply thank each of my assistants, staff members and players throughout the years. This recognition would not be possible without them and it demonstrates not what I’ve accomplished, but what we have all done together. I’m so grateful to the administrators and fans who have supported us along the way. I also want to especially thank my wife, Liz, and sons, Jay and Jon, for being by my side through all the highs and lows. I’m excited to continue coaching here at Miami and look forward to further elevating this tremendous program.”

Among the most accomplished coaches in NCAA men’s basketball history, Larrañaga is in his 51st season as a college coach, including his 39th leading a program and his 12th at Miami. He owns 708 victories as a head coach, good for No. 33 all-time on the DI leaderboard, including ninth among active coaches.

Larrañaga began his coaching career as an assistant at Davidson College from 1971-76 and then served as a player/coach for Geronemo Basketball Club in Belgium the following season. The Bronx, N.Y., native returned to the college level in 1977, taking a job as the head coach at American International College. He led the Division II program for two seasons, posting a 27-26 record.

Sign Me up!

Expected Miami Commits:

• 7:41 a.m. - 4-star LB Raul Aguirre signed his NLI

• 7:45 a.m. - 3-star OL Tommy Kinsler signed his NLI

• 8:09 a.m. - 4-star RB Mark Fletcher signed his NLI

• 9:08 a.m. - 5-star OL Samson Okunlola signed his NLI

• 9:35 a.m. - 4-star TE Riley Williams signed NLI

• 9:30 a.m. - 4-star RB Christopher Johnson

• 9:30 a.m. - 4-star DB Antione Jackson

• 9:30 a.m. - 4-star WR Robby Washington (NLI signed at 8:19 a.m.)

• 9:30 a.m. - 4-star LB Bobby Washington (NLI signed at 8:19 a.m.)

• 10:00 a.m. - 5-star CB Cormani McClain

• 10:00 a.m. - 3-star DT Joshua Horton (NLI is in at 7:54 a.m.)

• 10:00 a.m. - 3-star DB Kaleb Spencer (NLI is in at 8:39 a.m.)

• 11:00 a.m. - 4-star DL Rueben Bain (NLI is in at 8:17 a.m.)

• 11:00 a.m. 4-star LB Malik Bryant (NLI is in at 8:10 a.m.)

• 11:30 a.m. 4-star WR Nathaniel Joseph (NLI is in at 7:15 a.m.)

• 12:00 p.m. 4-star OL Antonio Tripp (NLI is in at 9:20 a.m.)

• 12:00 p.m. 3-star LB Marcellius Pulliam (NLI is in at 7:45 a.m.)

• 2:30 p.m. 4-star CB Robert Stafford (NLI is in at 7:33 a.m.)

• 3:00 p.m. 3-star OL Frankie Tinilau (NLI is in at 7:03 a.m.)

• 5:00 p.m. 3-str TE Jackson Carver (NLI is in at 8:14 a.m.)

• TBD - 4-star DE Jayden Wayne (NLI is in at 7:55 a.m.)

• 4-star DL Collins Acheampong: (NLI in at 10:21 a.m.)

• 3-star QB Emory Williams: "At the crack of dawn" (NLI in at 10:40 a.m.)

Miami Targets Include:

• 11:45 a.m. 4-star ATH Edwin Joseph

• 1:00 p.m. 5-star WR Hykeem Williams (FSU commit)

• 3:15 p.m. 4-star CB Damari Brown (ESPN)

• TBD - 4-star DB Conrad Hussey

Round Ball Round Up

The University of Miami men’s basketball team ascended three places in this week’s national rankings.

Miami (11-1, 2-0 ACC) jumped from No. 25 to No. 22 in both the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

The Hurricanes went from 100 points in the AP Poll to 208 this week and from 55 points in the Coaches Poll to now 150, an increase of 95-plus in each.

Miami’s No. 22 position in the Coaches Poll is its highest by that outlet since placing No. 19 on Jan. 8, 2018.

The Hurricanes continue competition Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. with a top-25 matchup against sixth-ranked Virginia, live on ACC Network from the Watsco Center.

To keep up with the University of Miami men’s basketball team on social media, follow @CanesHoops on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The Miami Hurricanes are No. 8 in Collegiate Baseball’s Fabulous 50 NCAA Division I Pre-Season Poll, the publication announced Tuesday morning.

The Hurricanes garnered a top-25 preseason ranking for the ninth time in the past decade. Miami is the lone ACC program to earn a top-10 preseason mark from Collegiate Baseball in three of the last four years, trailing only four-time pick and SEC power Vanderbilt, nationally.

The complete Collegiate Baseball Fabulous 50 NCAA Division I Pre-Season Poll can be viewed HERE.

Miami is one of 10 teams from the ACC in the annual Collegiate Baseball preseason poll. The Hurricanes are joined by No. 6 Louisville, No. 10 Wake Forest, No. 11 North Carolina, No. 16 Virginia, No. 23 Georgia Tech, No. 28 Virginia Tech, No. 30 NC State, No. 32 Florida State and No. 42 Clemson.

In 2022, head coach Gino DiMare’s fourth season, the Hurricanes earned a national seed and hosted a regional for the first time in six years. Miami tallied a 40-20 overall record, leading the ACC with 20 conference victories. The Hurricanes were ranked as high as No. 2 nationally and notched a 14-game winning streak, the program’s longest since 2014.

If U Only Had A Crystal Ball

When the 2022 college football season started, University of Miami football fans we ecstatic and overly enthusiastic for Mario Cristobal's first season as the Hurricanes head coach. Many, if not most UM fans, gazed into their crystal balls and boldly predicted a 10 win season under the experienced Cristobal.

After all, Mario was a hometown hero and had cut his chops first at FIU and then very successfully at Oregon as the lead dog. He was the next in a long line of "can't miss" head coach hires at UM. He was given a seemingly unlimited budget to hire the best, brightest and most illustrious group of coaches and support staff ever assembled at Miami. In theory at least.

But it wasn't long into the season that troubling signs showed up in the waters in South Florida. Once there was blood in the water the sharks started circling.

Tyler Van Dyke, last year's star QB and alledged high NFL draft pick and potential 2022 Heisman candidate, a player who finished the 2021 season with six straight games with over 300 yards and three TDs per game, looked lost and confused in Josh Gattis' new offense. It wasn't long until he was replaced by the turnover prone Jake "The Snake" Garcia and then Freshman Jacurri Brown. It made no differnce as the offensive struggles continued in spite of the changes.

The much maligned UM defense apparently couldn't get on the same page and subsequently started giving up points like parents hand out candy on halloween. The old nemesis of poor tackling and the inability to get off the field on third down managed to stick around right through all of the coaching changes. Lacking fundamentals, the defense was easily challenged by any team with even a glimmer of offense and often succumbed to their opponent's attack.

Early season losses to Middle Tennessee State University and Duke were inexcusable and simply unacceptable. A late season loss to Clemson was probably understandble, but mid-season meltdown led to UM getting blown out by FSU 45-3 at home. It was the biggest home loss margin is series history for the Hurricanes and an shocking, back breaking loss.

So your Miami Hurricanes now have one game left on their schedule against Pittsburg at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday at 8 PM. UM must win to become bowl eligible, and even if they do, their 6-6 record will be worse than last year's 7-5 posting. Last year this was a game UM won on the road by the score of 38-34. This year Pitt is favored by 6.5 points with Miami playing at home.

So our collective crystal balls for 2022 were clearly not accurate. No, we were not even close. So now, in our moment of complete desparation, we turn to the lyrics of 80's rock band Styx to help us through these troubling times:

Well, tell me, tell me where I'm going
I don't know where I've been
Tell me, tell me, won't you tell me
And then tell me again
My heart is breaking, my body's aching
And I don't know where to go
So tell me, tell me, won't you tell me
I've just gotta know

Crystal ball
There's so many things I need to know
Crystal ball
There's so many things I've gotta know
Crystal ball
Won't you tell me please before I go
Crystal ball

So It Is True: The U Is Now A Basketball School

On the same day that Mario Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes football team played Clemson and got blown out by the ACC dominant Tigers 40-10, Jim Larranaga's UM basketball team won in decisive fashion, once again proving the point that many have recently made: The University of Miami is now a basketball school.

Miami men’s basketball team defeated Providence by the score of 74-64 Saturday evening at Mohegan Sun Arena in its first game of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

The victory marked the 700th win of Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga’s illustrious career. The dominating win, in which his team led for 30-plus minutes against the reigning BIG EAST champions, came against his alma mater.

After Providence (3-1) took a 15-11 lead, Miami used separate 9-0 and 10-0 first-half runs to take early control, building its edge as high as 15 in the opening frame. The Hurricanes, behind 14 points from fourth-year junior guard Isaiah Wong, took a 12-point cushion, 38-26, into the locker room.

The Friars closed within six multiple times in the second session, but never got any closer. Fifth-year senior guard Jordan Miller banked in a 3-pointer with 5:48 left to cap an 8-0 run and make it 63-49. The Hurricanes’ advantage never dipped below double digits the rest of the way in the 10-point triumph.

Now, if only the UM football team could...oh, never mind. 

So Far, So Good

The University of Miami men’s basketball team cruised to an 87-61 win over Florida A&M Tuesday night in the finale of its three-game season-opening homestand. This is a very impressive start to the college basketball season.

The Hurricanes controlled play throughout the second frame, as Florida A&M (0-4) never got any closer than 13. Miami extended its lead as high as 28, on its way to the 26-point victory, its largest since an 85-57 victory over eventual NCAA runner-up North Carolina on Jan. 18, 2022.

Miami finished the night with 15 steals and posted a 25-3 edge in points off turnovers, committing just 10 and forcing 22. The Hurricanes, who scored 50 paint points and shot 53.0 percent (35-of-66) overall, tallied 22 assists, their most since notching the same total on Nov. 13, 2018, versus Stephen F. Austin.

Fifth-year senior guard Jordan Miller amassed 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting to go along with a game-best nine rebounds and three steals. Wooga Poplar scored a career-high 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting, also setting a career best in makes. Fellow sophomore guard Bensley Joseph also tallied a career high in scoring with 12 points.

Miami now travels to Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, first squaring off with Providence Saturday at 4 p.m., live on ESPNews.

What Can Brown Do For U?

This past Saturday the Miami Hurricanes beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta by the score of 35-14. It was an important ACC win and moves UM one win closer to being a bowl eligible team.

But that is not the story of the game, or the day, or the season.

No, the real story is how Freshman QB Jacurri Brown played in his first start.

With season starter Tyler Van Dyke injured and back-up Jake Garcia not playing well in his absence, Miami started Brown on the road in Atlanta and may have just found the answer to their future starting QB.

Prior to his first start on Saturday in Atlanta, Brown had led the scout team in practice, signaled in play calls from the sideline and had a very limited role in wild cat formations and short yardage situations.

Brown finished the game by completing 15 of 19 attemps for 136 yards and three TDs. He also rushed, no make that high-stepped, for 84 yards. To put it simply, Brown showed that he is a big time baller. At Miami, we like ballers.

Jacurri and fellow teammates DB Kam Kichens, who had a career day with 3 interceptions and one for a school record 99 yard pick six, and Jaylan "Rooster" Knighton, who ran for 118 yards and one TD (and NO fumbles), provided first year head coach Mario Cristobal at least a one week reprieve from the fans showing their dissatisfaction with the early results of his tenure. 

If Brown can show consistent progress in practice, stay healthy and produce positive results on the field, Miami may have found their future. And with the recent past UM fans have faced, a positive future sounds pretty good to us.

So now, the question on Hurricane fans' mind is: "What can Brown do for U?"