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Miami Ready To Host Regional Playoff

All season long, they have been a force at home.

The Hurricanes have posted a 28-5 record at Mark Light Field. They’ve put together more than a few late-inning comebacks there and their fans, as always, have been a part of it all.

Now, as Miami turns its focus to the NCAA Tournament, it does so knowing its road to Omaha and the College World Series will, once again, start right at home in Coral Gables.

On Sunday night, hours after making their first appearance in the ACC Championship Game in 11 years, the Hurricanes learned that once again, they’d be hosting an NCAA Regional.

On Monday, they learned they’d face Maine in their Friday night regional opener, while Louisiana and Texas will face off on the other side of the regional bracket.

The Hurricanes are ready to get back on the field – especially after a successful run in Durham saw them notch three wins, including a 7-2 victory over Wake Forest, the nation’s top-ranked team who on Monday, was announced as the overall No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

It’s a marked change from where the Hurricanes were a year ago when they entered the NCAA Tournament having lost three of their last four games before their regional opener.

Miami wound up winning that opener against Canisius – then dropped two games by a run each. The Hurricanes’ tournament run ended, their season ended and Mississippi – the team that won the last Coral Gables Regional – went on to win the College World Series.

None of Miami’s veterans have forgotten that feeling and while they’ve repeatedly said they aren’t dwelling on the past, the need to play better baseball in the postseason has been a point of emphasis throughout the month of May.

“Obviously, last season, we kind of had like a down slip going into the regional and we used that as motivation to flip the script,” said two-time All-ACC first-team selection and All-American closer Andrew Walters, who enters the regional tournament with a 1.08 ERA, 11 saves and 68 strikeouts in 41.2 innings pitched. “This season, we’re on the way up and we’re playing some of our best baseball going into this regional. So, it’s a different feeling for sure and [we’re] looking to just carry that on.”

Said Hurricanes head coach Gino DiMare, “It’s an exciting time of year. Proud of our guys, the way we’ve played down the stretch. Just heard [Walters] talking about how we’re going into the regional with probably a little different mindset, feeling as a team going into this regional than last year [when] we kind of limped into it a little bit. I think we’re playing some of our best baseball right now. I like where our team’s mindset is.”

That, they know, could be a significant advantage as they try to make a push to Omaha starting Friday night when they take on fourth-seeded Maine, which won the America East Conference title this past weekend.

“We’re here at home for a reason. We’ve played well at home this year,” DiMare said. “It certainly would benefit us to have a lot of people in here making a lot of noise for us and cheering for our Canes. Our players have worked hard and hopefully, the fans will come out here and support them…We’re trying to get to Omaha. That’s always our goal.”

Said Levenson, “We love playing here. We love playing in front of our fans. We have a lot of confidence playing here and it’s always great playing here in our home dugout, too…It’s just the comfortableness of just everything here. It’s great being in Miami. It’s going to give us good energy.”

Canes Hardballers Prepare For ACC Tourney

The Miami Hurricanes will be the No. 4 seed in the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Championship, the league office announced Sunday.

Miami (38-17, 18-12 ACC) is the top team in Pool D, joined by fifth-seeded Duke (35-19, 16-13 ACC) and ninth-seeded NC State (34-18, 13-16 ACC). The Hurricanes are set to open postseason play at 7 p.m. Thursday against the Wolfpack. Miami will square off against the Blue Devils at 3 p.m. Friday to conclude pool play.

Atlantic Division champion Wake Forest and Coastal Division winner Virginia are the top two seeds for the ACC Baseball Championship, which begins Tuesday at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.

The Demon Deacons (45-9, 22-7 ACC) earned the No. 1 overall seed and will head up Pool A. Wake Forest is joined by eighth-seeded Notre Dame (30-22, 15-15 ACC) and 12^th-seeded Pitt (23-30, 10-18 ACC)

Pool B features No. 2 Virginia (44-11, 19-11 ACC) along with No. 7 North Carolina (33-21, 14-14 ACC) and No. 11 Georgia Tech (30-25, 12-18 ACC).

Third-seeded Clemson (39-17, 20-10 ACC) is joined in Pool C by sixth-seeded Boston College (34-17, 16-14 ACC) and 10^th-seeded Virginia Tech (12-17, 30-21 ACC).

The ACC Baseball Championship will feature a pool-play format leading into a four-team, single-elimination bracket to determine the league champion. Each team in the four pools will play round robin in its pool Tuesday through Friday (May 23-26). The four teams with the best records within their respective pools will advance to Saturday’s semifinals, with the winners playing in the ACC Championship Game Sunday.

If the teams are tied at the completion of pool play, the team with the highest seed in the respective pool will advance.

Game times Tuesday through Friday are set for 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday’s semifinals are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 5 p.m., while Sunday’s championship will start at noon.

Tickets are now available at DurhamBulls.com or by calling the Durham Bulls Box Office at 919-956-BULL (2855).

ACC Network will carry each of the pool play games Tuesday through Friday, in addition to both of Saturday’s semifinals. Sunday’s championship will be broadcast nationally by ESPN2.

To keep up with the University of Miami baseball team on social media, follow @CanesBaseball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Larranaga Is Doing Work In The Offseason

University of Miami head men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga announced Sunday the signing of Matthew Cleveland.

A 6-foot-7, 200-pound guard with two years of eligibility remaining, Cleveland comes to Miami after spending two seasons at Florida State University.

As a freshman in 2021-22, Cleveland claimed ACC Sixth Man of the Year recognition, receiving twice as many votes as all other players combined. This past season, as a sophomore in 2022-23, he was a Top 10 Candidate for the Julius Erving Award, presented to the best small forward in the nation.

“We are excited to welcome Matthew and his family to the Hurricane basketball program. He is an accomplished, experienced, versatile individual who has already proven he can excel at a high level in the ACC,” Larrañaga said. “Matthew not only possesses the talent, athleticism and basketball IQ we look for in a player, but his style of play fits our program extremely well. He is committed to winning and we feel he can make a major impact to help us do just that.”

Across two campaigns in Tallahassee, Fla., Cleveland averaged 12.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor. He scored double-digit points in 44 of 59 outings, including posting 20-plus points on six occasions, while leading his team in scoring 19 times and in rebounding 25 times.

Cleveland accumulated 13 double-doubles at Florida State, good for a top-25 mark in program history, and notched eight in a row during a 2022-23 campaign in which he started all 30 games he appeared in. He finished the season averaging a team-best 13.8 points, a team-high 7.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 33.6 minutes per contest, while connecting on 35.0 percent of his 3-point attempts.

The Atlanta native was one of only 22 Division I players to average at least 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 35.0 percent 3-point shooting (min. one 3PA per game) in 2022-23, just seven of whom were in a Power Six league. He is one of only four ACC players in the last five years to hit those marks in a single season, alongside former ACC Player of the Year Moses Wright of Georgia Tech (2021-22), two-time Second Team All-ACC honoree Keve Aluma of Virginia Tech (2021-22) and Second Team All-ACC designee Ky Bowman of Boston College (2018-19).

Cleveland finished sixth in the ACC in double-doubles (11), seventh in rebounding, seventh in defensive rebounding (6.0) and No. 12 in field-goal percentage in 2022-23. His 10-of-10 free-throw mark at Duke on Dec. 31, 2022, equaled a Florida State record and tied for the third-most makes without a miss in a single game by an ACC player all season.

Cleveland is the third 2023-24 newcomer for the Hurricanes, joining four-star forward/center Michael Nwoko and standout Swiss guard Kyshawn George.

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

Spring Game Summary 2023

On Friday night, the Hurricanes finally took the field at DRV PNK Stadium for their annual spring game and in the process, gave Miami fans their first glimpse at this year’s new-look team.

Those fans saw quarterback Tyler Van Dyke – who was hampered last season by a shoulder injury – slinging passes down the field and looking comfortable in a new offensive system.

They saw why freshman defensive lineman Rueben Bain, Jr. a four-star prospect coming out of Miami Central High School last fall, was one of the most coveted recruits in the country.

They saw receiver Xavier Restrepo, who last season worked through an injury of his own, diving for catches and making multiple big plays for Van Dyke, his friend and roommate.

And they saw kicker Andres Borregales, one of Miami’s most consistent performers last fall, pick up right where he left off, connecting on a pair of field goals, including one from 51 yards out.

There were highlight-worthy plays on both sides of the ball and there was, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal noted, indications that the Hurricanes have grown during their 15 spring workouts.

But, the coach pointed out, the work of preparing for the 2023 season is far from finished.

“We set out to get a lot of competitive situations. Thought we did that,” Cristobal said of Friday’s scrimmage. “We played physical in spurts. We were successful in spurts on both sides of the ball and showed some signs of inconsistency. But overall, progress. We really feel like we have progressed. But we’ve got to continue to progress from here.”

Many of the Hurricanes echoed that sentiment.

“We can’t take our foot off the pedal,” said safety Kamren Kinchens, who had a pair of tackles in the first half Friday night and is coming off an All-American campaign in 2022. “Our bodies need to rest now, but the thing is, we can’t let the mental side go. We can get treatment, let our bodies take a break, but we’ve got to make sure our minds are in-tune 24/7, that can be off the field, with school, anything like that. We have to be on point with everything.”

Added Restrepo, “It’s about staying healthy now, enhancing our bodies, getting faster, stronger and smarter. Studying defenses, all of that stuff. Football IQ, everything.”

But before turning the focus to the offseason, there was the spring game.

Restrepo, who averaged 11.4 yards per catch last season despite missing five games because of his injury, was a bright spot for the first-string offense, hauling in three catches for 69 yards in the first half, which allowed for tackling and followed more of a traditional game format.

Fellow receiver Jacolby George had a pair of catches for 46 yards in the first half, including a spectacular 15-yard touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone on a pass thrown by Van Dyke.

Van Dyke, meanwhile, was poised in offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s scheme.

The quarterback – the 2021 ACC Rookie of the Year – completed 13 of 19 passes for 185 yards, his touchdown pass to George giving the offense an edge in the scoring system that pitted it against the defense.

“I felt comfortable. To be able to have the freedom to go wherever with the ball is nice. Based on what the defense gives you, you can change the plays,” Van Dyke said of Dawson’s system. “It gives a quarterback a lot of freedom to put the ball in the right spots.

“I thought we communicated well with all the plays tonight. That was the biggest thing. I thought we executed well. I mean, there’s definitely some things we could have done better, as always. We always need to improve on lots of stuff, but overall, I thought tonight was good.”

More than a few of Miami’s defenders stepped up and made big plays, too.

Francisco Mauigoa – a transfer from Washington State – notched four tackles, including a tackle for loss, while Bain totaled three sacks, all in the first half.

His performance, understandably, drew rave reviews from his head coach.

“He’s got a relentless motor and a ton of pride,” Cristobal said of Bain. “He’s been coached really, really, really well over at his high school. They just go hard, so he’s used to this practice regimen, the structure and he’s extremely disruptive and he’s very, very tough. He does not shy away. It doesn’t matter if it’s a senior offensive lineman or a freshman that came in with him, the guy’s going to get after somebody’s butt, and he did tonight.”

Another freshman earning praise from Cristobal? Receiver Nathaniel “Ray Ray” Joseph, who showed off some of his dazzling speed late when he scored on a 79-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Emory Williams.

“These are Miami Hurricanes. This is what Miami needs to always have, and lots of them. Remember playing here, that’s what our teammates looked like,” said Cristobal, a national champion offensive lineman during his own time at Miami. “Today was a good glimpse of roster addition and enhancements. Ray Ray is a diehard, diehard Cane through and through. A must-have guy. Tonight, he showed why. You just see the catches, but you should see him block, see him throw his body around. The guy really is a tremendous competitor and an elite, awesome human being that really has an incredible impact on the team.”

With the spring game now behind them, the Hurricanes will turn their focus to offseason workouts. Several of them pointed out this week how they plan to bring teammates into the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility with them to continue preparing for the season that awaits.

And before long, it will be time for preseason camp and a Sept. 1 season opener against Miami of Ohio.

“The habits that are formed and the culture that you work to create are just as important,” Cristobal said Thursday when discussing the work the Hurricanes will do moving forward. “The coaches go on the road in the coming weeks and they’re going to be gone for a while. [The players] have to be great leaders. They have to force the issue of culture. They have to make sure it’s implemented in everything that we do on a daily basis, that our workouts look like we’re there, that their player-led practices look as if its coaches running it.

“We have to continue to take steps as a program. [Spring football] was a really good step, with new coordinators in the building, with new coaches and a lot of new players. But we have to continue taking steps.”

Losers No More, The U Is In The Final Four

Facing a 13-point second-half deficit Friday night at the T-Mobile Center, the fifth-seeded University of Miami men’s basketball team came all the way back to take down second-seeded Texas, 88-81, and reach the Final Four for the first time in program history.

No. 16/15 Miami (29-7, 15-5 ACC) overcome sensational 3-point shooting by No. 5/7 Texas with a blistering 59.2 clip from the field of its own. Fifth-year senior guard Jordan Miller paced the Midwest Region champions with a game-high 27 points on perfect shooting from the floor and the line.

The Hurricanes got off to a fast start and raced out to a 7-0 lead after just two minutes. The two sides exchanged baskets and then Texas (29-9, 12-6 B12) went on a 9-0 run in 2:37 to go in front, 11-9, with 14:23 on the clock.

After starting 9-of-21 from the floor, the Longhorns made eight of their final 10 shots of the half and built an eight-point edge, 45-37, entering the locker room. Texas shot 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from 3-point range in the opening frame and held Miami to just a 2-of-3 (66.7 percent) ledger, though the Hurricanes did go 16-of-25 (64.0 percent) overall.

The Longhorns hit four of their first five shots to open the frame and went up by a dozen, 53-41, with 17:24 to go. They pushed the advantage to a game-high 13, 62-49, with 14:24 after hitting their ninth 3-pointer on just 17 attempts, while Miami was just 2-of-4 at the other end.

The Hurricanes, though, did not go away and used a 9-0 run in 2:24 to go ahead, 73-72, with 5:26 remaining. After Texas’ 10th 3-pointer of the night, Miami scored the next four points to go up by two, 77-75, with 3:57 to play.

Miami extended its margin to six, 85-79, with 23 seconds left and the Longhorns never got any closer than four, as the Hurricanes claimed the seven-point win. The victors shot 13-of-14 from the stripe in the last four minutes, including 7-of-8 in the last 34 ticks.

The Hurricanes shot 29-of-49 from the field, posting a clip of at least 54.0 percent in each half. They also went 28-of-32 (87.5 percent) from the line to counteract the 2-of-8 (25.0 percent) mark from beyond the arc.

Miller’s 27 points, his most in two years as a Hurricane and tied for the fourth-most in program history in NCAA Tournament play, came on 7-of-7 shooting from the field and a 13-of-13 mark from the line. Sophomore guard Wooga Poplar totaled 16 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-4 at the stripe.

The Hurricanes will now play fourth-seeded UConn, ranked No. 10/12 nationally, Saturday at 8:49 p.m. ET in the Final Four, live on CBS From NRG Stadium in Houston.

Sweet Sixteen Is A Sweet Emotion

The fifth-seeded University of Miami men’s basketball team defeated fourth-seeded Indiana, 85-69, Sunday night at MVP Arena to claim a second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. 

Fourth-year junior guard Isaiah Wong scored a game-high 27 points for No. 16/15 Miami (27-7, 15-5 ACC) to help the team defeat No. 21/19 Indiana in a top-25 NCAA Tournament second-round showdown.

The Hurricanes jumped out to an 8-0 lead after just 2:13, connecting on four straight field goals after an opening miss. That helped Miami build an early 10-point edge, 13-3, after only 4:02, as it started 6-of-8 from the floor and Indiana (23-12, 12-8 B1G) opened just 1-of-6.

Aided by back-to-back 3-pointers, the Hurricanes extended their lead to 13 points, 28-15, with 9:52 on the first-half clock. The Hoosiers then scored 10 straight points in 99 seconds to close within three, 28-25, with 7:17 left in the frame. Miami countered with a 10-3 run, including eight points by Wong, to go back up by double digits, 38-28, with 3:05 to go.

Indiana eventually scored the final five points of the frame, including a buzzer-beating corner 3-pointer by fifth-year senior forward Miller Kopp, to make it 40-35 at the break. Miami shot 55.2 percent (16-of-29) in the opening 20 minutes and notched an 8-2 margin in fast-break points.

The Hoosiers scored the opening eight points after halftime and, after never leading in the first half, gained their first advantage with 18:37 to go and upped it to 43-40 with 17:42 left. Miami, though, quickly recovered and soon logged a 16-2 surge in 4:49—it scored nine straight points in just 2:05 to end it—to go back up by a dozen, 63-51, with 8:15 remaining.

Indiana closed back within seven, but never got any closer. Miami eventually drilled back-to-back 3-pointers in the closing minutes to go up by 15 points, 75-60, with 3:26 to play. Although the Hoosiers made back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers, the Hurricanes continued to score at the other end, making their final seven shots and scoring the last eight points to win by 16 points, their largest margin of the night.

Miami finished with a 48.6 percent (34-of-70) clip from the field, including a 39.1 percent (9-of-23) ledger from 3-point range. The Hurricanes posted a dominant 48-31 margin on the glass and compiled more offensive rebounds (20) than Indiana had defensive rebounds (19). Head coach Jim Larrañaga’s team totaled a 29-11 cushion in second-chance points, 14-0 tally in bench points and a 46-28 ledger in paint points.

Wong’s 27-point performance, good for the co-fourth-most by a Hurricane in the NCAA Tournament, came on a 9-of-17 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-6 mark from deep, along with a perfect 5-of-5 line on free throws. The ACC Player of the Year also grabbed eight rebounds in the win.

Fifth-year senior guard Jordan Miller amassed 19 points on 9-of-16 shooting, adding five rebounds and two blocks. Third-year sophomore guard Nijel Pack, an Indianapolis native playing against his home state school, scored 12 points in the win. Third-year sophomore forward Norchad Omier scored seven points and pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds to break the program’s NCAA Tournament single-game record he set two days prior and post the top total by a Hurricane in any regulation game since November 2018.

Fourth-year junior forward Trayce Jackson-Davis, a First Team All-American, paced the Hoosiers with 23 points, eight rebounds and five blocks, finishing 7-of-10 from the field and 9-of-11 at the line. Freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 19 points, but Miami held him to 8-of-22 shooting, including a 3-of-11 clip from deep. Redshirt senior forward Race Thompson added 11 points.

Up next for Miami, which led for 33-plus minutes in Sunday’s victory, is a matchup with top-seeded Houston, ranked No. 2/1 nationally, Friday at 7:15 p.m. at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., live on CBS.

The U Can't Go Wrong With Wong

For the second time in program history, a member of the University of Miami men’s basketball team is the ACC Player of the Year, as Isaiah Wong claimed the award Monday night.

Wong joins 2012-13 honoree Shane Larkin in program record books. He also received First Team All-ACC distinction, becoming the second Hurricane, alongside Jack McClinton, to earn three postseason All-ACC honors.

In addition, Jordan Miller claimed Second Team All-ACC plaudits and Norchad Omier garnered Third Team All-ACC accolades. This is the third time three Hurricanes have earned first-, second- or third-team status in the same year, including just the third time in the ACC era, alongside 2015-16, 2012-13 and 2001-02 (BIG EAST).

“I am so proud of all three of our All-ACC honorees. Isaiah, Jordan and Norchad have all had amazing impacts on the court and in the locker room,” Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “They are tremendous basketball players who helped lead us to a share of the ACC regular season title, as well as fantastic representatives of both our program and our University.

“I want to especially commend Isaiah on winning ACC Player of the Year, an award he most certainly deserves. He is one of the hardest-working players I have ever coached and I am overjoyed for him to receive this recognition.”

A fourth-year junior guard, Wong received 30 votes for ACC Player of the Year, seven more than second-place Tyree Appleby of Wake Forest. His 337 points in All-ACC balloting also led all players, putting him 13 above second-place Armando Bacot of North Carolina. Wong, Larkin and James (1998-99) are the only Hurricanes to win conference player of the year in any league, with James doing so in the BIG EAST.

The Piscataway, N.J., native is the fourth First Team All-ACC designee in program history, joining Kameron McGusty, McClinton (2007-08 and 2008-09) and Larkin (2012-13). He is the sixth Hurricane, regardless of league, to earn first-team status, as Tim James (1997-98 and 1998-99) and Johnny Hemsley (1998-99) did so when Miami was in the BIG EAST. Additionally, Wong, McClinton (2007-09), James (1997-99) and Darius Rice (2002-04) are the only three-time all-league honorees in any conference in program history, with the latter two doing so in the BIG EAST.

The 6-foot-4, 184-pounder is averaging team highs in points (15.9), assists (3.4) and steals (1.4) per game. He is also third on the team in rebounding (4.4), while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent beyond the arc and 82.9 percent at the line.

Wong owns the highest single-game point total in the league this year (36 vs. Cornell on 12/7/22) and is a two-time ACC Player of the Week. He ranks sixth in the ACC in made free throws (121), eighth in steals per game and free-throw percentage, co-eighth in 20-point games (nine), No. 11 in points per game, No. 13 in field-goal percentage and No. 14 in assists per game.

A fifth-year senior guard, Miller is just the eighth Hurricane to receive first- or second-team All-ACC status, joining Wong, McClinton, Larkin, McGusty, Sheldon McClellan (2015-16), Kenny Kadji (2012-13) and Guillermo Diaz (2005-06 and 2004-05). Only four others—James, Rice, Johnny Hemsley (1998-99 and 1999-200) and John Salmons (2000-01)—did so in the BIG EAST era. Miller finished ninth in All-ACC balloting with 148 points.

Hailing from Middleburg, Va., Miller is averaging 15.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game, all second-best on the team, in a Miami-high 34.5 minutes per outing. He is shooting 54.0 percent overall, second-best among Hurricanes, as well as 35.4 percent on 3-pointers and 80.0 percent from the stripe. He owns two double-doubles, four 20-point showings and a co-team-high 27 double-digit scoring performances, including 24 in a row, this season.

 

Hurricanes Get Infusion Of New Blood

University of Miami head football coach Mario Cristobal Wednesday announced the hiring of Lance Guidry as the Hurricanes defensive coordinator.

Guidry spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Marshall University, where his defenses proved to be among the nation’s elite units. Marshall’s defense ranked in the top five nationally in FBS in several key statistics, including third down defense (first), stop rate (second), pass efficiency defense (third), defensive efficiency (third), yards per play (third), turnovers gained (fifth) and rushing defense (fifth).

In a dominant 2022 campaign, the Thundering Herd also finished the season ranked sixth in scoring defense (16.0) and passes intercepted (18), eighth in total defense (294.5), ninth in first down defense (200), 12th in defensive touchdowns (3), 16th in team sacks (2.92), 19th in red zone defense (76.7) and 22nd tackles for loss (6.9) and fumbles recovered (11). Both redshirt juniors Owen Porter and Micah Abraham were selected to the All-Sun Belt First Team, while four other standouts earned all-conference honors under his watch.

In his first season in the position with the Thundering Herd in 2021, Guidry’s defensive squad led the conference and placed among the top 30 nationally in passing efficiency defense (12th – 117.56), sacks (18th – 3.08) and tackles for loss (30th – 6.6). Nine of the team’s defensive players were recognized by the C-USA in their end of the season awards.

Prior to arriving at Marshall, Guidry spent a year working as the safeties coach at FAU. In 2020, his unit contributed to the 16th-best pass defense in all of FBS. (188.2) The unit ranked No. 24 in total defense in the NCAA and also finished as the second-most difficult unit to score in the conference (17.4 points per game, the ninth-best mark in the FBS).

Guidry, who spent the 2019 season at Southeastern Louisiana, served six seasons for McNeese State, his alma mater, the last three as the head coach of the Cowboys. All told, Guidry spent 12 seasons at McNeese State during which the team compiled a 98-45 overall record, including a 60-24 mark in Southland Conference play. During his most recent stint in Louisiana, he mentored Southland Defensive Players of the Year BJ Blunt (2018) and Wallace Scott (2015)

Guidry was part of McNeese staffs that helped the Cowboys to four Southland Conference championships and six appearances in the FCS playoffs, including a trip to the 2002 FCS championship game.

Guidry’s consistently dominant defense were highlighted by his units in both the 2015 and 2017 seasons. The 2017 Cowboys led the nation and set a new Southland record with 54.5 rushing yards per game allowed – the seventh-lowest average allowed in FCS history. Guidry’s 2017 McNeese defense propelled the Cowboys to a 9-2 record, ranking in the top 10 nationally in third down conversion defense (1stt – 23.8), first downs allowed (2nd – 150), defensive touchdowns (3rd- 5), total defense (5th – 262.5 ypg.), red zone defense (6th – 63.0 percent), turnovers forced (6th – 26), interceptions (7th – 16) and tackles for loss per game (9th – 8.2). That season, the Cowboys held five teams without an offensive touchdown, including Southeastern Louisiana in a 13-3 McNeese victory in Lake Charles. That year’s Lions’ offense averaged 428.1 total yards, 283.1 rushing yards and 34.8 points per game. In 2015, McNeese won the Southland Conference title and finished with a perfect regular season record thanks in large part to rankings of No. 12 nationally in total defense, third in scoring defense and fourth in rushing defense.

Prior to his stint at McNeese, Guidry was the defensive coordinator for two seasons at WKU and served as the interim coach for the Hilltoppers in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl – the program’s first bowl appearance. At WKU, he coached three NFL draft picks in defensive end Quanterous Smith, linebacker Andrew Jackson and safety Jonathan Dowling. His 2012 defense led the Sun Belt Conference in total defense, sacks, pass defense efficiency and first downs allowed.

Before coaching at WKU, Guidry was defensive backs coach at Miami (Ohio) for two seasons. The 2010 RedHawks were 10-4 and won the GoDaddy.com Bowl over Middle Tennessee, 35-21, with Guidry serving as interim head coach.

Guidry also had local high school coaching stops at Leesville and Carencro High School. A 1995 McNeese graduate and two-time All-Conference strong safety, Guidry helped McNeese to a pair of conference titles and playoff appearances during his collegiate playing career (1990-93).

University of Miami head football coach Mario Cristobal Thursday announced the hiring of Shannon Dawson as the Hurricanes’ offensive coordinator. Dawson’s hire is pending completion of a standard University background check.

Dawson spent the past four seasons at the University of Houston, including the last three as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He joined the program as tight ends coach at Houston in January 2019 after three seasons as offensive coordinator at Southern Miss.

In Dawson’s three seasons as quarterbacks coach with the Cougars (2020-22), Houston quarterbacks combined to throw 87 touchdown passes (13th nationally) behind a 65.3 completion percentage (19th nationally) and 10,008 passing yards (21st nationally). Dawson tutored signal caller Clayton Tune to a record-setting career. In 2022, Tune set the American Athletic Conference single-season touchdown passes record (40). The first-team all-conference honoree ranked third nationally in passing touchdowns, third in total offense (355.2) and fifth in passing yards per game (313.4).

Dawson’s Cougars ranked eighth nationally in passing offense (314.0) this past season. Houston wide receiver Nathaniel Dell led the nation in receiving touchdowns (17) and receiving yards (1,398) while Matthew Golden set a Houston true freshman record with seven receiving touchdowns.
Houston ranked 15th nationally in scoring offense (35.6), 22nd in first downs offense (314), 23rd in passing offense (271.6) and 25th in red zone offense (.891).

In his final year at Southern Miss (2018), Dawson helped guide the Golden Eagles as the No. 3 team nationally in completion percentage, completing 69.2 percent of their passes. Sophomore quarterback Jack Abraham ranked third in the league and 22nd nationally with an average of 260.8 passing yards per game while leading the nation with a completion percentage of 73.1 percent and ranking fourth nationally with 24.8 completions per game. Sophomore receiver Quez Watkins earned first team All-Conference USA honors after finishing second in the league with nine touchdown receptions while true freshman center Trace Clopton earned FWAA Freshman All-America honors.

Despite missing his starting quarterback for three games and in limited action in two more contests in 2017, the Golden Eagles were still able to amass 424.6 total yards per game, just behind league champion Florida Atlantic and West Division champ North Texas. His efforts also helped former Golden Eagle Ito Smith become just the 10th running back in FBS history to rush for over 4,000 yards and collect at least 1,000 receiving yards.

In his first season with Golden Eagles, Dawson mentored Nick Mullens in his senior season, who ended his career first in passing yards and touchdowns thrown. Mullens signed a free-agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers heading into this season. Southern Miss also set a school record for total offensive yards in a game with 702 against Rice.

Dawson also helped build some of the nation’s most prolific offenses at West Virginia, where he spent four seasons, including his last three as offensive coordinator. In his last season in Morgantown, WVU ranked 12th in the nation in total offense, averaging 499.8 yards per game, and was ninth nationally in passing offense at 317 yards per contest. The Mountaineers averaged 33.5 points per game and set a school record by scoring at least 30 points in eight consecutive games. WVU also averaged more than 182 rushing yards per game.

A native of Clinton, La., Dawson played his college football at Wingate (N.C.) University as a quarterback and wide receiver. He began his coaching career as receivers coach at his alma mater in 2002.

Dawson linked up with former Kentucky head coach Hal Mumme in 2003-04 to help revive a program at Southeastern Louisiana that had been dormant for 17 years. He also coached with Mumme at New Mexico State in 2005.

Dawson went to Millsaps College as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2006-07. The Majors won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship both years, the first back-to-back titles in school history, and quarterback Juan Joseph was two-time SCAC Offensive Player of the Year. Millsaps played in the NCAA Division III playoffs in 2006.

Dawson moved to Stephen F. Austin University as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 2008-10. With the Lumberjacks averaging only 16 points a game during a winless 2007 season, Dawson helped orchestrate an amazing turnaround in SFA’s offensive fortunes. In his first season, the Lumberjacks ranked third in the nation in passing offense, 13th in total offense and 14th in scoring offense.

SFA won or shared the Southland Conference championship the next two seasons, advancing to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs both years. In 2009-10, SFA led the nation in passing offense while ranking in the top six nationally in total offense and scoring. Quarterback Jeremy Moses was a two-time All-American, two-time Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Year and won the Walter Payton Award as the FCS National Player of the Year. Wide receivers Dominique Edison and Contrevious Parks went on to play in the NFL.

Larranaga Leads Canes Past Clemson

The University of Miami men’s basketball team snapped ACC-leading Clemson’s 15-game home winning streak Saturday evening with a 78-74 victory in a top-25 matchup at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Third-year sophomore guard Nijel Pack paced No. 23/21 Miami (18-5, 9-4 ACC) with a game-high 20 points in the road win over No. 20/19 Clemson (18-6, 10-3 ACC).

The Tigers raced out to a 10-4 lead after just three-and-a-half minutes, but Miami countered with a game-tying 8-2 burst in just 93 seconds on the way to building a 30-25 edge with 4:57 on the clock. Clemson later used a 7-0 surge to go up, 35-31, with 2:42 left in the half, but the Hurricanes scored the final four points before the break to level the score at 35 through 20 minutes.

The Hurricanes conceded zero first-half offensive rebounds, but Clemson shot 6-of-12 (50.0 percent) from 3-point range and 5-of-6 (83.3 percent) from the line. Miami, meanwhile, had six offensive boards, but just 3-of-12 (25.0 percent) and 4-of-7 (57.1 percent) respective clips before the break.

Four different Hurricanes hit 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half, sparking a 17-7 run that also included an old-fashioned three-point play and put Miami ahead by 10 points, 52-42, with 14:29 to go. It then extended the cushion to a game-best 12, 56-44, with 11:10 remaining.

The Tigers responded soon thereafter with another 7-0 run, this one in just 70 seconds, to make it a three-point margin, 61-58, with 6:06 to go. Miami scored the next five points and went back up by eight, 66-58, with just 4:39 in the game.

Clemson then made three straight shots, along with a free throw, and trimmed the deficit back to three, 68-65, with 2:51 left. After a Miami basket, the Tigers again got it down to three, 70-67, with 1:26 on the ticker, but the Hurricanes scored the next three points from the line to take a six-point edge, 73-67, with only 27 seconds to go.

The home team again closed within three, but Pack hit two free throws with 4.8 ticks left to make it a five-point cushion. The Tigers hit a 3-pointer with exactly one second to play, slicing the advantage to two, but Pack made two more free throws three-tenths of a second later to ice the team’s second top-25 victory in as many chances this season.

The Hurricanes return home now for a “Big Monday” showdown at 7 p.m. against Duke, live on ESPN from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla.

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

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.