Miami opens its season Monday in opposition to visiting Fairleigh Dickinson trying forward whereas longing to outrun contemporary reminiscences of final season.
One participant eager for these latest glory days with the Hurricanes is Nijel Pack, an elite 3-point shooter who averaged 13.3 factors final season and was chosen to the Atlantic Coast Convention preseason first group this season.
He was a starter in 2022-23 when Miami completed 29-8 and reached the NCAA Ultimate 4.
Final season, Miami slipped to 15-17 (6-14 ACC) and did not make the event. The ACC preseason ballot projected the Hurricanes to complete sixth within the convention this season.
Fairleigh Dickinson was predicted to complete third within the Northeast Convention preseason ballot after a 15-17 (9-7 NEC) final season.
The Knights misplaced their greatest participant from final season as first-team All-NEC ahead Ansley Almonor (16.4 scoring common) transferred to Kentucky.
Now, the Knights are powered by 6-foot-6 junior publish Jo’el Emanuel, 6-6 senior wing Cam Tweedy and 6-3 sophomore guard Terrence Brown.
Emanuel is the group’s main returning scorer (10.6). Tweedy missed final season because of a knee harm.
Brown is thought to be the league’s prime defender, and junior-college switch Dylan Jones, a 6-5 junior who’s a 3-point shooter, might be a key contributor.
Knights coach Jack Castleberry stated he is desirous to see Tweedy again in motion.
“He is nonetheless gaining confidence in his knee,” Castleberry stated. “He hasn’t run round at a excessive stage in 11 months. I think about he’ll be significantly better in January and February than he’s proper now. However’s he nonetheless efficient now.”
The Knights, who led their league in rebounding final yr, could have fairly a problem in opposition to Miami’s energy ahead/middle combo of 6-8 senior Brandon Johnson and 6-10 senior Lynn Kidd.
Johnson began 31 video games for East Carolina final season, averaging 14.0 factors and a team-high 8.6 rebounds.
Kidd began 33 video games for Virginia Tech final season, rating third within the nation in field-goal proportion (66.8). He averaged 13.2 factors and 6.5 rebounds.
Three extra seniors spherical out the possible beginning lineup: 6-0 Pack, 6-2 Jalen Blackmon and 6-7 wing Matthew Cleveland, who averaged 13.3 factors for Miami final season.
Miami’s Jim Larranaga, who obtained his begin as a head coach at Bowling Inexperienced in 1986, stated Pack and Blackmon have developed good backcourt chemistry.
“I am proud of that mixture,” stated Larranaga, 75. “However they don’t seem to be very large.”
Larranaga stated he’ll try to resolve the scale subject with reserves equivalent to 6-5 freshman Jalil Bethea and 6-4 junior A.J. Staton-McCray.
–Discipline Stage Media
