Completely happy Monday, everybody.
Hope your March has gotten off to a fantastic begin. With convention tournaments going down this week and the Massive Dance beginning the week after, it’s a good time to be a sports activities fan. Sadly, your Miami Hurricanes is not going to be collaborating, ending sixteenth within the ACC and lacking the convention tourney. Nevertheless, there’s a brand new man in cost trying to maintain that from taking place once more anytime quickly.
As such, let’s get to it.
1) First, I need to speak about Saturday. Miami males’s basketball lastly received one other convention sport, and it was in opposition to a notable opponent and in thrilling style.
The Canes, as common, discovered themselves down massive at half, this time 41-31 to NC State, who was the ACC’s consultant within the Ultimate 4 final 12 months. Nevertheless, the Wolfpack fell on their faces this 12 months, ending 5-15 in convention play and in addition lacking the ACC tourney.
As such, this was the ultimate sport for each groups’ seasons, and it regarded prefer it was going to be a bitter ending for Miami. Trailing 70-62 with 3 and a half minutes left, the Canes went on a 10-0 run to finish the sport. Massive threes by Matthew Cleveland and A.J. Staton-McCray pulled Miami even at 70 with beneath 2 minutes left. Then, after a turnover, Cleveland drove the basket, missed, and Brandon Johnson slammed it house with one second left for the win.
An unpleasant, gross, no-good season at 7-24, however one which ended with one other optimistic.
2) And the hope now’s that Jai Lucas can take the nostril diving Canes and steer them again in direction of the highest of the heap in faculty basketball.
I’d add a tweet right here about Miami’s welcome to their new coach, however Twitter/X is totally in the bathroom at the moment. They’ve been glitchy with their feeds, and the tweets apparently received’t embed both. Oh nicely. Go to the Canes’ basketball web page and test them out.
No less than YouTube is purposeful, so right here’s Lucas’ presser at the moment, for individuals who may need missed it.
Loads was mentioned, however what stood out is what Lucas mentioned about his expectations for having the ability to get this system again to a aggressive stage.
“It’s going to be a giant overhaul,” Lucas instructed the gathered media. “My expectation coming in was that I’d must get 13 new gamers simply because that’s the best way it’s now. However you by no means know of the chance of individuals coming again. It might be slightly bit decrease.
“I’ve dreamed of this second my entire life, so that is superb,” Lucas mentioned when he first took the rostrum.
3) What I really like about Lucas is a key function he held at Duke, and that was in recruiting.
Lucas was a key a part of the recruitment of a number of the prime gamers within the nation for the Blue Devils, so he is aware of what it’s like to enter the lounge of a prime expertise and what to say to get them to come back to his program. He’s not going to be nervous or intimidated by any participant or any scenario.
In fact, Miami isn’t Duke on the hardwood, however there’s a lot to promote in Coral Gables for the Hurricanes. Climate, services, NIL, enterprise/advertising alternatives, enjoying in a prime hoops convention that will get lots of publicity. The College of Miami needs to be very simple to promote.
And Miami now has a man who’s been a terrific salesman. Have to love the chances right here.
4) I additionally love that Jim Larranaga was there at Lucas’ presser.
And he was there together with his spouse, Liz. You actually do have to like the dedication of Larranaga to the college. I missed seeing him on the sideline one final season, however he’d earned the suitable to stroll away on his phrases. Hopefully, Lucas can get the Canes again to the extent that Larranaga had them at from 2021-23.
5) As for Canes’ baseball? Bleh.
A collection loss to UConn the place they gave up 30 runs over the weekend. THIRTY! To a UConn staff that was 2-7 coming into the collection. I don’t care that they beat Vandy earlier than coming right here. 2-7.
That’s what I get for being mildly inspired by the pitching early this 12 months. I assume we’ll see how convention play goes, which begins on Friday at Wake Forest, however man……I’m not feeling good about this staff as they head into their ACC slate.
Might they show me flawed. Not holding my breath although.
Go Canes!