Hurricanes 'gotta believe'

Last season, Miami was expected to struggle, and it did.

Guard Guillermo Diaz and forward Robert Hite had left for the NBA the year before, leaving the team with a paper-thin roster, little explosiveness on the perimeter and no low-post presence. And it showed.

The Hurricanes went 12-20, losing to the likes of Cleveland State, Buffalo and Binghamton, the last in Coral Gables. The team's performance did nothing to convince fans, recruits and players that this was a team on the rise.

And yet, while Miami will certainly not challenge for this season's ACC title, the team has several pieces in place to improve upon last season's 4-12 conference mark.

First, and perhaps most importantly, senior big man Anthony King is healthy. King, a tenacious rebounder and decent inside scorer, will provide the Hurricanes with toughness and experience from battling some of the ACC's best big men the last few seasons. King, however, missed last year's final 24 games with a wrist injury. His presence should create more opportunities for fellow forward Jimmy Graham, and should also open up the court for Miami's best player, guard Jack McClinton. McClinton enrolled at Miami a few weeks before last season started, but he made an immediate impact in averaging 15.6 points per game, 10th in the ACC.

"Jack will benefit from having good post players, because if you have good post guys, there is only so much attention you can pay [to him]," head coach Frank Haith said. "When Jack had trouble last year was when we started losing our post players, and you could just gang up on him. But I'm hoping that our post players being better will take some pressure off him."

Now in his fourth season, Haith knows he has another tough year ahead of him. His young team once again lacks proven depth, and aside from McClinton, the team has few offensive options. The top tier of the ACC is likely out of reach for the Hurricanes, but a soft non-conference schedule and a healthy roster could cause some surprises once league play rolls around in January.

"We gotta believe," McClinton said. "I personally believe we can make the NCAA Tournament. And that is why every night and every day we go to practice, weights, whatever it is-because we know what we've got in front of us."