After seven seasons at the helm, former Miami head coach Frank Haith departed for Missouri, leaving behind a recruiting controversy and a 43-69 conference record. Miami looks to head in a new direction this season with four returning starters and a coach famous for his work at the mid-major level.
Enter former George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga, who inherits a team that returns its three leading scorers from last season. Senior Malcolm Grant is arguably the best long-range shooter in the conference and led the ACC by making 42.3 percent of his 3-pointers last season. Junior Durand Scott, who joins Grant in the backcourt, dropped 13.6 points per game.
The real question for the Hurricanes will be in the frontcourt. At 6-foot-10 and nearly 300 pounds, junior center Reggie Johnson proved to be a force in his second season, averaging near a double-double with 11.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Joining him down low are junior Kenny Kadji, a transfer from Florida and senior DeQuan Jones, both of whom possess outstanding physical potential but lack polish.
Miami will be tested prior to ACC play this year. In addition to facing No. 11 Memphis, the Hurricanes will square off against Purdue and West Virginia, two unranked teams with NCAA tournament aspirations.
Although a deep late-season run seems unlikely for this Miami team, underdog status is not unfamiliar to the new coach, who engineered George Mason’s Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2006. Under his leadership, this athletic veteran squad should create havoc in the ACC.
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