The funny thing about Miami sports fans is that they very
much live in the present. I suppose this is somewhat like any other sports fan,
yet there’s something very peculiar about the expectations Miamians put on
their sports teams, how angry they are when they don’t reach those
expectations, and how much they act like they are the biggest supporters and
fans of a certain team when that team does something special for a change.
The
University of Miami men’s basketball team is not immune from such treatment.
Miami’s favorite catchphrase, “Miami’s back,” and the possible truth of it
examples this idea of expectations and the live-or-die attitude of Miamians
when it is attributed to the University’s much-maligned football team, which
hasn’t been a source of much pride for the city since unfairly (yes, unfairly)
losing the 2003 Fiesta Bowl National Championship to the Ohio State University
Buckeyes. But contrary to its round-ball brethren, the Hurricanes football team
at least has its history to refer to when lamenting about its current state of
mediocrity (to be generous, at times). The story remains the same for football
in this town as a whole.
Miami has
always been a football town (at least when it’s not a baseball town). The
Hurricanes have won five national championships and dominated the college
football scene for about two decades in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early ‘00s. They
are home to five of the highest team trophies and two of the highest player
trophies (the Heisman, earned by Vinny Testaverde and Gino Torretta), perpetrators
of future rules violations, a city unifier, and the inventors of Swag. A
documentary about their rise to prominence, The U, directed by Miami’s own
Billy Corben, is the most viewed ESPN 30 for 30 of all time and considered by
most the best. The Miami Dolphins, similar to the Canes in their current state
of dismay, also have a storied history; being the home of the greatest football
coach of all time, Don Shula, having the NFL’s only undefeated season in 1972,
and having enjoyed the time given to it by Dan “God’s Right Arm” Marino. The
Orange Bowl was practically a national monument before its demolishing in 2008
to make room the bane-of-Miami Marlins Park.
But there
have been rumblings around Dade (and Broward) County this year that there could
be a shift in sports dominance from America’s Sport to basketball, which merely
has very recent beginnings in the 305. The University of Miami’s team rejoined
Division I basketball in 1985; the city was award the Heat as a new NBA
franchise in 1988. History? Not so much, especially when compared to Indian’s
basketball history, or Kentucky’s or Kansas’, or North Carolina’s. Yet 2012 saw
a shift in power; in fact, Miami has been waiting for this for quite some time,
or at least since 2003 or so, when its Canes and Dolphins began to fall into
laughingstocks of their respective leagues, maligned by their expectations and
inability to live up to them.
In June
2012 the Miami Heat, led by Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, won the
NBA championship and gave the first glimpse of sustaining basketball success
this city has ever seen (one could argue that the 2003 NBA draft marked the
beginning of a dynasty when the franchise drafted Wade; however, no
somewhat-knowledgeable basketball fan saw any hope of lasting success when the
team rented signed Shaquille O’Neil to win its first championship in
2006). Some said it was then that Miami became a “basketball town.” But not
many saw what was coming with the team just a bit southwest on US 1 called the
Miami Hurricanes.
The Beginnings
The Miami
Hurricanes signed Coach Jim Larranaga in 2011 after the resignation/firing of
Coach Frank Haith, who was under the pressure of the NCAA as a part of the
Nevin Shapiro scandal and quickly bolted to the University of Missouri. Haith,
to the confusion and amazement of Hurricanes fans, found quick success at
Mizzou with his team led by point guard Phil Pressey. Meanwhile Larranaga inherited
Haith’s collection of misfits (5th year senior and bench fodder
Julian Gamble, talented but inconsistent transfer Kenny Kadji, erratic shooters
Malcolm Grant, Trey McKinney-Jones, and Rion Brown, spaz-attack-waiting-to-happen
Durand Scott, and fan-favorite and perpetually overweight Reggie Johnson) and
his first recruit—the extremely talented and tiny son of Baseball Hall of Famer
Barry Larkin: Shane Larkin.
Larranaga,
the former coach of Final Four Cinderella George Mason, who made its
unbelievable run in 2006, was welcomed to Miami with the weariness of many a
Canes supporter. On the one hand, this was a coach of a mid-major who had seen
great tournament success, something the Hurricanes basketball team had never
before accomplished. On the other hand Larranaga was a relative unknown and old,
and it was unclear why he would even come down to Miami other than as a
quick-stop retirement ploy. It wasn’t until very recently that Canes fans saw
Larranaga for what he was—a passionate, dedicated, caring, and winning coach.
Larranaga’s
first season ended much like the end of Haith’s career—twenty wins but no birth
in the NCAA tournament. The Hurricanes went to the Dance only once under Haith—in
2008 under the stellar play of Canes legends Jack McClinton and Dwayne Collins.
That team lost in the second round in a heartbreaker against Texas, and Miami
hasn’t seen its team play in the field of 64 since.
2012: A New Season
and a Last Chance
Coming into 2012 Larranaga saw many
of Haith’s players about to play their last season. Gamble, Kadji, Johnson,
Scott, and McKinney-Jones were all seniors. He really only rotated in two more
guys—budding superstar Larkin and junior Rion Brown, so this would almost be a
last-hurrah of sorts before the official rebuilding process of the program
would begin. Some thought the team would actually be good, but most thought
Larranaga would have to be given a chance with his own players as Haith’s were
unable to create success, much like the treatment football coach Al Golden is
currently receiving with his Canes team after taking over for Randy Shannon.
Kadji and Johnson were good and Larkin showed promise as a freshman, but there
was no reason to believe that McKinney-Jones, Brown, and Scott would take the
next step or that Julian Gamble, very average as he was before sitting out the
entire 2011-2012 season with an ACL injury. Really, there were very few expectations,
even in a town full of them, for the Canes basketball team.
The Canes
basketball season kicked off November 2nd in an exhibition against
Saint Leo with a loss, 67-69. Most who were talking up the team shut up, but
nearly everyone was still focusing on the University’s football team, who just
came off a huge win against rivals Virginia Tech on the previous Thursday
night, and its chase for its first ACC championship berth. The basketball team
beat Stetson, lost against FGCU, and then beat Jacksonville and Detroit by the
time football season ended with a win against Duke and a forfeiture of yet
another year of postseason play despite drawing a berth in Charlotte. Four days
later on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving break, Miami hosted Michigan State at
home in the Bank United Center.
In a packed
(but not sold-out) house and a pumped up student section looking for some joy
after another disappointing year of Canes football, fans witnessed the men’s
team completely dominate Tom Izzo’s injury-riddled Spartans from start to
finish for a 67-59 win. Unranked, the Hurricanes defeated the #13 team in the
nation, which prompted the first of two court stormings that the students would
partake in this season. It was momentous, joyous, and one of those oh-yeah-the-Hurricanes-basketball-team-might-be-good-this-year
moments.
Since most
didn’t pay attention to Canes basketball until November 24th,
everyone saw a potential breakout season rising up. Shane Larkin was amazing
everybody with his consistent and eye-popping play, Durand Scott seemed to
become the consistent leader the team needed him to be, Kenny Kadji was blossoming
a burgeoning star, Trey McKinney-Jones turned into a three-point sniper, Julian
Gamble was shocking everybody with his smart, efficient play and suffocating
defense and Reggie Johnson was, well, Reggie Johnson. People started talking.
Things were looking up. Students went home for Christmas happy about their
sports team, thinking this could be the turning point of the program. The wins
leading up to the team’s Diamond Head Classic tournament in Hawaii got
everybody bragging to their UF, Duke, and Kentucky fans about Canes basketball.
Johnson’s Injury and
the Beginning of Dominance
On December 21st, 2012
the news broke that star center Reggie Johnson had injured his thumb during the
Friday practice before the Classic had begun and was out indefinitely. It was
later reported that Johnson would miss 6-8 weeks, including much of the ACC
schedule and in games against UNC, Duke, and Florida State. Miami went on to
advance to the semifinals of Diamond Head, handedly losing to Arizona State
69-50 and then in the 3rd place game against Indiana St. in
overtime. Miami fans, ever flowing with the wind, went back into sports
mourning over their continued ineptitude of their favorite University’s sports
teams.
Many wondered how the Canes would
fare without its star. Johnson, while not the best player on the team, was good
the longest and remembered fondly for such classic moments such as his 27-point
game in a win at Duke last season. While Miami had good depth in the
frontcourt, it was hard to picture Miami sustaining any success without its
rock.
And then the UNC game happened.
Some call the turning point of the season for the Canes was its bounce-back
game against LaSalle which it won 76-59, but the turning point in every fan’s
heart was the thrashing in Chapel Hill. Even without Johnson the Canes knocked
off on the road a perennial ACC and NCAA powerhouse in the Tar Heels, and
morale quickly jumped right back to where it was in late November. Miami then
beat Maryland in a decently-excitable BUC environment and Boston College on the
road in a thriller before the game that was everybody’s schedule—the most
highly anticipated Hurricanes basketball match-up in the University’s history:
The Duke Game.
The Duke Game
This
contest deserves its own section. This Canes victory will forever be embedded in Hurricanes sports (not just basketball) lore and might be considered the
turning point in the program’s history in the future. Perennially attendance-challenge
Miami saw devoted students camping out the night before the Wednesday night match-up; the game had sold out prior to its start for the only the second time,
the first being a 2011 match-up against the Blue Devils. Media coverage was at
its probable high for the basketball team. Students who didn't camp were lined
up as early as 8am just to grab a seat in the student section. Larranaga and
his players handed out donuts and pizza to students throughout the day. Julian
Gamble, Trey McKinney-Jones, and Shane Larkin came out of the locker room to
shake hands with every person in line, probably around 1,000 students. And
then, Gamble muttered something that began an explosion of confusion, excitement,
and speculation: “ We've got a surprise for y’all.”
There had
been rumors that the injured Johnson had been doing well in limited practice in
the previous week; a text was even being circulating that the big senior was
ready to go and would make his extremely-early return that night against Duke.
Once the students piled into the BUC early to the sight of Johnson in warm-ups,
it was all but confirmed that the school’s favorite player would be returning
for the biggest game in program history.
It was
later discovered in a taped conversation between Larranaga and ESPN’s Dick
Vitale that Johnson had been cleared to play that very morning and that
Larranaga was willing to give the big guy significant minutes. Johnson didn't start and had a very limited offensive game, but his energy, stellar defense
against Duke’s Mason Plumlee, and momentum swing proved invaluable to the Cane’s
win, despite probably not needing any of that at all. The Hurricanes, after a
tight start to the match, went on a 25-1 run in the first half and completely
punished the Blue Devils until the finish, ending in a 90-63 win and the
euphoria of thousands of Miamians everywhere, who probably all shared a
collective thought: that Miami basketball is for real, and this isn’t going
away any time soon.
ACC Win Streak and
Media Obsession
The Miami
Hurricanes immediately became a nationwide obsession. Articles were written all
over the internet and newspapers, pundits were dropping the “Miami is for real”
bombs as big as those dropped after eating Thai food, and braketologists
everywhere were putting Miami real high on their seedings. After the Duke
victory the Canes went on an ACC tear, winning its first 13 games and climbing
the rankings all the way to #2 before losing on the road to Wake Forest. Miami
has been in the top 10 ever since, and the media has called Miami everything
from a national title contender to the best team in the nation. The successes,
attention, and rankings have been completely uncharted territory for the
program, and most are in disbelief at the seemingly from-out-of-nowhere story
this Miami team has been. By the end of the year the Canes had seen five home
sellouts, four more than the rest of its history combined.
After The Duke
Game and more so each week since, Jim Larranaga has been considered the
National Coach of the Year; it’s just a matter of time and an injustice if
taken away. It was announced February 7th that Shane Larkin was a
finalist for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the best point guard in the country.
It was announced March 9th that he was also a finalist for the
Wooden Award, given to the best player in the country; Larkin is also
considered the favorite for ACC Player of the Year. In a year that keeps on
giving, recognition for the 24-6 Canes is reaching new heights with each
passing week in the season.
Slump, ACC Regular
Season Championship, and Making History
The team’s loss to Wake Forest
marked the culmination of a team slump that began arguably after it became the
first squad to beat UNC and Duke by 25 or more points in the same season. The
Canes showed up in a big away in the second matchup against the Blue Devils,
this time at famed Cameron Indoor, but was overshadowed by the return of its
new rival’s own injured superstar, Ryan Kelly, and his 36 points. Other than
that game the Hurricanes ended its season on a slower note than it had been
used to all year; the most frightening event happening March 6th in
a loss to Georgia Tech at home in what would have clinched the ACC regular
season championship.
The cold
streak has been most visibly seen in the deteriorating play of Reggie Johnson
and Rion Brown, the sluggishness of the team’s defense, and the complacency
seen in the Canes’ play that could be understood when looking through the lens
of a possible long NCAA tournament run. Johnson has not been the same since
returning from his thumb injury and has played particularly poorly since the Duke
game, turning the ball over more often and shooting terribly from the floor.
Brown’s already-average field goal percentage is dropping by the game, and a
late turnover on the first tying possession and a missed three on the second
have accentuated the important bench-players poor play lately. Overall the team’s
defensive intensity, the pride of the squad all season and the main reason for
its success, has waned significantly, and Coach L alarmingly admitted after the
Tech loss that he thinks his team is tired.
Miami only
rotates eight players in times of importance with freshman center Tonye Jekiri
joining Larkin, Scott, McKinney-Jones, Brown, Kadji, Johnson, and Gamble. The
only player who has logged significant minutes, albeit very few, is Ryan
Swoope, while Raphael Akpejiori saw some significant minutes earlier in the
season. Larkin and Scott particularly play a large amount of minutes with 36
and 34, respectively. It does make sense that it would be unrealistic to ask a
team to play to Coach Larranaga’s level of defensive effort for an entire
season, especially against lower-tiered ACC teams, but the level of concern has
most definitely been raised lately for the Hurricanes, who are dropping in the
poles and haven’t played championship-level basketball since the second North
Carolina win.
But as is
the story of the Miami sports fan, none of those feelings or fears could
overcome the feeling of joy, happiness, and accomplishment felt when the
Hurricanes won their first outright conference championship in the history of
the program in its final game against Clemson. Honestly, since that win on
March 9th to end the season there has been nothing but pride and
contentment for the men’s basketball team. And of course come those things that
come with all Miami sports: excitement, hope, and expectations. Every negative
feeling that has come from the past two weeks is now gone with an ACC
championship, the first one not to go to UNC or Duke since 2003, and ACC and
NCAA tournament expectations are high. Miami should roll into March Madness
with a three or a two seed and a real chance to go further than any other team
in program history has gone, or in other words past the Sweet Sixteen.
If there is
one way to describe Miami’s season it is this: making history. There have been
so many firsts for University of Miami basketball this season that it would
take a longer article than this overly-drudging one to list them all. And while
many now have less-than-optimistic views on where Miami’s season could go, I
have faith that this team’s destiny to make history is not yet over. An Elite
Eight? A Final Four? A National Championship appearance? Maybe. But regardless
of the final outcome of this season, it is important not to take away the fact
that this has been the greatest year in University of Miami basketball history
and nothing could possibly ruin that.
I doubt
anybody called the men’s basketball team winning an ACC championship before the
football team. I doubt anybody thought this band of unwanted seniors and a
superstar sophomore would have the greatest season in Miami history and at one point
be the #2 team in the country. I doubt anybody would have thought that Miami
would put out National Coach of the Year, National Player of the Year, or ACC Player
of the Year candidates, never mind in the same season. I doubt anybody would
have thought that a 63 year old coach who cares more about advanced statistics
than anything else would see success with a consistently average-to-bad
basketball team that plays for a football school.
And I doubt
anybody would have guessed that the statement that brought “The U” back to prominence
wouldn’t be “Miami is back” but rather “Miami is now a basketball school.”
I’m not making
any bold statements here. I’m just throwing it out there. But maybe Miami now
is, in fact, a basketball town.
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