Al Golden Gets Late 2013 Commit In A Dude Named Corn

Regardless of what you thought about Miami's 2013 recruiting class once National Signing Day came and went , head football coach Al Golden improved it by adding a very late 4* ATH commit by the name of Corn Elder. No, this isn't a wizard from the Shire. This is a 5'10, 165 pound ball of fury, a running back and safety in high school that also averages 21+ points a game for his high school basketball team. Elder plans to play both offense on the football team and point guard for the basketball team once he arrives on campus.

Story goes Golden only offered Corn after National Signing Day, once 5* running back Alex Collins chose Arkansas over the Canes. Elder than immediately committed to "his favorite school" via his twitter account. . The rest was history.

Elder is an extremely fast, extremely shifty back who should find a nice role as a change-of-pace (with Duke Johnson? Oh my) and as a WR. I envision Elder seeing the field as a Percy Harvin-type hybrid. That's scary.

Before seeing Corn don the green and orange, watch him make kids cry in high school:

Heat Wrap Up Season Sweep of Lakers

A Flying Death Machine. Flash. A Battioke sensation. No No. Birdman. Bizarro Mario. One particularly prickly Velociraptor. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2013 Miami Heat here for your enjoyment purposes.

The Miami Heat defeated the old, inept, and kinda funny Los Angeles Lakers 107-97 Sunday because, well, they can. While the game was pretty close throughout and a spectacle to watch, the Lakers seemed to do that thing they only do once in awhile and try really hard as the Heat did that thing that they do the entire regular season and just toy around with their opponent. Lesson learned kids, toying around wins when you have the best player in the world on your team.

Lebron James was spectacular, starting the game 5-5 and ending with 32 points on 12-18 shooting while his partner in crime Dwyane Wade had 30 on the same attempts. Wade was in vintage form like we haven't seen all season, slicing through the lethargic Lakers defense with his patented Euro-step and drilling mid-range step-back jumpers with relative easy and a nice "TWAP" sound. The King is continuing his ridiculous tear, becoming the first player in NBA history to shoot 60% from the floor in 5 straight contests.

Chris Bosh added 12 and 11 for the Heat while Mario Chalmers did something weird and played extremely efficiently. Shane Battier went 3-5 from the arc to round out a solid Heat attack that leads the league in FG percentage.

Disgruntled and "injured" Lakers big man Dwight Howard had a relatively quiet night (considering he's the size of the Empire State Building he should average about 40 and 20 every night) with 15 points and 9 rebounds while Earl Clark became the latest nobody to have a career game against the Heat. Kobe Bryant shot at an efficient 11-19 clip for 28 points and actually passed the ball deftly for 9 assists in about the lone bright spot for the inferior LA squad.

Also, this happened.

The Heat are rolling right now and next play Portland and OKC before the All-Star Break. Yawn.

Miami Beats UNC by About 30 Cause They Can

Well.

Honestly I've run out of superlatives to describe this Miami Hurricane basketball team. Yes, Miami Hurricane basketball team, not that pro team across town that has two superstars apparently seriously interested in what's going on down in Coral Gables. In a game where everything was aligned for the Tar Heels to pull one out--the Canes' long undefeated streak, the surging Heels, the jinx of everyone picking Miami to win--the Miami Hurricanes told everyone to just shut up and watch them play ball. And what a show they put on.

Once Miami won the opening tip-off to a rousing rendition of Sebastian the Ibis' "C-A-N-E-S" chant and Kenny Kadji promptly hit a open three, the Canes were off to the races, jumping to a 13-2 lead in the first ten minutes and never looking back from there. They lead 44-27 at the half and ended winning the game 87-61. Shane Larkin had 18 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds (what?) and a crowd-exploding (and superstar-uprooting) off-the-backboard alley-oop to Kadji once Miami had been comfortably ahead. Kadji and Durand Scott had 17 for the Canes, and only one player on the roster who scored--big man Reggie Johnson--shot under 50% from the field. It was an all-out display from the #8 and rising Hurricanes, whose lights-out defense, domineering inside game, and rain-inducing three-ball game has led to a 19-3 record (10-0 ACC) and eventually a top 5 ranking when the polls come out Monday.

The show has gotten so big here that others are taking notice; Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, James Jones, and Micky Arison from the Miami Heat were inside of the capacity-filled Bank United Center to enjoy the match-up, and the Larkin-to-Kadji play had James and Wade on their feet, clapping, smiling, cheering, and throwing high-fives to each other. Jon Jay and, of course, Shane's dad and Hall of Fame baseball player Barry Larkin were also in attendance and potential recruits have to notice these star-studded games going on at the BUC. Everyone is excited about Canes hoops, and nobody can quite understand how this happened.

To tell you the truth, this win against the Heels really confirmed to me that this team can sustain success. Many omens pointed to the Canes losing their first home game of the year; at the very least, I expected the game to be very close. Instead Larkin and Co. thrashed the historic giants and their legendary coach Roy Williams, who after the game called his opponent "dadgum good." I'm understanding that in the Great South this means that the Hurricanes are "extremely, scarily, tremendously, wholly, unbelievably, superlatively good." Even if I'm wrong, what a compliment from the championship-winning coach!

People, the Canes are for real. I'm not going to bother to debate "basketball town" to "football town" or school or whatever, but the fact of the matter is is that there is a distinct possibility that Miami has a college and professional basketball champion in the same year, the first city to do so since Detroit (kinda) in 1989 when the Pistons and Michigan Wolverines each won a 'ship. That's kinda cool.

Haters are still out there, so feel free to believe that this streak of domination (22+ point differential in the last four home games and 11 straight wins) will continue on pace for a good time. These old dudes are here to stay and don't fall into convectional basketball karma. If they did, then they wouldn't be here right now.

Next up: Feb 13 FSU in Tallanasty, 7pm

Canes Football and National Signing Day

National Signing Day, the day when grown men spend their entire work shift refreshing their twitter for updates on what 18 year olds are doing with their collegiate careers, has now all but ended, and the Miami Hurricanes have wrapped up an extremely frustrating and somewhat disappointing recruiting run for 2013. While NSD was a huge let down considering recent hopeful buzz around a few recruits who let Canes fans down by choosing other schools (Thomas and Bryant to FSU, Bostwick to UF, and Collins to Arkansas on Monday), a little redemption was found in the commitments of RB Gus Edwards, LB Jermaine Grace, and shocking commit WR Stacy Coley, who apparently is quite happy in joining Swag University. So there's that.

It should also be said that while the weeks leading up to NSD and the day itself were not particularly successful (especially considering the Denver Kirkland fiasco and Keith Bryant trolling hard), this staff was not looking for a 33-commit list like they did last year, and that the 2013 was for filling holes and adding depth to a roster that is returning 20 starters next season. Also, Al Golden and his staff did an extremely admirable job recruiting during the season, solidifying eventual signees that will be huge impact players for the Canes for years to come. Let's take a look at Miami's big gets.

Jermaine Grace (4* OLB)

Grace is basically Matthew Thomas JR., a small and scary fast OLB who can rush the passer and drop into coverage. He picked Miami on NSD over Louisville, who was the favorite throughout most of the process. Grace needs to fill out and find a role on Coach D's defense, but he's a terrifically talented linebacker who RUNS A 4.5 FORTY. This is crazy, and Grace was a must-get after losing out on Thomas. Look out his sophomore year for this kid.

Stacy Coley (4* WR)

This kid is the next big play maker. Miami's offense has big ones in Phillip Dorsett, Duke Johnson, and Stephen Morris, but Coley could be the electric play maker down the field like Johnson is through the trenches and off the edge. Everyone thought he was going to FSU, yet he picked the U on NSD, and says that he wants to stay home to win a championship with Miami, rhetoric previously used by guys like Duke and Tracy Howard. We could look back a few years from now and call this class the best in years because of Coley and Kevin Olsen.

Alquadin Muhammad (4* DE)

AQM was a UA All-American game commit and  a giant shock to Canes fans. Muhammad is big, fast, and in my opinion is the next Calais Campbell/Allen Bailey at defensive end. For a defensive line that desperately needs a pass rush and consistency, AQM could come in and play significant snaps in 2013.

Beau Sandland (4* TE) and Standish Dobbard (4* TE)

Considering Miami does not have one TE on its roster that can catch, Sandland and Dobbard are HUGE grabs for Golden and Coach Carroll. Sandland is a JUCO transfer who scouts say is NFL-ready now, and is probably the most sure thing to be the next Greg Olsen or Jeremy Shockey. Dobbard will be a freshman that is extremely talented and big who will most likely be groomed behind Sandland and Clive Walford.

Devante Bond (3* OLB)

Devante Bond is another JUCO transfer that literally had about 8,749 sacks last season out in California. He literally ate people out there. Go watch his highlight tape on YouTube.  This kid will be an immediate pass-rushing specialist, of which Miami had zero.

Jamal Carter (4* S)

Carter is an extremely fast, extremely hard-hitting athlete who can be groomed into the next Kenny Phillips/Sean Taylor/Ed Reed. I'm completely serious. Carter is this dirty. He probably won't see the field too much this season with Kacy Rogers II, Deon Bush, and Rayshawn Jenkins rotating between the two spots, but look for Carter to be a big impact player down the road while seeing the field occasionally in 2013. Be psyched about this kid.

Artie Burns (4* CB)

Burns is basically Carter Round Two at cornerback. He can play any position in the defensive backfield, is a physical specimen at 6'1'', and with some grooming could roam the backfield with Tracy Howard and impose much fear into enemy quarterbacks. Burns is extremely raw and lacks many technical skills, but he will be a big play maker for the Canes in the future.

Kevin Olsen (4*) AKA THE SAVIOR

I shall, deservedly, end the list with Olsen. UM alum Greg's younger brother, Olsen is a Elite 11 quarterback who has been dubbed by many fans the savior to the football program and align UM's eventual rise with his development. While Olsen is eerily similar to Kyle Wright coming out of high school (GASP), he does also display some intangibles on the football field that could eventually lead to All-America and Heisman status. He's smart, confident, instinctive, and has all the tools for a QB and should start his sophomore year after learning  in 2013 behind Stephen Morris. Olsen honestly is the best grab of this recruiting class in terms of potential and position played, so he alone could make or break this group of young recruits.

Other notable recruits: Ray Lewis III, Alex Gall, Augustus Edwards


Look for 2013 to turn into a class that adds a few solid starters for the Canes down the road and perhaps one or two superstars. Many are calling for Golden's head after this apparently disappointing class, but we should all remember that Golden was not looking at picking up too many kids (he only visited 27 players throughout the process and signed 16) and was also fighting what should be the last of the NCAA scandal investigation. Plus, recruiting is so small to a team's success compared to what people make it out to be. Now it's up to Golden to development and put teams on the field that are capable of bringing UM back to football glory. Enjoy your week folks, Miami-UNC basketball is Saturday.


BTW, if y'all want to enjoy yourselves a hilarious NSD story, google "Alex Collins".

Heat Dump Raptors, Still Confused Why They Had to Play On Superbowl Sunday

The Miami Heat improved to 30-14 today against the Toronto Raptors, with Chris Bosh scoring 28 in his return to his former team and Lebron James and Dwyane Wade also doing that thing where they score a lot of points at a high percentage. Since I, just like Lebron, don't want to have any responsibilities on Super Bowl Sunday, I will merely highlight this game in bullet points.

Highs

• Dwyane Wade partied like it was 2006, cutting, driving, and dancing his way to 23 points on 10-18 shooting to go along with 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. Wade carried the team in the first half with a team-high 16 points to continue his current streak of playing high efficiency, high octane basketball for the Heat. We love you MV3.
• Lebron got a little jelly at halftime apparently to drop 30 points by the final buzzer to go along with 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Also, that breakaway dunk late in the fourth followed by the game-sealing dagger three almost made me want to watch another Heat game tonight instead of the Super Bowl, almost. Just another day at the office.
• Boshy had 28 as mentioned, but the rest of the Heat team had nothing to write home about. They didn't really need to, either, because Miami's Big Three did that thing where they played really good and stuff.
• The Heat win the East before the All-Star break, so Coach Spo will be the fourth Heat player to be apart of the the game next weekend.

Lows

• The Heat won the East before the All-Star break. Spo undoubtedly does not like this.
• Lebron James got blocked by Rudy Gay. This is actually a thing that happened.  
• The Heat have now played on Superbowl Sunday and Christmas Day this season, which is no doubt a treat for us fans but miserable for our beloved Heat players. Oh well, they're the ones that make the big bucks. 

The Heat will fly home to Miami about now to prepare for their bout against the Bobcats tomorrow at 7:30 ET in the AAA. 

MIAMI TAKES DOWN NC STATE!!!!!!

Wow. In a game where I wasn't quite sure my questionable heart-genes would hold up, Reggie Johnson tips in a Shane Larkin miss with .8 seconds left to take down #19 North Carolina State (16-6, 5-4 ACC) in Raleigh. I probably just wrote a sentence that least encapsulates the craziness of this basketball game. 

If I were to tell you that the Hurricanes shot 3-21 from three, allowed some little sad hobbit to drive all day against Durand Scott, and got destroyed in the paint by CJ Leslie and Richard Howell, who would you guess won the game? Well, you're wrong. 

After getting outmatched in nearly ever single facet of the game in the first half, Miami turned it on in the second behind the brilliant post play of Reggie Johnson and Julian Gamble and the fearless action at the rim by Durand Scott, who also almost lost us the game by missing SO MANY FREE THROWS within the final 1 1/2 minutes. Miami's defense also, uncharacteristically, played fairly poor, being out-manned in the paint and on the drive. Once Coach Larranaga made the coaching move of the game by switching Rion Brown onto NC State's resident Baggins Tyler Lewis, who was driving incessantly on Durand Scott, the D finally locked down a bit, however. And when Reggie and Julian did that thing where they say "screw you" and then proceed to eat the entire city of Raleigh's first borns, the game was put in place for a chance to win it.

And win it the Cardiac Canes did. After a fairly poor shot selection by Baggins Lewis, Larranaga set up a timeout apparently for laughs as Larkin was just going to iso it anyway. After a tough shot rimmed out, Big Reg tipped the ball in over two Wolfpack defenders, and once NC State's general Mark Gottfried decided not to call a timeout and Rodney Purvis rimmed-out a last-second heave, the #14 Canes improved to 8-0 in the ACC and 17-3 on the year. IT'S A BASKETBALL SCHOOL NARRATIVE.

So, Miami is proving that it can not only win on the road but also win close games. They overcame an off-night (to say the very least) in their two largest strengths, defense and outside shooting, to beat a ranked conference opponent at the near-buzzer. Julian Gamble smiled a lot. This is a veteran, focused, and determined team that looks poised to make a pretty good run this March. Canes fans should also be aware that this team can improve, most notably in their defensive consistency, shot selection, and the gradual return to dominance of Reggie Johnson. Oh, it's so great you're back big dawg. 

Miami next plays Boston College Tuesday at 7pm at the Bank United Center. NC State next will be icing their collective anuses. Swag on, Canes Fam.