Hurricanes Look For Fourth Straight Win

Feb. 15, 2000

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Providence enters tonight’s game with a record of 8-16, 1-10 in theBIG EAST, following a 69-60 loss at Rutgers on Saturday. The Friars look tosnap their 10-game losing streak and have not tasted victory since a 55-48win over Georgetown on January 5. The Friars have been led this season bythe frontcourt combination of forward Erron Maxey and center Karim Shabazz.Maxey has been the Friars leading scorer in 15 games this season and isaveraging a team-best 15.3 points per contest. Maxey is also averaging 7.8rebounds per game to rank second on the squad. Shabazz, a transfer fromFlorida State, ranks second on the team in scoring (12.3 ppg) and is theteam’s leading rebounder (8.7 rpg).

ON THE COACHES:
Leonard Hamilton, in his 10th season at Miami and 14th as acollegiate head coach, has brought the University of Miami men’s basketballprogram in to the national spotlight. The 1998-99 BIG EAST Conference Coachof the Year, Hamilton has guided the Hurricanes to four postseasonappearances in the last five seasons including back-to-back NCAA Tournamentappearances in 1998 and 1999. Last season Hamilton led Miami to a 23-7record and a No. 10 national ranking by the Associated Press. The 20-winseason marked the first for Miami since the 1964-65 season while the APranking was the first since the 1959-60 season. Prior to his arrival at UM,Hamilton spent four seasons at Oklahoma State where he led the Cowboys totheir first back-to-back postseason berths in 36 years. Hamilton’s record atUM is 136-144 (.486) while his career mark stands at 192-207 (.481).

Providence head coach Tim Welsh is in his second season with theFriars and fifth season overall. Welsh’s record at Providence is 24-30(.444) while his overall mark stands at 94-52 (.644)

A WIN TONIGHT WOULD:

• Improve Miami’s record to 16-8, 9-2 in the BIG EAST.
• Be Miami’s seventh straight conference win.
• Be Miami’s fifth straight win over the Friars at Miami Arena.
• Clinch a winning conference record for the third straight season.
• Be Miami’s seventh win in its last eight games.

PROVIDENCE COLLEGE (8-16, 1-10 BIG EAST)
atUNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (15-8, 8-2 BIG EAST)
Wednesday, February 16, 2000 — 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Miami Arena (15,388)
WAXY (790 AM), WVUM (90.5 FM)

Probable Hurricane Starters

Probable Friar Starters

TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Tonight’s game is not being televised. The game can be heard on theHurricane Radio Network (WAXY-790 AM). Marc Vandermeer (play-by-play) andJoe Zagacki (analysis) will call the action. Tonight’s game is also beingbraodcast on the UM Student Radio Network (WVUM-90.5 FM).

THE SERIES:
Miami and Providence meet for the 21st time with the Friars leadingthe all-time series 9-11. The two have met 14 times in BIG EAST competitionwith each team winning seven contests. The Hurricanes have won six of thelast eight games including four straight at Miami Arena. Providence has notwon at Miami Arena since an 88-60 victory on February 26, 1994. Miami is 5-4all-time at home against the Friars.

The recent series has been a closely contested one with six of thelast eight games being decided by seven points or less. The last twomeetings have been decided by a combined total of six points.

LAST TIME AGAINST PROVIDENCE

No. 16 Miami 69, Providence 65
February 13, 1999
Providence Civic Center, Providence, RI

Johnny Hemsley scored a game-high 24 points while Tim James recordedhis BIG EAST leading 10th double-double of the season with 22 points and 11rebounds to lead 16th-ranked Miami to a 69-65 win at Providence. JamelThomas led the Friars with 16 points.

Miami, which led 41-37 at the half, opened the second with a 10-0run to take a 51-37 lead with 15:01 to play. The Friars then reeled off 16staight points and took a 53-51 lead with 9:44 on the clock.

Miami would take the lead for good with 6:04 to play when James hita pull up jumper from just inside the free throw line to give the Hurricanesa 58-57 advantage.

Miami, which received eight assists and six steals from VernonJennings, shot over 50 percent for the second straight game.

Freshman John Salmons led the Hurricanes defense, which held theFriars to just holding BIG EAST leading scorer Jamel Thomas to just 16points, four in the second half.

MIAMI HURRICANES

PROVIDENCE

Officials: Ted Valentine, Joe Mingle, Will Bush
Technical fouls: None.
Attendance: 10427

UP NEXT:
Following tonight’s game the Hurricanes hit the road for road gamesat Connecticut (Feb. 19, 3:30 p.m.) and West Virginia (Feb. 22, 7:00 p.m.).The Hurricanes battle with Connecticut will be televised on ABC. Followingthe road trip the Hurricanes return home to face Notre Dame at 7:00 p.m. onSaturday, February 26 at Miami Arena. the game will be televised nationallyon ESPN.

MIAMI DOMINATES IN THE ARENA:
This year marks the 11th season that Miami has called the MiamiArena home. The ‘Canes have compiled a 113-61 (.649) overall record at theArena, including a 7-3 mark this season. UM has posted a 65-20 (.765) homerecord since 1994. UM is 36-13 (.734) in its last 49 BIG EAST home gamesdating back to the 1994-95 season.

Miami Home Record Last Four Plus Seasons:

Top 5 BIG EAST Home Winning Percentages (1994-Pres.)

(Games through February 13)

Overall:

Conference Games Only:

MIAMI vs. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS:
Since becoming the 10th member of The BIG EAST Conference beginningwith the 1991-92 season, the Hurricanes have compiled a 54-30 (.643) recordagainst non-conference opponents, including a 40-13 mark (.755) at the MiamiArena.

ROAD WARRIORS:
Last season Miami registered a 10-3 road record. The 10 road winswere the most since 1959-60. Miami is 5-2 on the road this season includinga 4-1 road record in BIG EAST play. Miami was 8-1 in BIG EAST road gameslast season. Miami has won 13 of its last 15 BIG EAST road games dating backto the 1997-98 season.

MAKING ROAD HISTORY:
With its 73-71 win over Connecticut last season at Gampel Pavilion,Miami became the first school in BIG EAST history to defeat Connecticut,Syracuse, St. John’s and Georgetown on the road in the same season.

WINNING WAYS:
Miami’s 23-7 record last season marked its fifth consecutive winningseason. The last time Miami recorded at least five straight winning seasonswas the 1968-69 campaign when the ‘Canes registered their 10th straightwinning season.

PLAYING SPOILER:
Miami’s win over No. 10 St. John’s last season marked the fifthconsecutive season that the Hurricanes have defeated a ranked opponent inthe Miami Arena.

Wins Over Ranked Teams at Miami Arena since 1994-95:

VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami was 4-3 against ranked teams last season including a 3-1 markagainst ranked teams on the road. The Hurricanes have 11 wins over rankedopponents over the last five seasons. In their last eight contests againstranked teams at the Miami Arena the Hurricanes have posted a 5-3 record.

Miami Victories Over Ranked Teams:

GETTING IT DONE AT BOTH ENDS:
Miami ranked 21st in the nation in field goal percentage and 13th inthe nation in field goal percentage defense. Miami joins Duke, Maryland,College of Charleston, Kentucky, Utah, and North Carolina as the onlyschools to rank nationally in both categories. Additionally, the Hurricanesled the BIG EAST in both categories.

SUCCESS IN THE SUNSHINE STATE:
Entering the 1999-2000 season the Hurricanes are the only team inthe state of Florida to register a winning record in each of the last fiveseasons. The Hurricanes’ 87-57 (.604) mark since the 1994-95 season is thetop winning percentage and most victories among the state’s 11 Division Iprograms.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS:
Seniors Mario Bland, Johnny Hemsley and Vernon Jennings have been anintegral part of the Hurricanes’ accent into the national spotlight. Duringtheir first three seasons at Miami the three have led the Hurricanes to a57-30 (.655) record, three consecutive winning season, and three straightpostseason appearances including NCAA Tournament bids in 1998 and 1999.Miami’s NCAA Tournament bid in 1998 marked the school’s first since 1960.

Additionally, Miami’s 57 wins are the most in a three year periodsince UM won 57 games from 1963-66 while its .655 winning percentage is thehighest since Miami posted a 52-26 (.667) record from 1964-67.

Should Miami earn a post season bid in 1999-2000, the trio wouldbecome the first Hurricanes to reach the post season in four consecutiveseasons.

MIAMI BACK IN THE DANCE, AGAIN:
Miami’s selection to the 1999 NCAA Championship marked theHurricanes second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Miami’sNCAA tournament berth in 1998 the Hurricanes had received only one bid tothe “Big Dance” and that was in 1960. Last season the Hurricanes were seededNo. 2 in the East Region marking the highest NCAA seed in school history.The Hurricanes’ 75-54 win over Lafayette in the opening round marked Miami’sfirst NCAA Tournament victory in school history. Miami has advanced topost-season play in four of the last five seasons.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES:
Against Villanova, John Salmons recorded his first double-double ofthe season with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The double-double was the fifthof the season for Miami. Mario Bland leads the Hurricanes with threedouble-doubles this season.

1999-00 Hurricane Double-Doubles:

WORKING OVERTIME:
Miami’s game last season against Connecticut on Jan. 20 marked theHurricanes first overtime contest since a 76-68 victory over St. John’s inthe opening round of the 1997 BIG EAST Tournament. UM has amassed a 5-2record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (3-2 athome). Miami’s game against St. John’s on Feb. 20, 1996 is its onlydouble-overtime game in a BIG EAST contest since joining the league in the1991-92 season. The ‘Canes, who have never had more than three overtimegames in any season (3-0 in 1986-87 and 0-3 in 1990-91), own a 21-19 overallrecord in overtime contests during their history (4-3 in double-overtimegames and a 17-16 mark in single-overtime contests). UM has never played atriple-overtime game. Miami is 5-5 in overtime games under head coachLeonard Hamilton. Below is a list of UM’s overtime games under Hamilton:

ONLINE ALL THE TIME:
Check out the Hurricanes’ website at www.hurricanesports.com for allthe latest information on University of Miami athletics.

UM TICKETS ON SALE:
Single-game tickets for all University of Miami men’s basketballhome games at the Miami Arena are on sale at the Hecht Athletic CenterTicket Office on the UM campus, the Miami Arena, and through TicketMaster.

Sidecourt reserved seats are $13 and endcourt reserved seats are $10for each of Miami’s six non-conference games, not including Kentucky. Alltickets for the Kentucky game on Jan. 29 are $20 and include admission tothe Miami women’s contest against Connecticut immediately following themen’s game. Single game tickets for UM’s eight BIG EAST contests are $18 forsidecourt reserved and $15 for endcourt reserved. For the fourth straightseason a youth (17 and under) endcourt reserved ticket can be purchased for$7.

The Hurricane Ticket Office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. For more information callthe UM Ticket Office at (305) 284-CANES in Dade or 1-800-GO-CANES.

1999-00 MISCELLANEOUS STATS

Double Figure Scoring Games

20-Point Scoring Games

Double Figure Rebound Games

Double Figure Assist Games

Double-Doubles

Dunks

MOVING UP THE SCORING LIST:
With his three-point basket at 18:16 of the first-half againstBethune-Cookman, Johnny Hemsley became the 22nd player in Miami history toscore 1,000 career points. Later this season senior center Mario Blandscored a career-high 24 points against Boston College (1-22-00) to becamethe 23rd player in UM history to record 1,000 career points.

Hemsley ranks ninth on UM’s career scoring list while Bland is in19th place.

UM Career Scoring List:

JENNINGS MOVES UP LADDER:
Vernon Jennings recorded seven assists against Georgetown to improvehis career assist total to 435. Jennings ranks second on UM’s career assistslist and trails only Kevin Norris who handed out 493 assists from 1994-98.

BOMBS AWAY:
Senior Johnny Hemsley has recorded 40 three-point baskets thisseason to improve his career total to 140. Hemsley currently ranks fourth onMiami’s all-time career list.

JENNINGS SETS ASSIST RECORD:
Vernon Jennings recorded a team-high eight assists against St.John’s (3-5-99) last season and in doing so set a Miami single season assistrecord. Jennings ended the season with 167 assists surpassing the old markof 154 set by Michael Gardner in 1992-93.

Jennings has handed out 133 assists (6.3 apg) this season and is ontrack to break his own single season assist record. Jennings is on pace torecord 183 assists this season.

DEAD-EYE FROM THE LINE:
Miami currently leads the BIG EAST and ranks ninth in the nation infree throw percentage (.757). Miami’s five starters have combined to shoot307-392 (.783) from the line while the starting backcourt of Johnny Hemsleyand Vernon Jennings are shooting 130-159 (.818) from the charity stripe.

HURRICANES HIT 100:
Miami defeated Bethune-Cookman 102-75 marking the second 100-pointscoring game for Miami in as many seasons. Last season Miami defeatedVillanova 103-82 marking the most points scored by a Hurricane team in a BIGEAST game.

OFFENSIVELY SPEAKING:
Miami shot a season-high 57.1 percent (36-63) against FloridaAtlantic marking the fourth time this season the Hurricanes have shot 50percent or better from the floor. Miami shot 54.1 percent (33-61) from thefloor against Bethune-Cookman (11-30-99), 51.4 percent (37-72) againstHartford (12-11-99) and 51.6 percent (32-62) against Illinois State(12-22-99). Last season the Hurricanes shot over 50 percent from the flooron 12 occasions. Miami shot 50 percent or better from the floor only fivetimes in 1997-98.

Miami 50 Percent Shooting Performances (since 1998)

EASY AS 1, 2, 3:
The Hurricanes have hit at least one three-point field goal in eachof the past 244 games, extending the school-record. Overall, the ‘Canes havehit at least one trey in 398 of its 399 games since the NCAA adopted thethree-point shot in 1986. The only game Miami has failed to hit athree-point field goal was against Howard University on Dec. 6, 1991 whenthe ‘Canes were 0-15 behind the three-point arc.

LOCKING UP:
In Miami’s win over West Virginia, the Hurricanes held theMountaineers without a point over a 5:28 stretch of the first half markingthe fifth time this season that Hurricanes have held an opponent scorelessfor five or more minutes.

Last season Miami made a habit of holding opponents scoreless forlong stretches. Eight times last season the Hurricanes held an opponentscoreless for over five or more minutes.

MAN OF STEAL:
Senior guard Vernon Jennings set a career-high with seven stealsagainst West Virginia (1-5-00). The seven steals rank as the second highestsingle game total in UM history and were the most since Jerome Scottrecorded nine steals against Florida International on March 4, 1991.Jennings currently has 168 career steals to rank third on UM’s career list.

MIAMI RANKS FOR THIRD STAIGHT SEASON:
Last season the Hurricanes ranked nationally in field goalpercentage defense for the third consecutive season. The University of Miamiended the season ranked 13th in the nation in field goal percentage defense(.384). In 1997-98 the University of Miami led the nation holding teams to37.9 percent shooting from the floor. In 1996-97 Miami held opponents to 38percent shooting from the field to rank sixth nationally.

GETTING DEFENSIVE:
Over the last eight games the Hurricanes have stepped up theirdefensive play holding opponents to just 158-of-448 (.353) shooting from thefloor. Miami has held five of its last eight opponents to under 40 percentshooting from the field. In addition, Miami’s perimeter defense has alsobeen strong holding its last four opponents to 40-of-147 (.272) fromthree-point range. Miami has also held its last 13 opponents to under 70points and an average of just 59.1 points per game.

Defensive Effort Over Last Five Games:

POSTING GREAT NUMBERS:
This season the Hurricanes have held the opposition’s startingcenters to a combined total of 143 points and 103 rebounds, an average of6.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Miami has allowed only six startingcenters this season to score in double-figures and only two to grab 10 ormore rebounds.

Of the 30 games the Hurricanes played last season only five opponentcenters managed to score in double figures while only one grabbed 10 or morerebounds. Miami limited opponent’s centers to an average of 6.4 points and5.1 rebounds per game.

1999-00

JENNINGS LOOKS TO REPEAT:
Miami point guard Vernon Jennings won the 1998-99 BIG EAST assisttitle with an average of 6.06 per game in league play. Jennings handed out109 assists in 18 games setting a Miami BIG EAST single season record.

Jennings currently leads the conference in assists this season withan average of 6.60 per game in league contests. Jennings is attempting tobecome just the fourth player in BIG EAST history and the first sinceSherman Douglas (Syracuse) in 1988-89 to lead the conference in assists inback-to-back seasons. Douglas led the BIG EAST in assists for threestraight seasons from 1986-89. The only others to lead the BIG EAST inassists for two straight seasons are Dwayne “Pearl” Washington (Syracuse)from 1983-85 and Stewart Granger (Villanova) from 1980-82.

HEMSLEY ON PRESEASON FIRST TEAM:
University of Miami senior Johnny Hemsley was named to the preseasonAll-BIG EAST first team by a vote of the league’s coaches at the BIG EASTConference Men’s Basketball Media Day at the Grand Hyatt in New York.

1999-00 PRESEASON AWARDS

All-BIG EAST First Team
Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut
Johnny Hemsley, Miami
Troy Murphy, Notre Dame
Erick Barkley, St. John’s
Etan Thomas, Syracuse

All-BIG EAST Second Team
Kevin Freeman, Connecticut
Isaac Hawkins, Pittsburgh
Bootsy Thornton, St. John’s
Jason Hart, Syracuse
Marcus Goree, West Virginia

Player of the Year: Khalid El-Amin, Connecticut
Rookie of the Year: Ajou Deng, Connecticut

HURRICANES TABBED FOURTH:
The men’s basketball team was selected to finish fourth in theconference behind Connecticut, Syracuse, and St. John’s. Miami, whichreturns four starters from last season’s squad, received one first placevote.

1999-00 BIG EAST Coaches’ Preseason Poll

SELECT COMPANY:
Entering the 1999-2000 season the Hurricanes are one of just threeBIG EAST schools to post a winning overall record each of the past fiveseasons. Joining the Hurricanes are Syracuse and Connecticut.

ON THE RISE:
Since the start of the 1994-95 season UM has compiled a 60-40 (.600)record in BIG EAST regular season games. Only Connecticut, Syracuse andVillanova have a better conference record over that period.

Conference Records Since 1994-95 (games thru 2-13-00):

HURRICANES TAKE HOME HARDWARE:
Last season University of Miami head basketball coach LeonardHamilton was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year, senior forward Tim James(Miami Northwestern) was named BIG EAST Co-Player of the Year and juniorguard Johnny Hemsley (Baltimore, MD) was named the league’s Most ImprovedPlayer last season by a vote of the conference coaches.

1998-99 BIG EAST AWARDS

BIG EAST Co-Players of the Year
Richard Hamilton, Connecticut
Tim James, Miami

BIG EAST Rookie of the Year
Troy Murphy, Notre Dame

BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Etan Thomas, Syracuse

BIG EAST Most Improved Player
Johnny Hemsley, Miami

BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Leonard Hamilton, Miami

WINNING WAYS IN THE NCAA:
After a 10-4 mark last season, BIG EAST teams have compiled a 155-91record in the NCAA Tournament play. The .630 winning percentage is thesecond best in the nation amongst conferences. The ACC is first with a .670winning percentage.

LEAGUE SCHEDULE REDUCED TO 16 GAMES:
For the first since 1990-91, each BIG EAST team will play only 16regular season conference games. The league has played 18 conference gamessince 1991-92. The 16 game schedule offers schools more flexibility inscheduling. BIG EAST teams have a better opportunity to improve their RPI(ratings percentage index) rankings and the league’s representation in theNCAA Tournament. the reduction to a 16-game league schedule has eliminatedDecember play dates.

A SWEEPING SUCCESS:
With their win over Rutgers in last season’s regular season finalethe Hurricanes completed their fourth series sweep of the season. Miami hasregistered 10 BIG EAST regular season two-game sweeps since joining theleague in the 1991-92 season. Miami has now recorded at least one seriessweep in each of the last five seasons. Below is a list of UM’s BIG EASTseries sweeps:

POWER SCHEDULE:
Miami’s schedule includes 11 schools that rank in the top-50all-time in terms of winning percentage in NCAA history. The BIG EASTConference alone has eight teams that rank in the top-50 all-time. Miamiwill play 14 of its 29 regular season games against schools that rank in thetop-50 all-time. Seven of those games will be played at Miami Arena. BIGEAST opponents in CAPS.

BIG EAST TELECONFERENCE:
The BIG EAST men’s basketball coaches will hold six teleconferencesduring the season. Each coach is available for approximately eight minutes.Media wishing to participate should contact the league office at (401)453-0660 for the phone number. The audio from the teleconference is alsoavailable via Broadcast.com through the conference web site at:www.bigeast.org/airwaves/.

Teleconference Dates:

Teleconference Schedule: