Canes Square Off With Seton Hall Tuesday
Feb. 23, 2004
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SETON HALL UNIVERSITY (17-7, 7-5 BIG EAST) vs.
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (13-14, 3-10 BIG EAST)
Tuesday, February 24, 2004 – 7:30 p.m.
Convocation Center (7,000) – Coral Gables, Fla.
TV – Fox Sports Net Florida; Radio – WQAM (560 AM)
Website – hurricanesports.com
ON SETON HALL:
Seton Hall enters its game with Miami with a record of 17-7, 7-5 in the BIG EAST, following a 70-68 win versus Villanova on February 21.
Seton Hall is led by All-America candidate Andre Barrett who is averaging a team-high 17.6 points per game. Barrett also leads the team in assists (6.2 apg), steals (35), field goals (146), field goal attempts (325), three-point field goals (58) and three-point field goal attempts (150).
The Pirates boast five players averaging in double-figures including center Kelly Whitney (13.1 ppg), forward Andre Sweet (10.5 ppg) and guards John Allen (12.1 ppg) and J.R. Morris (11.0 ppg).
THE SERIES:
Miami and Seton Hall meet for the 23rd time with the Pirates leading the all-time series 14-8. Seton Hall has won two straight in the series including a 67-52 win in the opening round of last season’s BIG EAST Tournament. Miami is 7-12 against Seton Hall in BIG EAST play . Miami has won four of the last five meetings against Seton Hall at home including two straight.
LAST GAME:
#19/#17 PROVIDENCE 70, MIAMI 57
February 21, 2004
Dunkin’ Donuts Center, Providence, R.I.
Rob Sanders scored 14 points to lead five players in double figures as Providence College defeated the University of Miami, 70-57, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence. R.I. Miami was led by Robert Hite who had 15 points while Guillermo Diaz added 13.
Miami, which trailed 35-26 at the half, used a 15-5 run to take a 41-40 lead with 13:52 to play. The Hurricanes led 47-46 with 10:33 left before a 3-pointer by Donnie McGrath, who had 13 points, gave Providence the lead for good at 49-47.
It was 50-47 when Sanders grabbed the rebound of a missed free throw by Tuukka Kotti and after a timeout, Sanders followed his missed 3-point attempt by converting an opposite hand layup to put the Friars up 52-47 with about 11 minutes left. Miami never got closer than three points the rest of the way.
Ryan Gomes and Sheiku Kabba each had 11 points for the Friars, while Kotti added 10, including five points when the game hung in the balance.
Providence’s bench contributed 15 points, to three for Miami. Providence shot 52 percent (25-for-48) for the game, while Miami recovered from a 1-for-6 start to finish 23-for-54 (42.6 percent).
Darius Rice, Miami’s leading scorer at 16.7 points per game, did not play becuase of a sprained right foot.
LAST MEETING VERSUS SETON HALL:
SETON HALL 67, MIAMI 52
March 12, 2003
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Kelly Whitney scored a game-high 17 points to lead third-seeded Seton Hall to a 67-52 victory over the sixth- seeded Miami in the opening round of the ConAgra Foods BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Whitney finished the game, 7-of-9 from the floor with five boards, while Andre Sweet turned in 16 points and six rebounds for the Pirates. John Allen added 15 points and five boards, to go along with Andre Barrett’s double-double of 13 points and 10 assists.
Paulo Coelho paced the Hurricanes in defeat with 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor. Darius Rice chipped in 11 points despite shooting only 2-of-9 from the floor, while James Jones added 10 points and seven boards.
Seton Hall went on a 20-6 run to start the game, taking a commanding 38-19 lead at the intermission. The Pirates converted 7-of-11 attempts from the charity stripe in the second stanza, as they cruised to the 15-point victory.
Seton Hall shot a solid 48.1 percent from the floor, while holding Miami to only 33.3 percent shooting from the field.
A WIN AGAINST SETON HALL WOULD:
Improve Miami’s record to 14-14, 4-10 in the BIG EAST.Mark Perry Clark’s 250th career win.Snap the Hurricanes’ nine-game losing streak.
UP NEXT:
Following the Seton Hall game the Hurricanes travel to Villanova to face the Wildcats on March 2 at 7:30 p.m.
TV/RADIO COVERAGE:
Miami’s game versus Seton Hall is being produced by ESPN Regional Television and will be broadcast in Miami on Fox Sports Net Florida. John Sciambi and Bob Wenzel will call the action.
The game will be broadcast on the Hurricane Radio Network WQAM (560 AM). Joe Zagacki “The Voice of the Hurricanes” will provide the play-by-play with Josh Darrow adding analysis. Brian London will serve as studio host. Fans can also catch the game on the web at hurricanesports.com.
ON THE COACHES:
University of Miami head coach Perry Clark is in his fourth season with the Hurricanes and 15th season overall as a collegiate head coach. Clark is 64-52 (.552) at Miami while his career record in 14 seasons stands at 249-197 (.558).
Seton Hall head coach Louis Orr is in his third season with the Pirates and fourth season overall. His record at Seton Hall is 47-39 (.547) while his overall mark stands at 66-50 (.569).
RICE SETS CAREER MARK:
With his start against Georgetown on February 7th senior forward Darius Rice established a new school-record for starts in a career with 109. The previous record was held by Kevin Norris who started 108 games at point guard from 1994-98. Rice has now started 110 career games.
RICE MOVES UP BIG EAST SCORING LIST:
Miami forward Darius Rice scored 14 points against Syracuse on February 14 becoming the 24th player in BIG EAST history to score 1,000 points in BIG EAST play. Rice is the second Hurricane to reach the 1,000-point plateau in conference play joining Tim James who recorded 1,062 points in 72 career BIG EAST games from 1995-99. Rice leads all active BIG EAST players in points scored.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES:
Miami guard Rob Hite may be the most improved player in the BIG EAST this season. The sophomore has been the Hurricanes’ most consistant offensvie threat scoring in double-figures in 24 of 27 games this season. Hite’s numbers are significantly improved in almost every category this season.
NO DAY AT THE BEACH:
Miami’s 73-72 win over No. 11 Connecticut last season marked the ninth consecutive season that the Hurricanes defeated a ranked opponent at home.
VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS:
Miami is 0-3 against ranked teams this season. The Hurricanes are 19-21 versus ranked opponents since 1996-97 and have defeated at least one ranked team in each of the last nine seasons. Miami is 28-87 (.243) all-time against ranked teams including a 25-73 (.255) record since the rebirth of the program in 1985.
WORKING OVERTIME:
Miami’s game versus Boston College on February 1 was its fourth overtime game of the season. Miami played a school single-season record five overtime games last season. Miami has played at least one overtime contest in each of the last six seasons. UM has amassed a 9-10 record (including tournament games) in BIG EAST overtime contests (5-6 at home). The ‘Canes own a 25-28 overall record in overtime contests during their history (5-6 in double-overtime games and a 20-22 mark in single-overtime contests).
PLAYING ABOVE THE RIM:
The Hurricanes have recorded 87 dunks (3.22 per game) already this season. Miami registered only 50 dunks all of last season. At this current pace the Hurricanes would record 97 dunks which would be the most since UM had 111 dunks during the 1988-89 season. Rob Hite leads the Hurricanes in dunks this season with 27 this season.
A MODEL OF EFFICIENCY:
Rob Hite ranks 14th in the BIG EAST in scoring at 15.7 ppg but a closer look shows that he is one of the most efficient scorers in the league averaging 1.38 points per shot attempt (423 points/306 field goal attempts). His 1.38 average (through Feb. 18) ranks seventh among the conference’s top 20 scorers behind six post players.
HIGH FLYERS:
The University of Miami’s backcourt may be the most athletic in the country. Miami’s guards have an average vertical jump of 38.2 inches. All of UM’s guards have vertical jumps of at least 36 inches. Leading the way is freshman Guillermo Diaz who has a vertical leap of 41 inches.
CATCHING FIRE:
Darius Rice has recorded 34 games of 20-or-more points during his UM career including nine games this season. Even more impressive is that Rice has gone for 20-or-more points in a single half 10 times, including 20 points in the second half of UM’s last game versus Rutgers.
MR. CLUTCH:
This season against Georgetown on January 31 Rice hit a trey with 12 second remaining to send the game to overtime marking the fifth time of his career he has either won or sent a game to overtime with a three-pointer at the end of regulation..
Last season Rice turned the trick four times. His three-point basket with 0.5 seconds left against Connecticut last season gave UM a 77-76 win.
Against Florida, Rice connected on a three-pointer from the right corner with 26 seconds remaining to tie the score.
Versus North Carolina, Rice hit a three-pointer, again from the right corner, to tie the score at 60-60 with three seconds left. Miami went on to win the game 64-61.
In Miami’s first meeting with Connecticut on January 11, Rice sent the game to overtime with a three-pointer from the tip of the key tying the score at 71-71 with two seconds left.
CLARK TOPS AMONG UM COACHES:
Fourth-year head Coach Perry Clark recorded 51 wins in his first three seasons with the Hurricanes marking the most wins by any UM basketball coach in his first three seasons. Clark is 13-7 this season giving him 64 wins as UM’s head coach. Clark needs one more victory to tie BIll Foster for the wins (65) by a UM coach in his first four seasons.
TOP RECRUITING CLASS:
Head coach Perry Clark and his staff put together one of the nation’s top recruiting classes for this upcoming season. Miami’s class of forward Karron Clarke, guard Guillermo Diaz, guard Anthony Harris and forward/center Anthony King is ranked as high as eighth in the nation by Street & Smith’s.
MIAMI vs. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS:
Since joining The BIG EAST Conference beginning with the 1991-92 season, the Hurricanes have compiled an 91-43 (.679) record against non-conference opponents, including a 64-14 (.821) mark at home. Miami was 10-4 against non-conference opponents this season.
VS THE STATE OF FLORIDA:
Miami is 296-145 (.671) against teams from the state of Florida. Miami has won 31 of its last 35 games against Florida schools dating back to the 1992-93 season.
IT’S ALL ACADEMIC:
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, the University of Miami men’s basketball program ranks third in the nation among the 117 Division I-A institutions with a 78 percent graduation rate for student-athletes who entered school from 1993-97 and earned their degrees within six years.
Only Stanford (100%) and Southern Methodist (83%) had higher graduation rates among Division I-A institutions. The national average for Division I-A men’s basketball players over that four-year period was 36 percent.
In addition the Hurricanes ranked in a tie for 19th among all 327 Division I institutions.
Graduation rates were tabulated and released by the NCAA in its 2003 NCAA Graduation Rates Report. The Hurricanes’ 78 percent graduation rate is the highest among any institution in the BIG EAST, ACC or SEC.
From 1993-94 to 1995-96 the Hurricanes registered a perfect 100 percent graduation rate.
For the 1995-96 class, both the UM men’s and women’s basketball programs registered 100 percent graduation rates. Miami was one of only six Division I-A institutions, along with BYU, Duke, Rice, North Carolina and Virginia Tech, to record a 100 percent graduation rate for that class in both men’s and women’s basketball.
RICE NAMED FIRST TEAM ALL-DISTRICT:
Miami senior forward Darius Rice was named first-team All-District 6 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for the third consecutive season. Rice, who was also named to the first-team as a sophomore and junior, currently leads the Hurricanes in scoring (16.7) and rebounding (6.3).
Rice is joined on the first-team by Lawrence Roberts (Mississippi State), Anthony Roberson (Florida), Tim Pickett (Florida State), and Justin Reed (Mississippi).
Rice is the first UM men’s basketball player to be named first-team All-District three times.
NABC All-District 6 First-Team
Darius Rice, Miami
Lawrence Roberts, Mississippi State
Anthony Roberson, Florida
Tim Pickett, Florida State
Justin Reed, Mississippi
NABC All-District 6 Second-Team
Timmy Bowers, Mississippi State
David Lee, Florida
Morris Finley, Alabama-Birmingham
Marco Killingsworth, Auburn
Kennedy Winston, Alabama
UM SIGNS CENTER EARLY:
Head coach Perry Clark signed of 6-11, 233 pound center Chester “C.J.” Giles (Seattle, Wash.) to a national letter of intent during the early signing period.
Last season Giles averaged 8.2 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks per game earning third-team All-State honors and helping Rainier Beach High School to a 26-3 record and its second consecutive Class 3A State Championship. Rainier ended the season ranked 16th in the nation by USA Today.
Giles is ranked 39th overall and 7th at his position by Rivals.com. He is the 12th ranked high school center in the nation by Athlon Sports, is ranked among the Top-100 players in the nation by Lindy’s (No. 66) and The Sporting News (No. 87), and is an honorable mention All-America selection by Street & Smith’s.
RICE NAMED WOODEN AWARD CANDIDATE:
Senior forward Darius Rice has been named one of 50 preseason candidates for the John R. Wooden College Basketball Player of the Year Award. Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation’s best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his university that he is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. The 2004 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Wooden Award All-American team and the presentation of the Legends of Coaching Award, will be held at The Los Angeles Athletic Club on Saturday, April 10, 2004 and will be broadcast live on CBS.
RICE NAMED NAISMITH CANDIDATE:
Darius Rice has been named one of 30 preseason candidates for the 2003-04 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award. The Naismith Awards program, now in its 36th year, honors the outstanding college basketball players in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball.The candidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball analysts. Members of the board were asked to name top male and female players who are most likely to be in contention for the award.
HURRICANES DISTRIBUTE DINNERS:
Members of the University of Miami men’s basketball team as well as several student-athletes from the Hurricanes’ football, women’s rowing, women’s track, women’s volleyball, men’s tennis and women’s soccer programs handed out Thanksgiving dinners to six Miami-area organizations prior to the start of the women’s basketball exhibition game versus The Tournament of Champions on November 17 at the Convocation Center.
The six Miami-area organizations who picked up dinners were: Children & Families, Ronald McDonald House, Gladstone Center, Florida Baptist Home, Universal Truth Center, and Child Hope.
The full dinners were donated by Sysco Food Services of South Florida. This Thanksgiving marked the eighth consecutive year that University of Miami Athletic Department and its student-athletes have reached out to the community during the holidays.
HURRICANES VISIT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL:
Head coach Perry Clark and the University of Miami men’s basketball team spread some holiday cheer on Thursday with a visit to the pediatrics ward at Baptist Hospital in Miami.
“It is very important for our kids to give back to the community,” said head coach Perry Clark. “Giving of ones time is the greatest gift you can give, and I think we were able to spread some Christmas cheer today.”
The Hurricanes visited with children in pediatrics ward as well as the critical care unit. The Miami coaches and players signed autographs, took pictures with the children and distributed approximately 300 toys donated by Mattel, Inc.
“I think it means a lot to the children here at the hospital, and it means a lot to us to see the kids smile,” said All-American forward Darius Rice. “Hopefully we were able to brighten up their holiday.”
