Men's Basketball Faces Nova Southeastern In Exhibition
Nov. 4, 2005
Coral Gables, Fla. (hurricanesports.com) – The University of Miami men’s basketball team will tip-off the 2005-06 season with an exhibition game against Nova Southeastern on Saturday, November 5 beginning at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Miami returns 10 letterwinners, including four starters, from last season’s team that went 16-13 overall, 7-9 in the ACC, defeated three ranked opponents, and advanced to the post-season for the first time since 2002.
The Hurricanes will once again look to a trio of guards who rank among the nation’s best. Preseason Wooden Award candidate Guillermo Diaz (18.6 points, 4.3 rebounds), honorable mention All-ACC selection Robert Hite (17.3 points, 5 rebounds) and Anthony Harris (12.4 points, 4.6 assists) return to Miami’s starting lineup.
The Hurricanes’ dynamic trio accounted for 67.5 percent of Miami’s total points last season, highest of any trio in the ACC. They also ranked second in the conference with a combined average of 48.2 points per game.
Diaz, a speedy, slashing shooting guard, finished second in the ACC in scoring and seemed to elevate his game when it mattered most. The Puerto Rico native scored 20 or more points in seven-of-the-nine games in which Miami played a ranked opponent.
Hite, a senior, is back for his final season sporting the orange and green of Miami. The Cincinnati native hopes to build upon a season that saw him average 17.3 points and crack the 1,000-point mark for his career.
In addition to the career milestone, Hite also recorded his best three-point field goal percentage as a Hurricane, 38.1 percent, and tallied a career-high 38 points against Florida Atlantic.
While Diaz and Hite score the bulk of the Hurricanes’ buckets, it was Harris that served as the floor general averaging a team high 4.6 assists per game last season. Harris, will not be action against Nova Southeastern after suffering hairline fracture in his right foot earlier this week. He is expected to be out three to six weeks.
With Harris out of the line-up the Hurricanes will look to freshman point guard Denis Clemente (Miami Calusa Prep). Clemente, a speedster, was first team all-state as well as the class 1A Florida player of the year, while averaging 33.5 points as a senior.
Leading the Hurricanes’ frontcourt is 6-9 junior forward Anthony King, who returns to man the paint after starting all 29 games last season. Last season King established a UM single-season record for blocked shots (86) including a school and ACC record 13 blocked shots against Florida Atlantic.
King, who contributed 6.3 points per game, was a defensive force last season (8.0 rebounds and 2.9 blocks) and was named to the All-ACC defensive team. The 6-9 native of Durham, N.C. posted 10 double-digit rebound performances, including a 19 board game against Wofford and a 14 rebound effort versus Virginia in the ACC Tournament.
Also returning to help Miami in the paint is senior Gary Hamilton. The 6-10 Los Angeles native came off the bench last season to rank 14th in the ACC in rebounding (6.3) as well as eighth in the league in offensive rebounding (2.76)
Adding depth to the Miami frontcourt is sophomore Raymond Hicks. Last season Hicks (6-7, 230) played 23 games for the Hurricanes and posted impressive marks in field goal percentage (50 percent) and three-point percentage (57.1 percent).
Nova Southeastern, a Division II institution located in Fort Lauderdale, recorded a 7-21 record last season, including a 3-13 mark in the Sunshine State Conference.
The Sharks return six letterwinners including three players that started at least one game a year ago. Their leading returning scorer and rebounder is senior forward Calvin Jenkins, Jr. who started 21 of 27 games last season and averaged 8.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. In addition, he shot a team best 53.7 percent from the field (88-164) and had a team-high 32 blocked shots.
Nova’s top returning backcourt performer is 6-7 sophomore Oresti Nitsios. Last season he averaged 6.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Nitsios led the team in free throw shooting connecting of 91.2 percent (31-34) of his attempts last season.
