Hurricanes Continue to Climb in Preseason Polls
June 20, 2008
CORAL GABLES, FLA. – With the start of the 2008-09 season still nearly five months away, the University of Miami men’s basketball team continues its climb in the early preseason polls. The Hurricanes are ranked No. 8 by ESPN, No. 15 by Fox Sports and No. 17 by CBS Sports.
If Miami takes that No. 8 ranking into November, it will be the highest preseason ranking in program history. In addition, it would tie the highest ranking achieved by the Hurricanes – as they were eighth in the nation in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll on March 1, 1960 – and mark the highest ranking for a Miami squad since a No. 9 standing in the AP Poll on March 1, 1999.
Under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Frank Haith, Miami returns to the hardwood in 2008-09 following one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Hurricanes (23-11, 8-8 ACC) nearly reached the Sweet Sixteen after a furious second-half rally versus Texas in the NCAA Tournament’s second round.
Miami returns four starters and its top-five scorers from that NCAA Tournament team, including All-America candidate and 2007-08 All-ACC First Team selection Jack McClinton, who averaged a team-high 17.7 points per game for the season and 18.8 points per game in ACC play. He enters next season ranked second among the ACC’scareer leaders in free throw percentage (.908) and third in three-point field goal percentage (.433).
Rising junior James Dews, Miami’s second-leading scorer, added 10.3 points per game during the 2007-08 campaign. Dews and McClinton were a threat from anywhere on the court, converting better than 90 percent from the line and combining for 152 three-pointers on the season.
Starting point guard Lance Hurdle (8.0 ppg, .865 FT%) – also a strong free throw and three-point shooter – is back in the mix, as is Dwayne Collins (8.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, .550 FG%) and Jimmy Graham (6.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.2 bpg, .526 FG%), who are expected to be forces in the post for the Hurricanes.
Miami also welcomes two newcomers in 6-6 DeQuan Jones (15.2 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 4 bpg as a prep senior) and 6-9 Reggie Johnson (24.1 ppg, 16.1 rpg, 7.1 bpg as a prep senior), while two current Hurricanes – Julian Gamble, a 6-9 redshirt freshman from Durham, N.C., and Cyrus McGowan, a 6-9 transfer who spent two seasons playing for Arkansas – are expected to see their first action on the court in 2008-09.
