The Countdown to Men's Hoops - Eight Days
Oct. 6, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – With the first University of Miami men’s basketball practice just eight days away, HurricaneSports.com counts down 10 things to look forward to in the first season under Head Coach Jim Larranaga.
8. The Hurricanes on Social Media
Follow Coach Jim Larranaga @CanesCoachL on Twitter as he provides news from inside the program walls, insights on his life away from the court and updates about his appearances with Dwayne Wade, Erik Spoelstra and many others.
You can also follow @CanesHoops for more insight on the Hurricanes basketball team. Through the Twitter feed, fans will gain a great way to see the personality of the program and follow the team.
Check out the Miami Twitter Directory for Twitter handles for all UM athletic teams and coaches.
For photo galleries, news and a place to interact with other UM friends, the MiamiHurricanes Facebook page is the place to go.
For more in-depth coverage focusing on just the men’s basketball team, check out MiamiBasketball on Facebook.
9. The BankUnited Center
Opened in 2003, the BankUnited Center , which seats 7,200 fans for basketball games, is located on the University of Miami’s beautiful Coral Gables campus. The venue also hosts concerts, trade shows, lecture series and sporting events, in addition to serving as the home to the Hurricanes’ men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Over the last three seasons, the Hurricanes have established home court dominance, winning 51 games at the “BUC” — including a school-record 14-2 mark in 2007-08 and memorable victories over No. 4/5 Duke, No. 6/7 Wake Forest and No. 20/20 Georgia Tech.
With its grand opening in January of 2003 — a 64-61 overtime win over North Carolina, the BankUnited Center became the University’s first on-campus venue with seating to accommodate large events offering an ideal capacity for concerts, conferences, lecture series, banquets and more. It significantly increases the University of Miami’s collegiate experience for its students by allowing on-campus events such as commencements, sports, convocations and pep rallies. The community also benefits from the venue’s utilization as a showcase for a host of family shows and other special activities.
The BankUnited Center has 25 suites. Each suite is equipped with 12 box seats with three additional bar stools, a lounge area, television and phones, along with a kitchen area with a bar and refrigerator.
The BankUnited Center is managed by Global Spectrum. The Philadelphia-based company is part of one of the world’s largest sports and entertainment companies, Comcast-Spectacor, which also owns the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL). To get your seat at UM basketball games, call 1-800-GoCanes or click here for Ticketmaster.
10. The Returners
Miami returns 11 players from its 12-man roster that went 21-15 and advanced to the NIT quarterfinals in 2011. The Hurricanes return 80 percent of their scoring, including 90 percent of their free throws and 67 percent of their three-pointers, 89 percent of their assists, 69 percent of their blocked shots, 85 percent of their steals and 79 percent of their rebounding.
Three statistical leaders return for the Hurricanes, led by Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott. Reggie Johnson will return to the court for ACC play after injuring his knee in the offseason.
Among Miami’s 11 returners is leading scorer and All-ACC Third Team pick Malcolm Grant (14.8 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.8 rpg). Of the 15 All-ACC picks in 2011, just five will return to the collegiate ranks in 2012 — with Grant the only one not suiting up for the Tar Heels. He recorded an ACC-high 2.6 three-pointers per game at a league-high 42.3 percent (19th in the nation), while converting an ACC-best 85.3 percent from the charity stripe.
Miami also returns second-leading scorer Durand Scott, who had a breakout rookie season in 2010. As a sophomore, he averaged 13.6 points (12th in the ACC), 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, shooting 44.5 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from beyond the arc and 83.7 percent (third in the ACC) from the charity stripe. Over three NIT games, his scoring leapt to a team-high 19.3 points per game — converting 50 percent from the field and 89 percent from the line — to go with 3.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds an outing. Scott scored in double figures 29 times last season, with six 20-point performances.
Big man Reggie Johnson, who earned 2011 All-ACC Honorable Mention accolades, tested the NBA waters after averaging 11.9 points (20th in ACC), a team-high 9.6 rebounds (fourth in ACC) and a team-best 1.3 blocks per game as a sophomore. He shot 59.1 percent from the field – the third-highest single-season percentage in UM history. His 347 rebounds were the most by a Cane since Rick Barry notched a school-record 475 in 1964-65. Johnson posted 13 double-doubles last season. He is expected to be back on the court in December/January after tearing the meniscus in his right knee during a pickup game in June.
Junior Garrius Adams (7.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg), senior DeQuan Jones (4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and sophomore Rion Brown (4.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg) will add experienced depth to the guard position for the Canes. Senior forward Julian Gamble (4.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg) will sit out the entire season with a knee injury so sophomore forward Raphael Akpejiori (6-10, 230lbs) adds a big body in the paint in the absence of the other two returning big men.
