Men's Hoops Hits the Road for Ft. Myers

RV/RV Miami  at FGCU
Nov. 13, 2012 | Alico Arena | Ft. Myers, Fla. | 7 p.m.
A-Sun TV |  Live stats 
WQAM Radio 
Twitter: @CanesHoops | @CanesCoachL
Facebook: /MiamiHurricanes | /MiamiBasketball

Series: Miami leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 22, 2011 – Miami won, 60-50, in Coral Gables

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The Game
Miami (1-0) hits the road to face Florida Gulf Coast University (0-1) on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at Alico Arena in Ft. Myers, Fla. 

The Series
Miami is 3-0 against FGCU in the all-time series, which dates back to the 2009-10 campaign. The Canes are 2-0 against the Eagles at home and 1-0 on the road. Miami last faced FGCU on Nov. 22, 2011, defeating the Eagles, 60-50, in Coral Gables.

The Broadcasts
Catch the game on 560 WQAM Radio with Joe Zagacki (play-by-play) and Josh Darrow (analyst) making the call. 

The Coach
Head coach Jim Larranaga is in his 29th season as a head coach and second at Miami. He has a 491-347 overall record and is 21-13 in his second season at Miami. 

The Weather
Projected temperatures on game day: Coral Gables – 79/67. Ft. Myers – 83/64.

Quick Hits
Miami boasts five players 6-foot-10 or taller, and five players at 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-5.

Canes Clips
Miami boasts five players 6-foot-10 or taller, and five players at 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-5.
The Hurricanes have made a three-point basket in 345-straight games and have made at least one trey in 802 of 805 games since the NCAA adopted the three-point shot in 1986. 
Miami has held 659 of its last 660 opponents to less than 100 points. UNC was the last team to score 100+, defeating UM 105-64 on Jan. 31, 2007.

In 2012-13, Larranaga and his staff will begin their second year at the helm in Coral Gables. Having posted a 20-13 record and an appearance in the NIT (second round) in his first campaign, Larranaga was the first Canes coach to open his UM career with 20 wins. Miami finished the season tied for fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a program-best, and registered Miami’s first winning record in the ACC (9-7).

Miami-Stetson Recap
Starters for the season opener were Shane Larkin, Rion Brown, Trey McKinney Jones, Kenny Kadji and Reggie Johnson … Miami is 49-14 in season openers, has won 20-straight season openers, and 20-straight home openers. Coach Larranaga is now 2-0 in openers at UM … Reggie Johnson recorded his 15th-career double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Stetson. Johnson’s last double-double was in Miami’s win over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Feb. 5, 2012. Johnson totaled 13 double doubles as a sophomore and one as a junior … Kenny Kadji recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The last time two Canes recorded double-doubles in the same game were Brian Asbury (16 points, 15 rebounds) and Dwayne Collins (10 points, 15 rebounds) on March 4, 2009 … Kenny Kadji set a new career high in assists with five. His previous record was three, most recently at NC State on Feb. 29, 2012 … Trey McKinney Jones notched 14 points, a career high, by hitting five of his 10 shots. His previous best was 13 twice last season, the last time against Maryland on Feb. 21 … Shane Larkin set a new career high in assists with six. His previous record was five, most recently at Florida State on March 9, 2012 … Against Stetson, all five Hurricane starters scored in double digits: Reggie Johnson (22), Trey McKinney Jones (14), Shane Larkin (13) Kenny Kadji (12) and Rion Brown (10). The last time five Canes scored in double figures was on Feb. 1, 2012 against Maryland … Reggie Johnson was 10-for-14 at the free throw line, both career highs … Rion Brown scored Miami’s first points of the season, a three from the left wing, giving Miami the 3-0 lead … Miami’s first subs off the bench were senior Julian Gamble and freshman Bishop Daniels at the under 16 minute timeout … Bishop Daniels’ first points while wearing a Miami jersey came from a three-pointer with 9:32 remaining in the first half … After sitting out last season with an injury, Julian Gamble’s first points were a dunk off of a pass from Bishop Daniels with eight minutes remaining in the first half … Miami took the lead in the first minute of the game and didn’t lead again until the last minute of the first half.

Experienced Hurricanes
Miami returns nine scholarship players from the 2011-12 roster. Those nine players accounted for 80 percent of the Canes scoring, and 86 percent of rebounds, 82 percent of assists, 91 percent of blocks, 83 percent of steals, 81 percent of field goals made and 72 percent of three pointers made.

Six of the top seven scorers, and eight of the top nine rebounders, from the 2011-12 NIT team return for the 2012-13 campaign.

Miami returns nine players who started games last season including: Durand Scott (30 starts), Kenny Kadji (28), Reggie Johnson (22), Shane Larkin (19), Trey McKinney-Jones (12), Erik Swoope (8), Garrius Adams (6), Rion Brown (3) and Raphael Akpejiori (3).

Canes in the Polls
The Canes are receiving votes in the USA TODAY and ESPN Polls to start the season, and were No. 24 in the Blue Ribbon Yearbook preseason Top 25 poll.

Miami is listed on both the AP and USA TODAY preseason polls for the first time since the 2008-09 season, when Miami was ranked 17 and 16, respectively. In 2005-06 Miami was receiving votes in both preseason polls, with 16 from the AP and six in the USA TODAY listing.

UM was picked fourth by the coaches and fifth by the media in the ACC preseason polls. 

Home Sweet Home
The Hurricanes were 14-4 at the BankUnited Center in 2011-12 and 109-48 overall in the BUC. The Hurricanes have notched double-digit home wins at the BankUnited in five-straight seasons and eight times in nine full seasons calling the arena home. 

Larranaga Reunited with Obama
In his three visits to the UM campus in the past year, President Barrack Obama was greeted by Coach Larranaga and attended each event. Larranaga has met the President a dozen times, dating back to Coach L’s tenure in Fairfax, Va., at George Mason. Larranaga’s son, John, also plays basketball with the President. 

DeQuan Jones Starts for Orlando Magic
Former Miami Hurricane DeQuan Jones made the Orlando Magic’s 15-man opening night roster, starting the first two games of the season (as of Nov. 6). 

The Stone Mountain, Ga., native appeared in 111 games for the Miami Hurricanes, making 35 starts. He scored 508 points, accumulated 53 assists, blocked 51 shots and swiped 52 steals in his Canes career. As a senior in 2011-12, he averaged 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 17.3 minutes in 23 games. He participated in the 24th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships at the Final Four, advancing to the semifinals of the slam dunk contest.

Grant Signs with Cyprus
After three years spent competing in orange and green, former Cane Malcolm Grant switched to purple and yellow this season, signing with APOEL Nicosia B.C. of the Cypriot First Division A. Grant played in 100 games over the course of his three years at Miami, starting 75 games. He totaled 1,185 points and is one of 33 Hurricanes to score more than 1,000 points in his career. Grant made a three-pointer in 35-straight games from Dec. 30, 2009 through Jan. 7, 2012, tying the Miami school record with former Cane Jack McClinton. The 35 also is the 11th-best in ACC history, tying Grant with J.J. Redick (Duke) and McClinton. 

UM Sets GSR School Record
The University of Miami recorded a department-wide school-record Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 93 percent, according to the rates released by the NCAA. As a department, Miami’s 93 percent GSR ranks fourth among ACC schools and is eighth overall among FBS schools. Overall, the University of Miami athletic department has improved from 77 to 93 percent from 2005 to 2012, a year after UM student-athletes posted a then-record 89 percent GSR in 2011. UM has exceeded the NCAA average GSR in each of the last eight years. The men’s basketball team’s rate is 87. 

Miami is a Top Academic Institution
Already the top academic institution in the state of Florida and a world-renowned research institution, the University of Miami and its Department of Athletics are building upon its reputation for developing world-class students. In the 2012 edition of the U.S. News & World Report’s annual issue, the University of Miami rose to number 44. UM remains the highest ranked school in the state of Florida.

Canes &  COACH L Make Commitment 
The University of Miami and Coach Jim Larranaga have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that will run through April 30, 2019.  Larranaga’s extension adds three years to his existing five-year contract which began in April 2011.

Celtics & Linsanity Associated with Coach L
Coach Jim Larranaga’s son, Jay, was hired by the Boston Celtics as an assistant coach for the 2012-13 season. Jay was previously the head coach of the Erie Bayhawks, the Knicks’ Developmental League team where Jeremy Lin played one game before being sent to New York City. In that one game, Lin delivered the single-best performance by an Erie player this season notching the team’s only triple-double thus far, scoring 28 points, dishing out 12 assists and grabbing 11 rebounds in the BayHawks’ 122-113 win over Maine.

Canes Look Forward to Complete Roster
Last season, Miami players missed 108 games due to injury or NCAA suspensions. The list of players missing time included starting center Reggie Johnson (nine games to injury, one to suspension), forward DeQuan Jones (10 to suspension), starting guard Durand Scott (three to suspension), starting guard Malcolm Grant (two to a death in the family), guard Garrius Adams (14 to injury and knee surgery), and guard Rion Brown (two to illness). Even guard Shane Larkin missed the opener until the NCAA approved his eligibility. Veteran forward Julian Gamble (knee) and freshman guard Bishop Daniels (foot) sat out the entire year.

Canes Tally Most ACC Wins
The Hurricanes ended the 2011-12 season 9-7 in the league and set the UM record for the most Atlantic Coast Conference wins in a season. Miami also ended their regular season tied for fourth in the ACC, the best finish since landing fifth during the 2007-08 campaign. 

Three Canes on All-ACC Teams
Three Miami players – Kenny Kadji, Durand Scott and Shane Larkin – earned 2011-12 All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, as announced by the ACC. Kadji was selected to the All-ACC Third Team, Durand Scott was voted an honorable mention performer and Larkin earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team. 

Gamble Granted Sixth Year
Forward Julian Gamble was granted a clock extension by the NCAA, allowing the senior to play basketball this season. Gamble was sidelined last season after tearing the ACL in his left leg in August. A team leader, Gamble started 13 games in 2010-11 and averaged 3.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game. In his three-season career, Gamble has played in 93 games, averaging 3.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game.

Cane Hooper Named to Pro Bowl
Former Cane hooper Jimmy Graham (2005-09) was one of  five New Orleans Saints to be named to the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl. At Miami, Graham played basketball from 2005-2009, graduated with a double major in marketing and management, then joined the 2009 football team while taking graduate classes. That season he totaled 17 receptions for 213 yards and five touchdowns. Graham averaged 4.2 ppg, shooting 49.5 percent from the field, and 4.2 rpg in 120 games in his four years with the Miami men’s basketball team.