Senior Spotlight: Durand Scott

The Canes wrap uptheir regular season this week with a pair of home games against Georgia Tech(3/6) and Clemson (3/9). With five seniors on the roster, HurricaneSports.comis honoring a different one each day this week leading up to Senior Day onSaturday against Clemson. Today we chat with senior guard Durand Scott.

Durand Scott
The Bronx, N.Y.
13.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.7 spg

What is your favoritememory or moment as a Hurricane?

“This season we are having now, it is one of the biggestmoments I have ever had. It has been the most that my team has ever accomplished.It has been one of my greatest moments of being a Hurricane.”

What do you think ofhow your career has turned out?

“I have had no set backs or anything to regret. You have togo through some bumps to get to the point that you want to be. I am at thepoint I want to be right now and I have to continue to strive for more.”

Are you happy withyour legacy at Miami?

“Yes, I have had great seasons here. There are great people,students and fans here in Miami. I am very happy. I wouldn’t want to goanywhere else.”

What do you think ofthe future for Miami Basketball?

“Hopefully a season like this will help out our recruitingand raise fan interest. I know Coach L can continue to take this program in theright direction.”

What do you hope todo in your future?

“I just want to become a better person. Obviously playing inthe NBA is everyone’s goal, but not very many people make it there.”

What do you think ofthe emergence of the basketball program? Does this feel more like a basketballschool now that it did when you got here?

“From our school’s history, it will forever be a footballschool. But we are making some big strides, especially with Coach L here. We justhave to hope we keep moving forward in the right direction.”

What is yourrelationship like with the coaches and the rest of the team?

“Our team bond is great, we are like a family. Our motto isdoing everything together and that is exactly what we have been doing thisyear.”

What is the highlightof your career?

“Committing to The U was the greatest accomplishment of my career.If I didn’t come here, I wouldn’t be in the position I am in now, with the teamand coaches we have now. I am very happy I chose to come to this school.”

What has it been liketo help take this program all the way to No. 2 in the rankings?

“It’s been great. You just have to be patient. Anything canhappen if you put in the work and you are dedicated. Hopefully this is a lessonto athletes to always work hard because this is an experience people can reallylearn from.”

What’s your favoriteCoach L story?

“One time when we had a photo shoot at the beginning of the year,we took a team photo around the time the Dougie song waspopular. I was trying to get him to do the Dougie and I was showing him how todo it, but he didn’t really get it so it was funny. There are some pictures onmy instagram of him trying to do it, it was very funny and we all enjoyed thatmoment.”

What do you think ofthe opportunities you’ve had at Miami?

“It has created a lot of opportunities. I am getting to meeta lot of other people. I have been able to create relationships with people andbuilt connections for possible internships or jobs in the future. As far asplaces I’ve gone and things I’ve seen, there are very few people that get to goto Hawaii. That was a great experience, even though we didn’t do that wellbasketball wise. But we made a huge turn around after that tournament and wemight not be in the position that we are in now if that hadn’t happened.”

What was yourrecruitment like and how did you decide to attend Miami?

“It was a very difficult decision. There were many otherschools that were ranked higher and had a better basketball history andtradition, but I wanted to go somewhere I would be comfortable in. I thoughtThe U was the best place I could go where I would be very focused on basketballso that is why I decided to come. I also definitely wanted to build abasketball tradition and legacy here. The first three years, I really didn’tget that opportunity, but this year has been exactly what I envisioned. This issomething I will remember for the rest of my life. Now we can continue to buildon our success.”

How have youdeveloped under this coaching staff?

“I have developed a lot. I have become a better basketballplayer, both physically and mentally. Our strength coach has done a great job helpingme physically and all our other coaches have done a great job developing me,too.”

Beyond basketball,what do you think of your time at Miami?

“It has been a great experience. Freshman year was one of mybest years because I got to meet so many new people and there was a lot ofexcitement and fun on campus.”

What was it like tosee the students camp out and line up before the Duke game?

“It was great seeing all the fans camping out and lined upto get into our games. They want to see us win just as much as we do. It meansa lot for this program and to see how excited the fans are about us and Canesbasketball.”

What is something youknow now that you wish you would have known as a freshman?

“How to be a good defender. I want to become a lockdowndefender. That is something I have worked on and definitely made improvementsat. I wish I would have known some of those things when I was younger.”

Do you think Miamibasketball will ever win a National Championship?

“I really do believe this program will win a NationalChampionship, whether it is this year or in the future. You have to believe itto achieve it and we believe we can.”

What does being aMiami Hurricane mean to you?

“It means a lot to play for this program, to be able tothrow up The U and represent this program in a positive way. Being a Cane meansa lot to me.”