From the Desk of Dan Radakovich

From the Desk of Dan Radakovich

Dear Canes Community,

As we approach the holiday season, I want to take a moment to thank all of you for supporting our athletic programs throughout the year. We strive to offer our student-athletes the championship resources they need to compete in the sports they love, and we could not do it without your support.

We just completed our first football season under head coach Mario Cristobal, and while it was a difficult season in terms of wins and losses, I remain excited about the direction of the program. Mario is a proven winner and we are committed to providing the best possible resources to position Miami football for success for years to come. Thank you to all the fans who came out to Hard Rock Stadium to support us this fall.

Safety Kamren Kinchens and punter Lou Hedley earned first-team All-ACC football honors this week, while tight end Will Mallory was named to the second team and running back Henry Parrish, Jr. and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson earned third-team honors. Congratulations to all!

Our men’s basketball team rallied to defeat Rutgers last night 68-61 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge before a terrific crowd at Watsco Center. Jordan Miller and Norchad Omier paced the team with 17 points each. The Canes are now 7-1 on the season.

Prior to the Rutgers game we honored head coach Jim Larrañaga for reaching 700 career wins, which he accomplished in our win over Providence on November 19. Jim is one of just 34 coaches in men’s college basketball to reach that milestone. Congratulations Jim and here’s to many more!

Our women’s basketball team (6-2) hosts No. 17 Michigan tonight at 9 p.m. in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The game will be televised on ACC Network. Ja’Leah Williams is off to a terrific start, leading the Canes in scoring at 12.3 points per contest after scoring a career-high 28 points in her last outing.

Season tickets are still available for both our men’s and women’s basketball teams. Click here to purchase. We hope to see you at Watsco Center!

Our volleyball team, which posted a 19-10 record in the regular season, opens NCAA Tournament play tonight with a first-round matchup against Kansas in Lincoln, Neb. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m. Led by first-team All-ACC selection Janice Leao, the Canes won six of their last seven regular season games to earn their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and sixth in the past 10 seasons. Good luck to Keno Gandara and his squad tonight in Lincoln!

You can keep up with all the Canes action by signing up to receive our weekly Miami Athletics Report. Click here to sign up!

Our student-athletes posted a Graduation Success Rate of 93 percent in the latest NCAA GSR rankings, which were released in November. This marks the seventh consecutive year and 10th year in the past 11 that Miami has earned a four-year average rate of 90 percent or higher. Our GSR is higher than the national average of 89 percent. I am proud of our student-athletes for posting such impressive GSR numbers. It’s a reflection of their commitment to the classroom, as well as the continued support of our coaches and academic support staff.

In keeping with our mission to serve our surrounding community, I am proud to say our teams have completed more than 6,000 hours of community service during this fall semester, including 20 community service projects alone in the month of November. We recognize the impact our athletic program can have in our community, and we are excited our student-athletes remain committed to providing assistance to those in need.

Our Canes Community remains stronger than ever thanks to your continued support. Happy Holidays from all of us at Miami Athletics. Go Canes!

Dan Radakovich