The Miami Hurricanes were one of several schools to have had a coach named in the recent FBI investigation of possible payments from shoe companies to college athletes in exchange for securing commitments at certain programs. Miami is one of those programs. The Hurricanes will face considerable distractions and a lot of national scrutiny as a result, but if head coach Jim Larranaga can keep the team focused in the middle of the storm, many believe the Canes have a chance to do great things on the court.
Offseason Changes
The Hurricanes and Larranaga bagged an elite recruit, Lonnie Walker, to play for them this season. Walker is viewed as a potential superstar, a tall shooting guard who – at 6-5 – can play over the top of smaller defenders and gain a clean shooting release in a way that a 6-3 shooting guard cannot. Walker is surrounded by playmakers on this team, but he doesn’t have to be the playmaker or facilitator of the offense who passes the ball to everyone else. He is the man who is supposed to knock down shots and draw so much defensive attention that the ballhandling guards have more freedom to operate and break down defenses.
Will Succeed If…
Walker is as advertised. The thing about Miami is that while other players – Bruce Brown and Ja’Quan Newton in particular – have attracted the attention of NBA scouts, those players existed on a Miami team which had a ceiling of the Sweet 16, not anything higher. Miami was probably going to be a good team without Walker this season, but merely good enough to make the NCAA Tournament with something like a No. 9 seed.
Walker is the kind of player Miami has been missing, a takeover scorer who can carry a team on his back and make everything easier for the supporting cast, enabling role players to feel that they don’t have to do too much on the court. If Walker becomes the special player everyone in Miami hopes he is, then this team’s ceiling will reach the Elite Eight or Final Four, and since Miami has never been to the Final Four, it’s clear that Walker is viewed as a cornerstone recruit who will change the way the Hurricanes are viewed, but in the ACC and nationally.
Won’t Succeed If…
The frontcourt can’t carry its weight. Miami has a lot of strong and skilled perimeter players, guys who can either handle the ball or shoot on the wings and in the backcourt. The interior of the defense and the low-post scoring questions this team faces are considerable, and one man will come into focus on this point: Dewan Huell. He struggled to find his way last season, integrating into the rest of the lineup. Being surrounded by guards, it was not as easy for Huell to make an impact as he thought. While Walker could open the floor for him and give him more space in which to work, it’s the chemistry with the guards such as Brown which Huell has to master if Miami wants to get everything it can from this season.
Roster
Ja’Quan Newton
Dejan Vasiljevic
Chris Lykes
Anthony Lawrence II
Lonnie Walker IV
Mike Robinson
Miles Wilson
Bruce Brown Jr.
Rodney Miller
Ebuka Izundu
Dewan Huell
Sam Waardenburg
Deng Gak
Chris Stowell
Schedule & Outlook
The Hurricanes non-conference schedule will feature a few tests, including a visit to No. 15 Minnesota on November 29th. Road trips to Hawaii and George Washington might challenge them a little bit, as will a neutral-site affair against Princeton. Otherwise, they don’t have to worry too much until they get into conference play.
The Hurricanes are a highly intriguing team, but the big word of caution is that relying on one recruit to change perceptions and results is always tenuous, and Walker is not 100 percent healthy just yet. This team should be able to win an NCAA Tournament game, but being able to do anything more is very much in question.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
