The Canes will try to rally after finishing 14th in a hyper-competitive ACC last year. Alas, Jim Larranaga didn’t bring in the best transfers last year and it certainly showed. Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller departed for the NBA, with Wong playing for the Indiana Pacers and Miller for the Los Angeles Clippers. Sadly, the team heavily felt both players’ absences after the duo led Miami in scoring in 2022-2023. Nevertheless, the coaching staff and players seem locked as the upcoming season approaches. Let’s dive into a Miami Hurricanes Basketball Preview as the road to redemption begins for the team.
Miami Hurricanes Basketball Preview: Canes Road to Redemption
Larranaga, a Bronx native, is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in college basketball history. Give him a solid roster with good chemistry and he’s unstoppable. The talent Miami obtained via the transfer portal is far superior compared to last year’s transfer class. Also, 247 has the Hurricane’s incoming freshmen class ranked second in the ACC. Jalil Bethea, Lynn Kidd, and Jalen Blackmon were all huge gets and should be key to the team’s success. With more than half of the 2023-2024 roster gone, the Hurricanes should see a positive shift in morale as they look to forget last season. Just how far can Larranaga take the Hurricanes this year with a new roster?
Several Canes Transfers
Blackmon, Kidd, Brandon Johnson, A.J. Staton-McCray, Yussif Basa-Ama, and Kiree Huie will all be transferring to the U for the upcoming college basketball season. Blackmon and Kidd are the two biggest names in the Cane’s transfer class, coming from Stetson and Virginia Tech respectively. Johnson is a 4-star transfer from ECU. In just 3 seasons with the Pirates he managed to climb into the top 10 for career rebounds in the AAC with 681 boards. Staton-McCray spent his first four years at Samford, where he helped the team win the 2023-24 Southern Conference Championship and was named to the 2023-24 All-Southern Defense Team. Basa-Ama comes to Miami after three seasons with Yale where he received minimal playing time. Huie will be joining the Canes after a single season at Idaho State and may provide a spark of energy off the bench.
Miami Incoming Freshmen
Bethea, Austin Swartz, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu, and Divine Ugochukwu will be the four members of Miami’s 2024 Freshmen Class. Bethea is the highest-rated commit Miami has ever landed. The 5-star recruit is ranked 7th nationally among all prospects and is the number one player out of Pennsylvania. His phenomenal shooting should make him one of the top freshmen in the country and a great addition to the Canes. Swartz is ranked 60th nationally and is the 6th-ranked player in the state of North Carolina. Johnson-Arigu is the 6th ranked player in the state of Minnesota. Despite not being the highest-ranked out of the class, Johnson-Arigu’s explosive athleticism will produce many highlights. Ugochukwu, a combo guard from Sugarland, TX is ranked 23rd in the Lone Star state. Playing with guards like Nijel Pack, Bethea, Matthew Cleveland, and Swartz might make it tough for Ugochukwu to get minutes.
2024-2025 Hurricanes Schedule
Unfortunately, Miami has not released their full schedule for the 2024-2025 season. On the bright side, we do know they’ll be matched up with Arkansas in the SEC-ACC Challenge. Additionally, the Canes will participate in the 2024 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic. Besides Miami, the tournament will feature Drake, Seton Hall, Oklahoma State, Nevada, Vanderbilt, and VCU. The Hurricanes faced FAU in Boca Raton in the 2021-2022 season, narrowly escaping with a 68-66 victory. Furthermore, they beat Drake during their 2023 NCAA Tournament run to the Final Four. With a few familiar foes, the tournament could provide some exciting matchups for Larranaga and company. Interestingly, even though FAU lost Johnell Davis he transferred to Arkansas. The former Owl only saw 16 minutes of playing time in the previously mentioned FAU-Miami clash.
