More people should be paying attention to our basketball team
They deserve more respect
When people think Miami basketball, they think about the Miami Heat. I mean come on, the king himself –LeBron James played here. But the hurricanes basketball team is a often overlooked–and it shouldn’t be.
Since Miami joined the ACC, the only teams to win conference titles have been the baseball team (’08,’14) and the basketball team in 2013. Coach Jim Larranega has brought the ‘Canes to either the NIT tournament, or the NCAA tournament in 3 of his past 4 years as head coach. While coach L has never posted a losing season in Miami, ‘Canes fans will still tell you that last year ended in a disappointing fashion.
At the high point of the season, the ‘Canes were walking out of the infamous Cameron stadium at 13-4, having handed Duke a 90-74 loss they wouldn’t soon forget. The time to savor the ever-welcome tears of Duke fans was short though –as the team would have an inconsistent season, ending in a heartbreaking overtime loss to Stamford in the NIT championship game.
So where are we now?
The hurricanes have fought a tough battle and are now sitting high as the 2nd place team in the ACC rankings. When it comes to basketball, the ACC is one of the toughest divisions in the country with big names like UNC, Duke and Syracuse. Regardless of their difficult conference, the team has powered through an easy start to their season, and looks poised to challenge its ACC rivals.
Returning players have been putting on impressive performances on the court with senior guard Sheldon McClellan averaging 16 points per game, fifth-year guard Angel Rodriguez averaging 12 PPG, and senior center Tonye Jekiri averaging 8 points and 10 rebounds per game. The second-highest scorer on the team behind McClellan is sophomore guard JaQuan Newton, who has been averaging 12 points per game – playing both longer and more efficiently than last season.
Fans poured into the Bank United center on Tuesday to watch the ‘Canes take on Duke in a completely sold out game –and the team didn’t disappoint. Behind fifth-year guard Angel Rodriguez, the ‘Canes put up a solid and entertaining victory, something the team desperately needs if it wants to get the recognition it truly deserves.
The ‘Canes are 20-4 overall, and face Virginia Tech on Wednesday. North Carolina leads the ACC with 21-4 and 10-2 conference records respectively. Coach L and the Canes are ready to show the doubters that this often-overlooked program is here to play.