Miami

The 2008-09 season was a relatively successful one for Miami as it was able to hang tough with some of the top teams in the ACC, including during its trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium. With an overall record of 19-13, the Hurricanes earned a bid to the NIT before losing in the second round.

However, with the loss of team leader Jack McClinton, Miami could face a down year. All eyes now turn to senior forward Dwayne Collins, who led the team last year in rebounds, steals and field goal percentage.  Collins’s presence inside will have to fill McClinton’s scoring void, as no clear perimeter scorer exists.

Head coach Frank Haith said that the team will face offensive troubles.

“We’ve always had a guy that could put up 20-25,” Haith said. “I don’t know if we have that on this team—though Dwayne went for 28 against Duke last year.”

Any hope of improving the offense outside of Collins will come from the young backcourt. Predominantly made up of freshmen and unproven sophomores, the inexperienced players will need to quickly contribute. With his natural size and athleticism, sophomore DeQuan Jones could rise to his potential as an outside scoring option.

Overall, Miami is a team with raw potential, but lacking senior leadership. The loss of McClinton will completely change the team dynamic, as the Hurricanes will need a more team-orientated offense, rather than a one-dimensional approach to scoring. However, Miami’s top-20 recruiting class and sophomore starters may lead the team to a more successful season than their predicted 10th-place finish.

“We’ve been picked to finish last four out of five years,” Haith said. “But we’ve gone to the post season four out of five years, so if we paid attention to that I don’t think we would have had that success.”