New UM basketball coach Jim Larranaga is tweeting! Check him out @CanesCoachL
He announces today that he just got a call from recruit Bishop Daniels, whom he visited in Georgia yesterday, and Daniels said he will stick with his UM commitment.
In other news, he flew to NC on Easter Sunday and visited with Reggie Johnson and his mom at their home and is doing all he can to get him to stay in school.
He may be 61, but he’s got energy, and loads of experience, and made the Final 4 justa few years ago..beat Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn during that magical run. Remains to be seen if UM will win under him, but already there’s a buzz..Larranaga was TRENDING on Twitter at 5 p.m. today. A UM hoops coach trending, right along with Brandon Marshall and Lindsay Lohan…here’s my story from today http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/22/v-fullstory/2180719/um-hires-jim-larranaga-as-new.html
Here you go, hot off the online presses…Larranaga is hired as UM coach.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/22/2180719/um-hires-jim-larranaga-as-new.html
Camped out for two hours outside Coach Haith’s office (with my sweet 11-yr-old daugther in tow..not exactly the fun off-day I had promised her)..here’s what I found out…
Haith met with his players from 3 to 4 p.m. in his office, and then met with his staff. Haith emerged from the player meeting red-eyed and in a somber mood, and several players said it was a very emotional meeting.
Asked if he could comment, Haith shook his head. “Can’t comment yet, tough day,” he said. He was scheduled to fly to Missouri Monday night on a private plane for the official announcement Tuesday morning, and return to Miami on Tuesday afternoon.
Junior center Julian Gamble led a team meeting after Haith left the room. He urged his teammates to stick together, and hang on to their goals for next season. Some players took the news harder than others.
“It’s really hard,” Gamble said. “It’s like losing a family member. Coach Haith has to do what’s best for him and his family, and you realize that basketball is a business. I wish him well and I’m going to be a Missouri fan as long as Coach Haith is there.
“I’m still in shock. I found out late last night. With social networking, it’s hard to keep anything a secret anymore. We all started calling each other when the news broke. We couldn’t believe it. None of us saw it coming. All we can do is stick together and stay focused and not let this distract us.”
Junior guard Malcolm Grant said: “I wish him all the success, but it’s really tough because he’s the reason I came here. Next year is my last year, and I wanted to have a great year for him. Now, I don’t even know who my coach is going to be. When Coach Haith walked out that door just now, it hit me, he’s not our coach anymore. That’s really hard to accept.
“It was a very emotional meeting. You could tell it was really tough on Coach, he was very sincere, and he teared up a little bit. As a player, you start to look back and think, `I wish we could’ve won more games, because maybe then Coach would have stayed with us. If we would have got the job done, maybe he’d still be our coach.
“When I first got a call late last night, I thought it was an April Fool’s joke. But then I typed his name online and the news was everywhere. I know he wanted to be the first to tell us face to face, but with social networking, the news got out.”
Grant said he is committed to staying at UM, and figured most players would be, but he said all will depend on who gets hired.
“There’s definitely going to be an adjustment period, but our goals don’t change,” Grant said. “We have to use this as motivation. I’m definitely staying, and hope the younger guys do, too.”
Freshman Rion Brown is one of those younger guys. He said he was stunned by the news.
“One day Coach is texting us about our workouts, and the next he’s gone,” Brown said. “I hope he does great there, but I had a relationship with him, and he’s the reason I came here, so this hurts for sure. The meeting was emotional, and after we talked about sticking together. I just want to play college basketball, and hopefully, they’ll bring in another good coach. Everything happens for a reason. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise, but for now, it just hurts.”
Bay Bay and Mo t-shirts? Now, there’s something new. Never have I seen UM female athletes with any kind of merchandise. Read about it…
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/10/2058959/um-womens-basketball-creates-a.html
No. 20 UM women 18-0 at home after knocking off No. 12 Maryland 83-75. Shenise Johnson scored 30, Morgan Stroman 20. Want to read more?
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/10/2061128/key-rebounds-seal-miami-hurricanes.html
Another heartbreaking loss for UM…74-71 to North Carolina. Tied 71-71 with seven seconds to go, Barnes hits a 3 for the Tar Heels, the Canes go home depressed again. Past three games they have lost by a total of 7 points.
What do you think is the problem? Bad luck? Poor play in final minutes? Players not quite good enough? Share your thoughts. Here’s your soapbox…
Welcome to the new bloggers from Spring 2011 semester! Please have fun with this blog. Show some attitude. Share your views. Get some conversations going. Write about UM sports, or sports in general. Just write often! And feel free to add links, photos, etc.. (as long as they’re rated PG-13). The more active and interesting and engaging the blog is, the better. See you in class.
They beat Wake by 21. Beat Va Tech. Came within 2 of Duke in ACC semi. Do the Canes (with 20 wins) deserve to be in the NIT? North Carolina in at 16-16. Texas Tech in at 17-15.
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Eye of the Hurricane 