Jai Lucas has done an amazing job in his second offseason as the Miami Hurricanes head coach. The Field of 68 podcast is starting to take notice on the 'Canes naming them a sleeper in the conference.
Here is everything the crew had to say about the Hurricanes provided with the YouTube video down below:
Rob Dauster: Miami Hurricanes. I said it earlier, my biggest winner of the offseason. They bring back Dante Allen, they bring back Shelton Henderson. I love what they added in the front court, and I just trust Jai Lucas at this point. Am I wrong? Are you with me on Miami being, like, potentially top 10 good? You can tell me I'm crazy. You're not afraid to do it.
Terrnce Ogleyby: I really like the roster. I think the three guys that aren't getting as much play, like, Somto Cyril, coming from Georgia, that dude's a beast. And then Acaden Lewis coming down from Villanova. Like, Jai's gonna let him rock. So I'm really intrigued by the roster. Do they have enough shooting? Nick Dorn shot 38% last year at Indiana. I like that add. And then you have, you know, some smaller guards that knock down shots. Last year, it was like, there were times during the season where they couldn't quite get over the hump when it came to, like, some big situations as far as knocking down a shot. But Jai's going with the exact same recipe as last year. I'm gonna be big, I'm gonna be physical, and I'm gonna have a guard that can really make things happen, and Acaden Lewis. I like the team. Matter of fact, I think I love the team. I'm like right in the middle. Do I love you? Do I love you not? You know what I mean? Like, right in the middle. But here's the deal too. It's at Miami. They could be a top 20 team. Nobody shows up, he's still gonna get big guys to show up and play hard. So it's a lot of credit to Jay Lucas. You talked about being the hot name. I'm just gonna throw it out there. If Kentucky doesn't have a good year, Jai Lucas is gonna be in that mix. And he should be. That's kind of where I'm at with that. Now, I'm not saying Kentucky's not gonna have a good year, but if that's were to be the case, and Kentucky fans get impatient, Jai Lucas is running around that top 15, top 20 at Miami, that could turn into an intriguing scenario because I think Jai is that good, and he has a way about him that's that good. And I just love how he manipulated the game last year, and then he has the size and athleticism. I think it's a step up at point guard.
Randolph Chilldress: I think the only thing that concerns me with Miami is the production of Malik Reneau. I think he was dominant on the interior in the way that they wanted to play. And I don't know if they replace that. I think they'll shoot the ball better. I think Shelton Henderson is gonna take a monster step next year and play at an all-conference level. I'm a huge fan of his, and he's a physical monster. I think they'll be really, really good, no question about it. But, you also wonder about where that interior dominance is gonna come from on the interior. They were able to give the ball to Malik. He was able to make plays, close games for them in a sense. And the other thing I'd say is that Lewis has a lot on his plate to replace, because Tre Donaldson last year, when they got down to the final minutes of a game, they essentially just put the ball, they kept the game close, because last year they weren't gonna run away from you. They put the ball to Tre Donaldson hands, and I thought he was as good a closer as it was in college basketball coming into last year. He did not disappoint. So, unless they're gonna change their style of play, and they're gonna be in those moments, that's a lot of heavy lifting for Lewis alone, and on top of this and Malik Reneau. I think they'll be good, because I think Shelton Henderson will pick up that responsibility, and let's not forget about Good. I think he, you know, he's coming over, Horizon League Player of the Year. I don't think he, he does it a little bit differently than I think Malik Reneau does. And I think that's the concern that I have, is how are they gonna, are they gonna change their style of play and play more four out, you know, one in, or, you know, instead of the high-low action they played a year ago. If, right now.
Here is everything the crew had to say about the Hurricanes provided with the YouTube video down below:
Rob Dauster: Miami Hurricanes. I said it earlier, my biggest winner of the offseason. They bring back Dante Allen, they bring back Shelton Henderson. I love what they added in the front court, and I just trust Jai Lucas at this point. Am I wrong? Are you with me on Miami being, like, potentially top 10 good? You can tell me I'm crazy. You're not afraid to do it.
Terrnce Ogleyby: I really like the roster. I think the three guys that aren't getting as much play, like, Somto Cyril, coming from Georgia, that dude's a beast. And then Acaden Lewis coming down from Villanova. Like, Jai's gonna let him rock. So I'm really intrigued by the roster. Do they have enough shooting? Nick Dorn shot 38% last year at Indiana. I like that add. And then you have, you know, some smaller guards that knock down shots. Last year, it was like, there were times during the season where they couldn't quite get over the hump when it came to, like, some big situations as far as knocking down a shot. But Jai's going with the exact same recipe as last year. I'm gonna be big, I'm gonna be physical, and I'm gonna have a guard that can really make things happen, and Acaden Lewis. I like the team. Matter of fact, I think I love the team. I'm like right in the middle. Do I love you? Do I love you not? You know what I mean? Like, right in the middle. But here's the deal too. It's at Miami. They could be a top 20 team. Nobody shows up, he's still gonna get big guys to show up and play hard. So it's a lot of credit to Jay Lucas. You talked about being the hot name. I'm just gonna throw it out there. If Kentucky doesn't have a good year, Jai Lucas is gonna be in that mix. And he should be. That's kind of where I'm at with that. Now, I'm not saying Kentucky's not gonna have a good year, but if that's were to be the case, and Kentucky fans get impatient, Jai Lucas is running around that top 15, top 20 at Miami, that could turn into an intriguing scenario because I think Jai is that good, and he has a way about him that's that good. And I just love how he manipulated the game last year, and then he has the size and athleticism. I think it's a step up at point guard.
Randolph Chilldress: I think the only thing that concerns me with Miami is the production of Malik Reneau. I think he was dominant on the interior in the way that they wanted to play. And I don't know if they replace that. I think they'll shoot the ball better. I think Shelton Henderson is gonna take a monster step next year and play at an all-conference level. I'm a huge fan of his, and he's a physical monster. I think they'll be really, really good, no question about it. But, you also wonder about where that interior dominance is gonna come from on the interior. They were able to give the ball to Malik. He was able to make plays, close games for them in a sense. And the other thing I'd say is that Lewis has a lot on his plate to replace, because Tre Donaldson last year, when they got down to the final minutes of a game, they essentially just put the ball, they kept the game close, because last year they weren't gonna run away from you. They put the ball to Tre Donaldson hands, and I thought he was as good a closer as it was in college basketball coming into last year. He did not disappoint. So, unless they're gonna change their style of play, and they're gonna be in those moments, that's a lot of heavy lifting for Lewis alone, and on top of this and Malik Reneau. I think they'll be good, because I think Shelton Henderson will pick up that responsibility, and let's not forget about Good. I think he, you know, he's coming over, Horizon League Player of the Year. I don't think he, he does it a little bit differently than I think Malik Reneau does. And I think that's the concern that I have, is how are they gonna, are they gonna change their style of play and play more four out, you know, one in, or, you know, instead of the high-low action they played a year ago. If, right now.
