Miami Hurricanes head coach, Jim Larranaga, recently spoke to the media about the news of Isaiah Wong declaring for the draft and other topics. Larranaga praised Wong for his lofty career during his time at the University of Miami.
"Isaiah Wong has accomplished so much in his four years," Larranaga said. "He led us in scoring, he was first team all-conference, he was Player of the Year in the ACC, he helped us win the regular season ACC Championship and helped lead us to the final four. You can't really accomplish much more as a college basketball player than Isaiah Wong did, so I'm very, very happy for him."
Wong's legacy at Miami is impressive, according to Larranaga. "He's certainly one of the greatest basketball players of all time in the University of Miami history," he said. "I think it's about his tremendous, consistent work ethic. He set a standard for everybody to emulate. He's just a really hard-working guy. He's never had a bad attitude day or a bad work ethic day. He's like kind of a quiet leader, but he just leads by example."
Larranaga also discussed the challenges of recruiting and replacing key players not just with highly-rated transfers, but with players who will fit the team and his system. "That's the whole key to recruiting, to find the right guys, the right pieces that fit in with your culture," he said. "My coaching staff has done a great job, and I'm telling them they got to do the same thing this year,” Larranaga said with a smile.
Coach L cited two examples of players who were not highly recruited but became important contributors to the team: Charlie Moore and Jordan Miller. Both players were able to expand their roles on the team and make significant contributions to the Hurricanes' success.
With Wong leaving for the NBA, Larranaga expects Nijel Pack, Bensley Joseph, and Wooga Poplar to expand their roles in the backcourt. "We will have to add a guy to that group because we want to have not only a great starting lineup but a good rotation," he said.
The Hurricanes have had success in the portal before, and Larranaga hopes to continue that trend. It helps that the Canes are coming off of a Final Four run and ACC regular season championship. "Prospects look at us, they're a little more familiar with us, they know we reached the elite eight last year, they know we've made the final four," he said. "We want kids who are really role models in the community, so my coaches are very, very focused on finding the right guys."
Miami has recently been linked with Northwestern transfer Robbie Beran and five-star FSU transfer Matthew Cleveland.
"Isaiah Wong has accomplished so much in his four years," Larranaga said. "He led us in scoring, he was first team all-conference, he was Player of the Year in the ACC, he helped us win the regular season ACC Championship and helped lead us to the final four. You can't really accomplish much more as a college basketball player than Isaiah Wong did, so I'm very, very happy for him."
Wong's legacy at Miami is impressive, according to Larranaga. "He's certainly one of the greatest basketball players of all time in the University of Miami history," he said. "I think it's about his tremendous, consistent work ethic. He set a standard for everybody to emulate. He's just a really hard-working guy. He's never had a bad attitude day or a bad work ethic day. He's like kind of a quiet leader, but he just leads by example."
Larranaga also discussed the challenges of recruiting and replacing key players not just with highly-rated transfers, but with players who will fit the team and his system. "That's the whole key to recruiting, to find the right guys, the right pieces that fit in with your culture," he said. "My coaching staff has done a great job, and I'm telling them they got to do the same thing this year,” Larranaga said with a smile.
Coach L cited two examples of players who were not highly recruited but became important contributors to the team: Charlie Moore and Jordan Miller. Both players were able to expand their roles on the team and make significant contributions to the Hurricanes' success.
With Wong leaving for the NBA, Larranaga expects Nijel Pack, Bensley Joseph, and Wooga Poplar to expand their roles in the backcourt. "We will have to add a guy to that group because we want to have not only a great starting lineup but a good rotation," he said.
The Hurricanes have had success in the portal before, and Larranaga hopes to continue that trend. It helps that the Canes are coming off of a Final Four run and ACC regular season championship. "Prospects look at us, they're a little more familiar with us, they know we reached the elite eight last year, they know we've made the final four," he said. "We want kids who are really role models in the community, so my coaches are very, very focused on finding the right guys."
Miami has recently been linked with Northwestern transfer Robbie Beran and five-star FSU transfer Matthew Cleveland.
