Canes Hoops (men and women) have an overseas trip to Italy in August 2019. (Great for recruiting)

[Consigliere]

I just happen to know enough to know that your bashing the coaches over “missed” transfers and Brooks likely not playing this year is wrong and unwarranted.

Who is bashing? We're having a convo on a message board. Some of us, use actual data and discuss. If you don't like it, don't reply or click ignore.

 

[AmherstCane]

Because we like the roster management issues we’ve had for numerous seasons now and we want to continue the trend.

Data, right? Cool story.

Moving on... I’d like to support the team and coaches who have taken us from a bottom feeder to ACC champs.

Having gotten past a gut-wrenching disruption, we are starting to move in a really exciting direction again. Baseless attacks on the coaching staff really aren’t helpful to anything.

 

[Consigliere]

Data, right? Cool story.

Moving on... I’d like to support the team and coaches who have taken us from a bottom feeder to ACC champs.

Having gotten past a gut-wrenching disruption, we are starting to move in a really exciting direction again. Baseless attacks on the coaching staff really aren’t helpful to anything.

Take off your tinfoil helmet, it is too tight.

 

[jkdood]

Some info from Italy on the Team doesn't seem half bad, and thanks to CanesHoops and others for some reports.

But feel like venting a bit: starting with no streams or other helpful coverage we are really in the dark. Other than one mention of 6 for 9 shooting by Miller 1 game, why no stats on FG and FT percentage. Who is healthy, who is really eligible to start, or pending a request for waiver? etc...

Too much mystery for me, and I'm not getting as warm and fuzzy a feeling as I would like. But fingers crossed.

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

I apologize for being late to a really good conversation. I guess I will add to the discussion. Better late than never.

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

Lucky, what exactly IS the argument for sitting Nysier this season (other than he is ineligible without a waiver)? That we have too many bigs?

I don't know. I would disagree with the too many bigs argument because that was the thought process last season when we had Dewan, Ebuka and Rodney. Rodney takes a redshirt because he was #3 center on the depth chart then Dewan is suspended for what was originally thought to be a few games and it ended up being the entire year. With that being said, too many is always better than not enough.

This year, without Brooks getting a waiver, the only big (C) on the roster is Rodney Miller. We hope and expect Deng Gak to be back by November but we are not 100% sure. If Gak has a setback and he is not availabe and Brooks is not eligible then Rodney Miller is the only active big on the roster and unfortunately, history repeats itself as Miami again deals with roster management issues with 2 unused available scholarships and still over 100 grad transfers still in the portal.

Miami should atleast apply for the waiver then we as fans will know for sure the status of Brooks. Most of the frustration with the Brooks situation is that we as fans have not seen where he has applied for the waiver for eligibility this season. That is where the criticism of the coaching staff originates. Until fans find out the coaching staff applied for the waiver then they will be the targets for the blame. If fans find out the waiver was applied for and the NCAA denied it then fans can blame the NCAA and the coaches will be in the clear.

 

[hotshot]

Take off your tinfoil helmet, it is too tight.

Amherst, the long-running questions last season about Dewan Hernandez' status, the more recent question about Nysier Brooks, and others --- I find myself wondering WHY The Herald beat writers/columnists didn't/don't ask these questions of Coach? Are common sense questions that any fan wants an answer to always "off the record" with the AD and basketball staff? Or, are the questions not even asked for fear of some sort of reprisal that could effect reporters' livelihoods?

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

Follow up about Nysier Brooks: A different perspective

If Brooks plays this season, right now he is the #2 behind Rodney Miller until Deng Gak is healthy then you would figure he would still be in the rotation as Miller and Gak will get into foul trouble every game (not a bad thing, it means they are aggressive). Illinois has a few good bigs that Miami plays in the non-conference schedule add in Florida and Xavier or UCONN maybe UCF. I have not mentioned ACC play with the likes of Louisville, Florida State, Duke, Syracuse and UVA so Brooks is needed this season.

If Brooks has to sit this season then he will get pushed further down the depth chart. Miller and Gak will be back and neither can take a redshirt year in 2020. Currently, Miami has Lance Ware and John Hugley scheduled for official visits. Hugley is a 4 star center so most would expect him to play when he arrives. Ware is a 4 star PF who will be in the rotation. It is easy to say they are not coming but Miami has 4 available scholarships and 4 official visits setup for September with more to come so somebody is committing to Miami. Let's say Ware and Hugley commit along with the other two official visitors, you may only see Brooks play on Senior night in March 2021.

It would benefit Miami and Brooks if he plays this season.

 

[hotshot]

If Brooks played this season, based on past history, I would be shocked if he didn't surpass Miller and claim the starting 5 job in the first practice.

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

Comments on some of the responses I read.

Next year (2020) Brooks will be part of a legitimate top-10 team and title contender in Coral Gables.

My response, why wait til next season when Miami averaged 86 points per game with only 10 practices under their belt in Italy. Winning this season should be the priority. Scoring will not be a problem with this group. Depth, defense and rebounding are the only things holding them back from winning the ACC. That is honest opinion but that will become clearer once the season starts.

Brooks is not fully healthy. Also, the 2020 team with Brooks has a shot at competing for a championship.

My response: Coach L mislead the fanbase with his July 31st press conference. Coach L stated they were going to be cautious with Brooks as he has a knee issue so fans assumed he would not play in Italy. Brooks plays the last two games in Italy so I guess caution was thrown to the win. Brooks can help Miami win and compete for the championship this season and Miami will have 4 or 5 talented freshman to help them compete for the championship next season. That should be the approach to this season. IMO.

We cannot compete at the highest level until Wong and Beverly are up to full speed.

My response: Wong averaged 14 points per game and filled in nicely for Lykes when Lykes got into foul trouble. Beverly was slow out of the gate but I am sure his 3 point average is not an indication of the upcoming season. Let's not overreact too much as I am sure the three freshman will combine for somewhere between 20 to 30 points per game. The only question is how much playing time Coach L puts them on the floor.

Moving on... I’d like to support the team and coaches who have taken us from a bottom feeder to ACC champs.

My response: I agree, Coach L has changed the perception of Miami basketball and he has won the ACC Championship. Unfortunately, once expectations are raised, it is expected that you continue to succeed at the level of success you have established. The new standard for basketball at Miami is 20 plus regular season wins, compete for the ACC championship and make the NCAA tournament(next step is winning a few games every year). Back to back losing season is not acceptable given that the bar has been raised. Fair or not, this is what it is.

Baseless attacks on the coaching staff really aren’t helpful to anything.

My response: I consider myself to be a fair and realistic fan. I have stated numerous times that I fully support Coach L and his entire staff. He is doing a great job at Miami but he has caused some this criticism. Coach L speaks about a lack of depth and needing bodies in a press conference but he and his staff have not used all 13 scholarships in the past 5 or 6 season. Either Hotshot or Consigliere posted a great article about how Miami has failed to use all of its scholarships during that timeframe. Like it or not, it is fair to criticize the use of scholarships when you have two unused scholarships, 2 players returning off an serious knee injuries who may not be available at the beginning of the season but Coach L will not tell fans if he has applied for a waiver for a player. Truthfully, taking a player to sit one and play one season never made sense to me.

The fans here are Canesinsight are pretty smart in some of their observations. I feel like none of the comments are personal attacks but they do have an aggressive nature about them. It is more of the passion we have about Miami and the athletic programs. Fans at Canesinsight see Miami on the cusp of something special if the coaching staff would make some changes to their philosophy. This is who we are and I enjoy being in this group.

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

If Brooks played this season, based on past history, I would be shocked if he didn't surpass Miller and claim the starting 5 job in the first practice.

I don't think Coach L wants that to happen. I think Coach L wants to add Rodney beside Tonye to tell other bigs how the coaching staff develops bigs at Miami and how they also graduate. Coach L has been very protective with Rodney in my opinion.

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

Canes In Italy by Miami Hurricanes

“Basketball has taken me so many places. I’m just blessed to be able to make a trip like this with my teammates, exploring different cultures and getting to show everyone the whole world.” - DJ Vasiljevic

miamihurricanes.exposure.co

Great photos and comments from each player about the trip to Italy.

 

[AmherstCane]

Comments on some of the responses I read.

Next year (2020) Brooks will be part of a legitimate top-10 team and title contender in Coral Gables.

My response, why wait til next season when Miami averaged 86 points per game with only 10 practices under their belt in Italy. Winning this season should be the priority. Scoring will not be a problem with this group. Depth, defense and rebounding are the only things holding them back from winning the ACC. That is honest opinion but that will become clearer once the season starts.

Brooks is not fully healthy. Also, the 2020 team with Brooks has a shot at competing for a championship.

My response: Coach L mislead the fanbase with his July 31st press conference. Coach L stated they were going to be cautious with Brooks as he has a knee issue so fans assumed he would not play in Italy. Brooks plays the last two games in Italy so I guess caution was thrown to the win. Brooks can help Miami win and compete for the championship this season and Miami will have 4 or 5 talented freshman to help them compete for the championship next season. That should be the approach to this season. IMO.

We cannot compete at the highest level until Wong and Beverly are up to full speed.

My response: Wong averaged 14 points per game and filled in nicely for Lykes when Lykes got into foul trouble. Beverly was slow out of the gate but I am sure his 3 point average is not an indication of the upcoming season. Let's not overreact too much as I am sure the three freshman will combine for somewhere between 20 to 30 points per game. The only question is how much playing time Coach L puts them on the floor.

Moving on... I’d like to support the team and coaches who have taken us from a bottom feeder to ACC champs.

My response: I agree, Coach L has changed the perception of Miami basketball and he has won the ACC Championship. Unfortunately, once expectations are raised, it is expected that you continue to succeed at the level of success you have established. The new standard for basketball at Miami is 20 plus regular season wins, compete for the ACC championship and make the NCAA tournament(next step is winning a few games every year). Back to back losing season is not acceptable given that the bar has been raised. Fair or not, this is what it is.

Baseless attacks on the coaching staff really aren’t helpful to anything.

My response: I consider myself to be a fair and realistic fan. I have stated numerous times that I fully support Coach L and his entire staff. He is doing a great job at Miami but he has caused some this criticism. Coach L speaks about a lack of depth and needing bodies in a press conference but he and his staff have not used all 13 scholarships in the past 5 or 6 season. Either Hotshot or Consigliere posted a great article about how Miami has failed to use all of its scholarships during that timeframe. Like it or not, it is fair to criticize the use of scholarships when you have two unused scholarships, 2 players returning off an serious knee injuries who may not be available at the beginning of the season but Coach L will not tell fans if he has applied for a waiver for a player. Truthfully, taking a player to sit one and play one season never made sense to me.

The fans here are Canesinsight are pretty smart in some of their observations. I feel like none of the comments are personal attacks but they do have an aggressive nature about them. It is more of the passion we have about Miami and the athletic programs. Fans at Canesinsight see Miami on the cusp of something special if the coaching staff would make some changes to their philosophy. This is who we are and I enjoy being in this group.

In my view, saying coaches “like” mismanaging the roster and “want to continue” the mismanagement is a baseless attack.

The level of distrust directed at Coach L — a coach who inherited Haith’s dumpster fire and worked his butt off to transform the program until he was wrongly implicated by the FBI (an especially awful experience for someone who has always gone the extra mile to do things the right way) — is really outrageous.

If you had the first iota of understanding of how devastating the FBI accusations were to Coach L - because he worked extra hard his whole career to do things the right and honest and ethical way - you might not be so cavalier as to excuse the casting of aspersions.

Hotshot asked a question about press coverage... and even intimated possible wrongdoing by the staff... I mean, really?

Reporters not asking question because they’re intimidated???? Rather than the obvious fact that MBB is barely even an afterthought in SFL?

I’ll post more later, but the level of delirium on here is pretty out of hand.

Brooks wouldn’t get a waiver. Just because his teammate who was shown the door by Cincy got one doesn’t mean Brooks (who the current Cincy staff wanted to keep) would.

Contrary to an ignorant assertion made previously in this thread, Cincy’s input does influences the waiver decision.

Brooks is also not healthy. Playing in one exhibition game doesn’t change that. Stay tuned and you’ll find out more when news is revealed.

For months this board has lambasted Coach L for not filling the roster. Then the board criticized taking Stone as a grad transfer. Then the board criticized not getting any other transfer. It is irrational, unreasonable, and not grounded in reality.

Taking the wrong guy can be worse than taking nobody. And sometimes you can’t get the guy(s) you want.

I only mentioned 2020 because despite the recent struggles the future is incredibly bright.

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

In my view, saying coaches “like” mismanaging the roster and “want to continue” the mismanagement is a baseless attack.

The level of distrust directed at Coach L — a coach who inherited Haith’s dumpster fire and worked his butt off to transform the program until he was wrongly implicated by the FBI (an especially awful experience for someone who has always gone the extra mile to do things the right way) — is really outrageous.

If you had the first iota of understanding of how devastating the FBI accusations were to Coach L - because he worked extra hard his whole career to do things the right and honest and ethical way - you might not be so cavalier as to excuse the casting of aspersions.

Hotshot asked a question about press coverage... and even intimated possible wrongdoing by the staff... I mean, really?

Reporters not asking question because they’re intimidated???? Rather than the obvious fact that MBB is barely even an afterthought in SFL?

I’ll post more later, but the level of delirium on here is pretty out of hand.

Brooks wouldn’t get a waiver. Just because his teammate who was shown the door by Cincy got one doesn’t mean Brooks (who the current Cincy staff wanted to keep) would.

Contrary to an ignorant assertion made previously in this thread, Cincy’s input does influences the waiver decision.

Brooks is also not healthy. Playing in one exhibition game doesn’t change that. Stay tuned and you’ll find out more when news is revealed.

For months this board has lambasted Coach L for not filling the roster. Then the board criticized taking Stone as a grad transfer. Then the board criticized not getting any other transfer. It is irrational, unreasonable, and not grounded in reality.

Taking the wrong guy can be worse than taking nobody. And sometimes you can’t get the guy(s) you want.

I only mentioned 2020 because despite the recent struggles the future is incredibly bright.

In fairness, as the voice of reasoning in this group, The FBI corruption investigation only hurt recruiting for one season.

The frustration Hotshot and others talk about is the failure to use all 13 scholarships once incoming freshman are not an option. Coach L and staff should have added grad transfers like Louisville did to field a competitive team. I do agree with Hotshot and you on this one. Where you two differ is the approach to the situation.

In fairness, we as fans expect people who cover Miami basketball and claim themselves as beatwriters to be as engaged to the program as we are. Asking Coach L if a waiver has been applied for Brooks is a fair question as it is a common practice in today's college basketball game.

Cincy's input is only a factor because other players from Cincy have received transfer waivers to their new school due to the coaching change. That is a fact.

Brooks played in two exhibition games so yes, he may not be 100% but he was healthy enough to play games, ride bikes and walk the entire tour of Italy and Como. Just saying.

Coach L has established that if he takes the wrong guy, he will kick them off the team in October per Wilson, Muhammud and Gilmore. Those reasons were never made public so we cannot speculate the exact reasons for the dismissal. Grad transfers offer less risk IMO.

The board has criticized Coach L for not filing out the roster because he also complained about not having enough players. With all of the close losses last season, two players would have made a difference. That is somewhat fair when you consider Coach L has final say on the roster and how many scholarship players to carry.

Most of the board supported the addition of Keith Stone as he is a talented player who is an upgrade over Sam Wardeenburg along with being a South Florida kid, which is something missing on our roster.

We all agree the future is bright but most fans do not want another losing season in 2019. Most fans believe that if all 11 scholarship guys are healthy and available then Miami will win 20 plus regular season games, compete for the ACC and make the NCAA tournament in 2019.

We are all mostly on the same page, unfortunately, we are not all taking the same route to get there.

 

[AmherstCane]

In fairness, as the voice of reasoning in this group, The FBI corruption investigation only hurt recruiting for one season.

The frustration Hotshot and others talk about is the failure to use all 13 scholarships once incoming freshman are not an option. Coach L and staff should have added grad transfers like Louisville did to field a competitive team. I do agree with Hotshot and you on this one. Where you two differ is the approach to the situation.

In fairness, we as fans expect people who cover Miami basketball and claim themselves as beatwriters to be as engaged to the program as we are. Asking Coach L if a waiver has been applied for Brooks is a fair question as it is a common practice in today's college basketball game.

Cincy's input is only a factor because other players from Cincy have received transfer waivers to their new school due to the coaching change. That is a fact.

Brooks played in two exhibition games so yes, he may not be 100% but he was healthy enough to play games, ride bikes and walk the entire tour of Italy and Como. Just saying.

Coach L has established that if he takes the wrong guy, he will kick them off the team in October per Wilson, Muhammud and Gilmore. Those reasons were never made public so we cannot speculate the exact reasons for the dismissal. Grad transfers offer less risk IMO.

The board has criticized Coach L for not filing out the roster because he also complained about not having enough players. With all of the close losses last season, two players would have made a difference. That is somewhat fair when you consider Coach L has final say on the roster and how many scholarship players to carry.

Most of the board supported the addition of Keith Stone as he is a talented player who is an upgrade over Sam Wardeenburg along with being a South Florida kid, which is something missing on our roster.

We all agree the future is bright but most fans do not want another losing season in 2019. Most fans believe that if all 11 scholarship guys are healthy and available then Miami will win 20 plus regular season games, compete for the ACC and make the NCAA tournament in 2019.

We are all mostly on the same page, unfortunately, we are not all taking the same route to get there.

Without Brooks, the goal and standard of 2019 is to make the tournament.

If Brooks doesn’t play, as I expect he won’t, it’s NOT because of some conspiracy or scheme by the coaches. The coaches would LOVE to have Brooks available this year. That is a no-brainer. The fact that he won’t be is NOT an indictment of the coaches. Watch for news about Brooks. A lot of people in this thread will look pretty silly.

Additionally, the fact that Brooks and Stone were the only grad transfers means that those were the only guys that we wanted who also wanted us. It doesn’t mean the coaches didn’t want and try for others.

Unfortunately, despite the program’s tremendous growth and achievements during L’s tenure, we are still a basketball wasteland. Press coverage of the team is somewhere between awful and atrocious.

Coach L is also not a big attention-seeker, he labors quietly and diligently to build the best team possible. That doesn’t always meet the desires of fans who want announcements of every move made by the staff and players.

Last year was tough. For everyone - but especially the staff. The FBI BS fiasco affected two recruiting classes and knocked Coach L off balance in a bad way. Can’t much blame a good man (who was wrongly accused and slandered) for stumbling a bit.

Fortunately, the team pulled a great recruiting class and will be a lot of fun (if occasionally frustrating) to watch this year.

If the staff could have signed a high level front court transfer with immediate eligibility, I believe they would have.

But that didn’t happen. I have high hopes for Miller - both based on what I have seen and Coach L’s track record of developing upperclassmen bigs - so I think we’ll be ok this year.

And next year we feast.

 

[Da_Lucky_One]

Without Brooks, the goal and standard of 2019 is to make the tournament.

If Brooks doesn’t play, as I expect he won’t, it’s NOT because of some conspiracy or scheme by the coaches. The coaches would LOVE to have Brooks available this year. That is a no-brainer. The fact that he won’t be is NOT an indictment of the coaches. Watch for news about Brooks. A lot of people in this thread will look pretty silly.

Additionally, the fact that Brooks and Stone were the only grad transfers means that those were the only guys that we wanted who also wanted us. It doesn’t mean the coaches didn’t want and try for others.

Unfortunately, despite the program’s tremendous growth and achievements during L’s tenure, we are still a basketball wasteland. Press coverage of the team is somewhere between awful and atrocious.

Coach L is also not a big attention-seeker, he labors quietly and diligently to build the best team possible. That doesn’t always meet the desires of fans who want announcements of every move made by the staff and players.

Last year was tough. For everyone - but especially the staff. The FBI BS fiasco affected two recruiting classes and knocked Coach L off balance in a bad way. Can’t much blame a good man (who was wrongly accused and slandered) for stumbling a bit.

Fortunately, the team pulled a great recruiting class and will be a lot of fun (if occasionally frustrating) to watch this year.

If the staff could have signed a high level front court transfer with immediate eligibility, I believe they would have.

But that didn’t happen. I have high hopes for Miller - both based on what I have seen and Coach L’s track record of developing upperclassmen bigs - so I think we’ll be ok this year.

And next year we feast.

Thank you for agreeing with the new basketball standard, the question is how do we get there. Most feel Brooks would help Miami reach that goal this season.

We as fans want to hear Coach L say "Nysier Brooks has applied for a waiver and we are waiting on an answer from the NCAA". Anything outside of that is pure speculation. That is all Coach L has to say. The issue is that he has said nothing while other programs are getting waivers for players in similar situations.

Stone is a grad transfer while Brooks is a regular transfer who needs to apply for a waiver to play this season. TJ Holyfield is a grad transfer who took a visit but decided to go elsewhere. Miami still has 2 open scholarships while there were over 200 grad transfers available earlier this year. Fans wanted and expected a better effort from the coaching staff due to the lack of players on the roster in 2018.

Perception of Miami being a "basketball wasteland" highlights the inabilities of the previous coaches to put a quality team together. As I mention in my post about in-state recruiting, the state of Florida averages about 10 to 15 high major D-1 basketball players per year but Miami does not capitalize on that. I give them credit for trying with Vernon Carey, CJ Walker and Nasir Little but they must find a way to get more Florida kids on the roster along with the kids from the DMV and Philadelphia area.

Coach L may not be a big attention seeker but in this world of instant news, people will always have questions and he needs to do a better job of providing answers. Especially if he wants the fans to support his product. I think the fans are being heard as this years schedule is much better than last season.

We differ on the FBI fiasco because Louisville was deeper in the fiasco and they are still deeper in it but they managed to compete for the ACC and make the NCAA tournament along with pulling in a top recruiting class. The difference being how their coaching staff approached the situation.

Given the circumstances, this year's recruiting class (2019) will help Miami a lot with depth and scoring. As long as Coach L plays them.

I also have hope for Rodney Miller. I posted this earlier in this thread that Miami should go center by committee this season. If Rodney, Nysier and Deng can give Miami 8 points, 6.5 rebound, 2 blocks and 4 fouls each then that would be more than enough support for Miami to make it to the NCAA tournament. I can see the three freshman contributing between 20 to 30 points combined. Add in the rest of the team and Miami should average over 90 points per game this season. The only questions are depth, defense and rebounding.

Great conversation. Again, same goad but we are just going a different way to get there.

Some fans feel Coach L and staff should have contacted and added more grad transfers to fulfill the 13 scholarship allotment. Again, very little information was release but we do have a transfer portal stream where we keep up with the transfer movement.

 

[tcgrad1014]

Obviously Brooks should play this season. I can't believe this is even a debate. Gak, Miller, Waardenburg and a freshman 3* up front is terrible.

 

[hotshot]

Amherst, you wrote this about me above: "Hotshot asked a question about press coverage... and even intimated possible wrongdoing by the staff... I mean, really?"

Total bull****. What I said was why can't The Miami Herald beat reporters ask the same simple questions of the staff that we all have on our own minds, on straightforward issues? Didn't you have those type questions during the 4 months that Dewan was twisting in the wind last season? The university and the Herald were as silent as a tomb.

I understand that sometimes if you ask what the fans want to know, you stand the risk of alienating the people you are covering. That's true of the Herald reporters covering the Dolphins, Marlins, etc. But ... if reporters can't ask basic questions and be able to print those answers, what the heck are they good for? Spouting platitudes and party lines only? Whatever happened to investigative journalism and asking questions that need to be asked?

 

[Consigliere]

If Brooks played this season, based on past history, I would be shocked if he didn't surpass Miller and claim the starting 5 job in the first practice.

This right here.

 

[tcgrad1014]

Agree on beat reporters. Very simple inquiry: "Are you pursuing a waiver for Brooks? If not, why not, because the NCAA is handing out waivers like candy on Halloween."