****Miami vs. Elon GAME THREAD****

[ejbaker1977]

I love what Jack did for the program. But for fk sake....he needs to get off the air.

If I see Malovec try another 3 like that last one, you can add him also

Nah let him shoot.

 

[JZCane0825]

If Shelton and Dante can shoot in the neighborhood of 35% from 3 - early sample size but both are at 33% - we become that much more formidable once we hit conference play

 

[Canedude08]

He was literally playing with Shane Larkin the last two years lmao. Dude is working himself back from an injury; hadn’t played for months

GB had 3 points during his only Miami season as a 4th year transfer. Already better than him.

Even if he is working himself back into shape, he should at least look like someone that has played basketball before. He’s a foul machine, everything looks awkward and unskilled when he’s playing. He’s unplayable, the only reason he’s playing is that we have no size whatsoever.

 

[AmherstCane]

Even if he is working himself back into shape, he should at least look like someone that has played basketball before. He’s a foul machine, everything looks awkward and unskilled when he’s playing. He’s unplayable, the only reason he’s playing is that we have no size whatsoever.

His attempt (if it can be called that) to take an offensive foul was one of the funnier things I’ve seen on a basketball court (not this game - one of the last few games). The offensive player straight bulldozed into him and he just raised his arms and stumbled backward staying on his feet and guaranteeing that no ref would ever make the call.

Maybe he gets better, but he’s lumbering with poor hands and seemingly average at best coordination.

 

[JZCane0825]

His attempt (if it can be called that) to take an offensive foul was one of the funnier things I’ve seen on a basketball court (not this game - one of the last few games). The offensive player straight bulldozed into him and he just raised his arms and stumbled backward staying on his feet and guaranteeing that no ref would ever make the call.

Maybe he gets better, but he’s lumbering with poor hands and seemingly average at best coordination.

The staff seemingly has hit on all their domestic evaluations and I think it's probably safe to say Timo as well. TBD on Dovrat but Altuntas is a perfect example of why Euro prospects are such a crapshoot.

 

[AtlAtty]

This may be a hot take this early, but I think Henderson will end up as the best five star we’ve ever signed.

He has a blue-collar competitiveness like Bruce Brown but in a much bigger body.

I agree. Lonnie Walker was not nearly as impactful as he could have been as a freshman.
Rice was very good but was not as physically developed

Who am I missing

 

[Canedude08]

This may be a hot take this early, but I think Henderson will end up as the best five star we’ve ever signed.

He has a blue-collar competitiveness like Bruce Brown but in a much bigger body.

Bruce Brown saw the game in a way that Henderson likely never will. That’s not an insult, few players have that gift. Bruce Brown carried the team **** near from game one on. Yes, the surrounding cast was better for Brown, but he will always be the gold standard in regards to 5 star recruits.

 

[cookies]

Bruce Brown saw the game in a way that Henderson likely never will. That’s not an insult, few players have that gift. Bruce Brown carried the team **** near from game one on. Yes, the surrounding cast was better for Brown, but he will always be the gold standard in regards to 5 star recruits.

7 points, 3 for 3 for free throws, 4 rebounds (2 offensive), 1 assist 0 turnovers, 1 block, 2 fouls in 17 minutes; never misses a boxout and sets proper screens = unplayable

 

[cookies]

I agree. Lonnie Walker was not nearly as impactful as he could have been as a freshman.
Rice was very good but was not as physically developed

Who am I missing

Jaquan was top 50 but not a 5*. 247 has Durand Scott at 31st on the composite + he played in the Jordan Brand Classic. DeQuan Jones ranked 21st on RSCI. Earl Timberlake ranked 30th. Then the last one was Jalil Bethea last year.

He is like a super saiyan version of Earl Timberlake. Going lottery will be tuff because this draft class is loaded; still, he looks like a first rounder.

I love what Jack did for the program. But for fk sake....he needs to get off the air.

Nah let him shoot.

This. He is our best shooter & needs to let it fly. He recently showcased himself as more than a shooter; he can be a legit 3 level lead scorer, this past summer

 

[Canedude08]

7 points, 3 for 3 for free throws, 4 rebounds (2 offensive), 1 assist 0 turnovers, 1 block, 2 fouls in 17 minutes; never misses a boxout and sets proper screens = unplayable

Tell me you haven’t seen this guy play before last night without telling me. Dude is averaging 1.4 PPG against mostly terrible competition. Last night was the first time he had scored a point ALL SEASON. Keep in mind, he had already fouled out in two games and had another game with four fouls. This is against teams that mostly lack size and or talent. Dude is fouling out against dudes that aren’t even close to ACC level competition.

He's unplayable on most teams, especially major conference teams where they have multiple bigs. Think about that, dude can’t even stay on the floor for a team that is desperate for big depth…. DESPERATE.

Barring some kind of major development transformation, he will not be here next year, he’s that middling.

 

[Trinton Breeze]

Miami men’s basketball had five players score in double figures as it rolled to a 99-72 victory over Elon on Thursday inside the Watsco Center.

The Hurricanes (4-1) took a 48-41 lead into the half as Shelton Henderson and Tru Washington combined for 25 points on 11-for-14 shooting. Henderson connected on six of his eight attempts while Washington was 5-for-6 from the floor to go along with a team-high five rebounds.

Miami led 31-30 with just over five minutes remaining on the half before going on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to double digits. Henderson scored back-to-back layups before Malik Reneau converted an and-one. Henderson capped off the run with another layup following a Tre Donaldson steal.

The Hurricanes open the second half on a 13-3 run, leading 61-44, with 16:33 left in the game. The run was highlighted by a pair of threes from Dante Allen and a deep ball from Washington.

Elon (3-2) cut the lead to nine, 68-59, before Miami extended its lead back to 18 on a 15-6 run. Miami’s advantage swelled to as high as 25 in the waning minutes after an 11-1 spurt before taking a 28-point lead, its highest of the game.

Five players scored in double figures for the third time this season led by Washington, who registered his third-career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Reneau added 19 while Donaldson had 17. Henderson and Dante Allen recorded season highs with 16 and 14, respectively.

The Hurricanes connected on a season-high nine 3-pointers and finished the game shooting 54.5-percent from the floor. Miami outrebounded the Phoenix, 38-22, dominated the paint, 54-28, and forced a season-high 18 turnovers.

Miami returns to the Watsco Center on Sunday at 1 p.m. as it takes on Delaware State. The game can be seen live ACC Network Extra.

Postgame Quotes

Head Coach Jai Lucas

Opening statement…

“It’s always good to come out with a win. You can’t take those for granted. It’s that time of the year where you look at some of these teams in these games, they get in these games, and it’s that dog fight part of the year, right before Thanksgiving, because everybody’s kind of looking around the corner. I thought we had some residuals from the Florida game that still lingered, and we had Ernest out. That changed everything so we’re starting differently. It was a different game for us, and we did a good job in the second half adjusting on the fly. The first half was shaky, but the guys did a good job of just staying consistent. We found a way to get over the hump in the second half to get us a little bit of a cushion. I thought that was the difference in the game. I thought our size and our physicality were warmer at the end, and that was part of the reason why we pressed a little bit to try to speed the game up, to get them out of rhythm. They are a rhythm team. We had to find a way to do that, and find a way to take away the threes, and in the second half we were able to do that.

On what changed defensively from the first half to the second that led to the higher shooting percentage…

“I was concerned about the three-point shot, especially with all five people being able to shoot. We started the game, switching everything, and we worked on it for the last couple of days of practice. But then when you get out there, the team moves a little bit faster and quicker. And part of it was a new adjustment that we tried to see if we could limit some of the threes and take away some, and they got some just off of us over helping. It wasn’t necessarily our switching. We just kind of got stuck when the ball was in the paint, and that led to some of their threes. Then we kind of adjusted, and we started to go under in the second half and just kept the matchups as much as possible, and try to keep them out the paint as much as possible, because their paint touches, which is a big key to what we do, and what we try to eliminate led to a lot of their threes.”

Shelton Henderson, Forward, Freshman
On what the team was feeling after the Florida game…

“I think we had to forget about it quick. It was our first loss of the season, so we had to bounce back. We knew we had to come out swinging, so that’s what we did tonight, and it showed up.

On one thing he would pick from tonight’s performance to replicate…

“I would keep building on playing as a team. We get a lot of assists together, so I’m going to keep playing off of these guys and they’re going to keep playing off of me.”

Tru Washington, Guard, Junior
On what the team learned from the Florida game and took as inspiration…

“The Gator game we missed a lot of free throws. But at practice we were working on free throws, and it showed today.”

On his mentality to be an effective scorer and push the offense…
“Just my coaching staff for believing in me. My coaching staff, my teammates, they want me to be the best I can be at all times. First half in that game (Florida) I was kind of in a slump, but they never shied away from me. They kept telling me to keep going and filled me with confidence.”

 

[hotshot]

Us making 9 three-pointers was encouraging, even though the shooting percentage (31%) wasn't great.

 

[sigmar]

another encouraging sign is Altunas only had two personal fouls in 17 minutes. Actually able to keep him on the floor A definite step in the right direction.

 

[cookies]

His attempt (if it can be called that) to take an offensive foul was one of the funnier things I’ve seen on a basketball court (not this game - one of the last few games). The offensive player straight bulldozed into him and he just raised his arms and stumbled backward staying on his feet and guaranteeing that no ref would ever make the call.

Maybe he gets better, but he’s lumbering with poor hands and seemingly average at best coordination.

This isn’t what happened lol. Time stamp 22:45. All he did was not fall down which is why he didn’t get the call; in FIBA/International play you can get the charge without falling down if it’s clear the secondary defender player had established position beforehand.

SA stayed on balance; the offensive player, did not bulldoze him.

Both players absorbed the contact but Salihl remains on squared up going backwards w/ his arms up; while, Alex Condan, who had takeoff momentum off of 2 attack dribbles with four steps from the perimeter, jumped up at the basket yet awkwardly lands leaning backwards & needs three recovery steps to regain his footing.

In other words, Salih, without fouling, redirected the airborne player who hit a tuff shot thru the contact. Nevertheless, if the referee called a charge it would’ve been the correct call.

That’s why Alex is a projected first round pick and why Salih, last year, played with a pro like Jordan Nwora, a player traded with our very own Bruce Brown + picks for Pascal Siakam who has been the 2nd star on two Finals teams, as his teammate. Nwora dominated Miami at UL before Salil was even a teenager. That’s why he went up against guys like our very own Ebuka Izundu last year.

 

[cookies]

Tell me you haven’t seen this guy play before last night without telling me. Dude is averaging 1.4 PPG against mostly terrible competition. Last night was the first time he had scored a point ALL SEASON. Keep in mind, he had already fouled out in two games and had another game with four fouls. This is against teams that mostly lack size and or talent. Dude is fouling out against dudes that aren’t even close to ACC level competition.

He's unplayable on most teams, especially major conference teams where they have multiple bigs. Think about that, dude can’t even stay on the floor for a team that is desperate for big depth…. DESPERATE.

Barring some kind of major development transformation, he will not be here next year, he’s that middling.

We’ve played 5 games. Stetson, Bethune, Jacksonville and Elon are all non-ACC level competition. Jacksonville and Elon were both single digital games at halftime; the other two were not; we were up 19 in each.

He had two total fouls in 25 minutes against Elon and Jacksonville; 10 fouls in 18 minutes against Elon and Bethune.

He hadn’t scored a point all season yet he had only shot the ball one time. If we were so DESPERATE for big help then Jai could’ve taken one or two or even three more bigs instead of Noam Dovrat, John Laboy, and Treyvon Maddox; he didn’t.

Jai trusts his top two bigs a lot with his defense first approach. He still wants to build continuity year to year.

 

[Trav]

Tell me you haven’t seen this guy play before last night without telling me. Dude is averaging 1.4 PPG against mostly terrible competition. Last night was the first time he had scored a point ALL SEASON. Keep in mind, he had already fouled out in two games and had another game with four fouls. This is against teams that mostly lack size and or talent. Dude is fouling out against dudes that aren’t even close to ACC level competition.

He's unplayable on most teams, especially major conference teams where they have multiple bigs. Think about that, dude can’t even stay on the floor for a team that is desperate for big depth…. DESPERATE.

Barring some kind of major development transformation, he will not be here next year, he’s that middling.

He's in over his head but there is literally no choice but to play him, especially with Udeh out. Hopefully this game gives him some confidence. If he could cut down on the fouls he'd at least be a big body/rebounding presence. Apparently he can hit FTs so that's something.

 

[Canedude08]

He's in over his head but there is literally no choice but to play him, especially with Udeh out. Hopefully this game gives him some confidence. If he could cut down on the fouls he'd at least be a big body/rebounding presence. Apparently he can hit FTs so that's something.

He’s playing because Jai Lucas doesn’t have anyone else. We can hope the young man improves, but we also know that this player looks like he doesn’t belong .

 

[hotshot]

Wish we could have had couple of their 3pt shooters..

Yeah, hard to believe there were no 3 pt marksmen/specialists to be had as Lucas assembled his totally new squad.

I've got my hopes for Tru and Dante to emerge more in that area of need. Roles are still being sorted out a bit this early.