Jim Larranaga on the Hurricanes' recruiting efforts and playing with a depleted roster.
247sports.com
The article is free, but there were a couple highlights that made me want to rip my hair out.
This isn't nearly the defense Jim seems to think it is. I've said it a couple times, but if for whatever reason, the coach isn't capable of fielding a competitive roster, he shouldn't be the coach anymore. If Jim's admitting that, two years later, recruiting is STILL being effected by the investigation, he's in trouble. If the taint from the investigation hasn't warn off by now, it likely never will.
Admittedly, this is not a quote, and may be an editorialization. Regardless, I can't quite put into words how horrible this logic is, so
I'll let Peter Griffin do it for me.
Reed, Jekiri, Izundu and Amp were all 3 star recruits that hardly made an impact as freshman, frequently looked over-matched early on, and eventually developed into useful players. This defeatist attitude almost suggests that Jim doesn't think he's capable of developing players. Its truly bizarre, especially since, outside of Anthony Mack and arguably Rodney and Uceda Cruz, there hasn't really been a player on the team recently that legitimately had no chance to compete in the ACC.
First off, thank you for posting the biggest question about the men's basketball team. This is great and will be a fun thread to discuss.
I am not throwing Coach L under the bus but he cannot take the victim approach to the roster management issue. This is a seven year problem. Yes, the FBI investigation hurt but it did not cause this problem.
I understand Coach L wants to keep a scholarship available for a transfer but he is not taking transfers during the season. Yes, Sam came mid-season from high school but honestly, can we say that was beneficial.
Having scholarships available in the Summer for transfers is acceptable but you have to have all 13 scholarships filled before the start of school. Filling all 13 scholarships is the goal, not an option. At some point, if you don't feel a 3 star high school player can develop into a starter or key reserve for you in four years, take a grad transfer to fill the scholarship for the season and let's try again next year for a capable freshman. It is really that simple.
This past Summer, once it was confirmed Wong, Beverly and Walker were going to be the incoming freshman class, filling the last four scholarships should have been used on four grad transfers. Sit out transfers is an option but under our circumstances, Miami needed grad transfers to play immediately. Coach L signed Stone and took Brooks without getting a waiver then left two scholarships unfilled.
That is poor roster management.
This is somewhat an overreaction to the situation but I have a feeling that Caputo and Fisher are recruiting kids to the program and Coach L is saying no instead of closing the deal. I could be and hope I am wrong.
If I am right then this is a sign of burnout. Recruiting takes a lot of work and you don't stop until all 13 scholarships are filled. If a coach does not have the drive, determination and energy to recruit then his coaching ability is useless as no amount of coaching ability makes up for a talent deficiency.
The best statement we can hear from Coach L at this point is that Miami will add two high school senior bigs to the 2020 recruiting class and have 13 scholarship players for next season, guaranteed.
If that does not happen and Miami deals with this for a 3rd year in a row and 8 out of 11 seasons, then it confirms Coach L is burnt out and needs to be removed.
In fairness, let's give him one last chance to get this right, even though I feel he should know better as I expect better from a experienced coach like Coach L.
