Haith Has Hurricanes Ready For the ACC
MIAMI – Frank Haith knew his new job would take some work.
“I know that there’s a lot of things that are involved with this program, with this job, that’s more than just coaching your team,” the new head coach at Miami said. “You’ve got to recruit well, you’ve got to do a little marketing.”
It’s safe to say he’s done well with it all thus far. The Hurricanes ended non-conference play on Sunday with their eighth straight win, a 76-58 decision over Norfolk State that puts them at 9-2. Though their non-conference schedule was hardly chock full of world-beaters – it rates 257th out of the 330 Division I programs – it does include a win at Florida and a blowout win against Massachusetts. It’s hardly the stuff of legends, but this is a program that underachieved in recent seasons as it was preparing for the ACC, and it may pay off if the wins translate to increased confidence and a good inaugural ACC showing.
The Hurricanes not only lack quality wins save for Florida, but one of the losses is one that could doom them if they’re on the bubble come Selection Sunday – a 60-50 loss against South Carolina State in November. The Hurricanes’ other loss was in the next game, an overtime loss to Xavier, which won’t hurt as much. As bad as the loss to South Carolina State, it may mark the turning point in this season in Haith’s mind.
“I think from that point on, we learned a lot from that game, and our guys really bought in to what we’re doing and you saw a change in our ballclub from that game on,” he says. “Even though we lost the Xavier game, our level of play was better. For the most part, I think that we’ve gotten better each game, and you can see it and our kids can see it. That’s helped our progress in that they could see improvement in their games.”
Helping the surprising start for the Hurricanes has been the play of two less-heralded sophomores, forward Anthony King and point guard Anthony Harris. Plenty could be expected from Guillermo Diaz, but his classmates have emerged thus far this season to give the team a major boost. King has led the low post game as the ACC’s second-leading rebounder and being tied for the lead in blocked shots; he opened the season with 19 rebounds against Wofford, and had 13 blocks against Florida Atlantic. Harris has been steady at the point, posting a 1.5 assist/turnover ratio and is among the leaders in the ACC in assists to go with over 13 points per game. Both had limited playing time last year.
“He goes after every rebound, he plays with such enthusiasm, he’s continuing to grow as a basketball player,” Haith says of King. “I’m very pleased with his energy, and that’s why he’s been effective.”
Harris played the point in high school, so although he didn’t play there last season it’s not entirely new to him. He spent the summer learning more about decision-making and controlling the pace of the game. He came back to campus later in the summer after going home to Chicago for the early part. Haith has seen how competitive he is, and knows his play is a big reason the Hurricanes are 9-2.
“He’s really hard on himself. I sensed after the game that he wants to play so well all the time, and I need to get him to relax a little bit because he hasn’t shot the ball well the last couple of ballgames and he is a really good shooter,” Haith said. “But he’s doing other things, and that’s key. As the point guard, he’s got to be a playmaker, he’s got to be the beginning of our defense – he’s got to set the tone defensively.”
The guard-oriented Hurricanes don’t have great depth, which will certainly be a concern once ACC play starts with Thursday’s game at Georgia Tech. The bench contributed just three points in Sunday’s win, and on the season the reserves average just ten points per game. If more than one starter is out of the game, the offense can suffer, at least until there is more development of the reserves. Haith knows that this is a concern, and it’s one that won’t be improved overnight.
The post game is another concern Haith mentioned, though King’s development has certainly helped. Senior Will Frisby started the game Sunday very well, scoring the team’s first seven points. Junior Gary Hamilton rebounds well but doesn’t offer much offense off the bench, so much of the offense will come from the guards – Harris, Diaz and junior Robert Hite, who is shooting over 45% on three-pointers after making 36% of his attempts during his first two seasons.
The post players are improving, and that and the benefits of it are not lost on Haith or his players.
“We’re showing that the University of Miami has post players,” Frisby said of his play and that of King.
Even with the concerns, the Hurricanes are excited about ACC play. They are ready for the challenge and feel confident with eight straight wins, and they’re also optimistic.
“To go into the ACC at 9-2, that’s big for us,” Hite said. “If we can just win out at home and win a couple of road games, that will get us in the NCAA Tournament.”
The confidence and optimism will be needed. The ACC is certainly the top conference in college basketball this season, with the top RPI rating and four teams rated in the top 20 and seven in the top 50, and no team has a losing record. Their ACC slate includes two meetings each with Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Duke.
Haith has not only succeeded in getting this year’s team to play well. He has also succeeded in the recruiting and marketing involved, as the Hurricanes signed three top 100 recruits that are all from South Florida in the early signing period. They’re not done yet for this season, but this is a solid start and he says that recruiting well at home was certainly a priority.
“It was – we wanted to make sure we took care of south Florida in particular and the state of Florida in our recruiting,” he said of the priority. “We didn’t want a player to get out of here, particularly south Florida, that was good enough to play at this level. We were able to sign three really good players – three top 100 players – that all will come in and have an impact on our program.”
This year’s team and the recruiting are leading to what Haith thinks can be a regular top 25 program. He was excited about what the university had to offer with the new ACC membership, the beautiful on-campus Convocation Center that opened just over two years ago, and the academic reputation of the school. Three recruits have bought in, and the current players are ready – and they know everyone else affiliated with the program is as well.
“It’s what everybody’s been waiting for, to see how we’re going to do,” Harris said.
The ACC and Georgia Tech await on Thursday as the basketball program begins a new era.
