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Tag Archives: Leonard Hamilton

‘Canes chop Seminoles, build NCAA Tournament resume

After receiving some bad news about Reggie Johnson’s eligibility and coming off a heart-crushing loss to Maryland, the ‘Canes were backed into a corner. The ‘Canes had lost 3 of their last 4 contests, including one to FSU. With an NCAA Tournament bid on the line, the ‘Canes played fast and furious in defeating the Seminoles 78-62.

The fans celebrated with the team after an emotional win over rival #15 FSU

When the season started, Miami struggled without Reggie Johnson. When Big Reg returned, the ‘Canes soared. DeQuan Jones’ return added more toughness and physicality. With Reggie suspended, Miami had to dig down deep. Put simply: the ‘Canes at the beginning of the year would have likely lost this game.

The team has improved tremendously over the course of the season. Sure, if the ‘Canes had lost to the ‘Noles at home tonight, the tone of this recap would have been completely different. The excuse would have likely been that Reggie wasn’t playing. And it would have been a good one, right? Reggie is a dynamic player who presents a match-up nightmare for nearly all his opponents – when he’s healthy. But the ‘Canes ability to win in this HUGE spot without him speaks volumes to how far this team has come.

The ‘Canes were down early as FSU got some easy baskets down low. With FSU leading 18-11, Hurricanes fans got nervous and the buzz in the BUC started to dissipate like electricity with no conductor. Then the ‘Canes went on a huge run and closed out the half with a slim 24-20 lead.

In the 2nd half, the ‘Canes got off to a fast start and shot the lights out of the BUC. As a team, Miami shot an eye-popping 60.9% from the field during the 2nd half. Miami appeared locked in on offense and consistently torched FSU’s vaunted defense. Down by 17, FSU’s Leonard Hamilton went to the Hack-A-’Cane strategy followed with a full court press. A few turnovers and some shaky FT shooting and FSU was able to cut the lead to 7 with 2:39 remaining. Shrugging off any bad memories of the previous game against Maryland, Miami refused to fold.

Durand Scott (17pts, 7reb, 2ast, 1stl) seemed to revel in the on-court celebration after the clock had expired. Kenny Kadji (15pts, 3reb, 5blk, 4stl) played a sterling game and was an absolute defensive beast. Trey McKinney Jones (11pts, 6reb) continued his great play with another strong effort. Shane Larkin (13pts, 2reb, 3ast) protected the ball and was money from the line at the end of the game. Rion Brown (9pts, 2reb, 1stl) produced a ton in only 13 minutes. DeQuan Jones (6pts, 4reb, 3ast, 1blk) was aggressive and his block in the 1st half seemed to spark the Miami run. Malcolm Grant (6pts, 1reb, 3ast) took care of the ball and hit a couple of big 3′s.

Player of the Game: This was a team effort with 4 players in double-digits in scoring and another with 9. If I have to give it to someone, it’s Durand Scott. Scott is the heart of this team. As he beats, so do the ‘Canes.

Defensive Player of the Game: Kenny Kadji. The team played great defense as a whole, but Kadji was spectacular with 5 blocks and 4 steals.

The Good: Beating FSU in a must-win game and really boosts Miami’s chances for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. At 8-6 in the ACC, Miami has a legitimate chance to cement a bid by winning out. If not, the ACC Tournament is another shot to add a few more notches. We’ll be covering the ACC Tournament from Atlanta and look for our ACC Tournament Survival Guide coming soon. If you’re going, send an email to category6um@gmail.com.

The Bad: FSU fans were tailgating under the Metrorail. We’ve been trying to find out if this is legal. I asked a police officer on duty and he said “As long as they’re not burning any trees down, I don’t think it’s a problem.” We need to have a tailgate before the finale against Boston College. It’s a moral imperative.

The Ugly: Lots of maroon and gold in the crowd, but you didn’t hear that much of them as the game wore on. Last season after FSU beat Miami, they did that irritating tomahawk chant as they streamed merrily out of the BUC.

Next Game: Miami takes on N.C. State on the road.

 

Florida State Seminoles
STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Bernard James, F 33 4-8 0-0 0-1 3 9 1 0 2 1 2 8
Xavier Gibson, F-C 13 1-2 0-0 2-2 2 3 2 0 0 1 3 4
Luke Loucks, G 26 0-4 0-3 0-0 0 3 4 0 0 3 4 0
Deividas Dulkys, G 25 3-6 1-4 3-4 1 4 1 2 2 2 5 10
Michael Snaer, G 36 7-13 3-5 3-4 5 8 4 1 0 4 2 20
BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Okaro White, F 18 2-5 0-1 0-2 0 4 1 0 1 2 5 4
Jeff Peterson, G 15 2-5 0-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 4
Antwan Space, F 2 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
Ian Miller, G 24 5-13 1-6 1-3 1 2 0 2 0 2 3 12
Terry Whisnant, G 5 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Jon Kreft, C 3 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
24-59 5-23 9-16 12 34 13 5 5 18 29 62
40.7% 21.7% 56.3%
Miami (FL) Hurricanes
STARTERS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Raphael Akpejiori, F 7 0-2 0-0 0-0 3 4 0 0 1 0 2 0
Kenny Kadji, F-C 37 4-6 2-2 5-8 0 3 0 4 5 4 5 15
Shane Larkin, G 28 2-6 1-2 8-9 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 13
Durand Scott, G 33 6-11 0-2 5-8 3 7 2 1 0 2 4 17
Malcolm Grant, G 17 2-6 2-5 0-0 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 6
BENCH MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Trey McKinney Jones, G 29 4-7 2-5 1-3 0 6 0 0 0 2 4 11
DeQuan Jones, G-F 27 2-3 0-0 2-3 1 4 3 0 1 1 1 6
Rion Brown, G 13 3-6 2-4 1-1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 9
Garrius Adams, G 9 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1
TOTALS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
23-47 9-20 23-34 7 29 11 7 7 11 17 78
48.9% 45.0% 67.6%

Technicals: None
Officials: Earl Walton , Michael Stephens, James Luckie
Attendance: 7,261

James, FSU defeat ‘Canes in physical bloodbath

Miami headed into Tallahassee riding a 5-game winning streak but fell 64-59 to the Seminoles. The game was marked by rough rival-style play reminiscent of a time when Miami was in the Big East and Leonard Hamilton was their skipper. Hamilton brought his physical brand of basketball to the ACC and Miami was ready to go toe-to-toe.

The ‘Canes threw everything they had at the Seminoles but Bernard “Social Security” James (18pts, 6reb, 2stl, 4blk) was too much for the ‘Canes to handle. James, an FSU elder-statesman at 27 years-old, had one of his best games of the season and was a nightmare for the ‘Canes all afternoon. All kidding aside, James served the U.S. Air Force admirably before winding up at Florida State – and Category 6 salutes his service. Cool story about him here. Well, maybe not all kidding aside . . .

The game was a physical bloodbath for the most part as the referees let both teams play. There were a few early possessions where Reggie Johnson (4pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1stl) was creamed trying to establish post position and it seemed to take him out of his game. Here’s some footage of the back-and-forth action from Tallahassee . . .

FSU’s blistering physical defense was also a culprit on Miami’s inability to score in the post. Kenny Kadji (14pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1blk) led the ‘Canes in scoring, but most of his shots (4 out of 7) were 3-pointers. Kadji can definitely nail the 3 and ‘Canes fans worldwide hold up their arms in anticipation of a make when he shoots ‘em, but the ‘Canes inability to get it going inside was evident in the team’s collective woes from beyond the arc (5 out of 23 – 21.7%). Sure, there were some open looks that were missed, but for the most part Miami had to jack up 3′s as the shot clock faded to zero. FSU’s tough defense deserves a tip of the cap.

Durand Scott (12pts, 5reb, 3ast, 2stl) surged late in the game. Scott’s two steals resulted in coast-to-coast dunks, the latter kept the door open for a possible ‘Canes comeback. Malcolm Grant (9pts, 3ast, 1stl) found some range inside the arc. Shane Larkin (5pts, 1ast, 1stl) was cold from the field, but he was pesky on defense and helped force a number of turnovers. Rion Brown (5pts, 3reb) and Trey McKinney Jones (3pts, 2reb, 1ast) played tough defense, but quality scoring opportunities were few and far between for all ‘Canes players.

DeQuan Jones (7pts, 5reb, 1stl) played another physical game. When Larranaga went small late in the game, Jones played center for the ‘Canes and did an admirable job. Jones also flirted with technical fouls on almost every play he was involved in by staring down FSU players after dunks and put-backs.

The 3-point shooting was reminiscent of the home loss to N.C. State, but the ‘Canes played with effort and were in the game until the end against a very good (and #15th ranked) team on the road. Miami will get a chance for revenge @ the BUC on Sunday, Feb. 25 @ 6PM.

Next Game: The ‘Canes (15-8, 6-4) have a huge home match-up against UNC on Wednesday night @ 8PM. Come out and support the team!

Miami (FL) Hurricanes
STARTERS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Kenny Kadji, F-C 5-8 1-4 3-3 2 6 1 0 1 3 4 14
Durand Scott, G 5-12 1-3 1-2 1 5 3 2 0 2 1 12
Malcolm Grant, G 3-9 1-6 2-2 0 0 3 1 0 2 1 9
Shane Larkin, G 1-9 0-3 3-4 4 5 1 1 0 2 1 5
Reggie Johnson, C 2-4 0-1 0-0 1 6 1 1 0 3 3 4
BENCH FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
DeQuan Jones, G-F 3-6 0-0 1-2 3 5 0 1 0 2 2 7
Rion Brown, G 2-6 1-3 0-0 1 3 0 0 0 1 2 5
Trey McKinney Jones, G 1-3 1-3 0-0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 3
TOTALS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
22-57 5-23 10-13 12 32 10 6 1 15 15 59
38.6% 21.7% 76.9%
Florida State Seminoles
STARTERS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Bernard James, F 8-13 0-0 2-4 3 6 0 2 4 7 2 18
Michael Snaer, G 4-11 2-6 2-2 0 5 2 0 0 4 3 12
Luke Loucks, G 3-7 1-2 0-3 2 6 6 2 0 0 1 7
Xavier Gibson, F-C 2-5 0-1 0-0 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 4
Deividas Dulkys, G 1-3 0-2 0-0 0 1 1 2 0 1 2 2
BENCH FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
Ian Miller, G 2-4 2-3 5-6 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 11
Okaro White, F 2-6 0-2 2-2 3 5 0 0 1 0 3 6
Jon Kreft, F-C 1-1 0-0 2-2 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 4
Jeff Peterson, G 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
TOTALS FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OFF REB AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
23-50 5-16 13-19 9 27 9 7 6 16 13 64
46.0% 31.3% 68.4%

Category 6 ACC Preview: Miami (15-7) at FSU (16-7)

(Editor’s note: Special thanks to Michael Rogner of http://www.tomahawknation.com/ for working with us on this preview and advanced scouting on Florida State)

For years Miami and FSU have battled on the gridiron with a stake in the national championship on the line. On Saturday in Tallahassee, (1pm EST Raycom/ESPN3) the classic rivals will match up in hoops with a share of 1st place in the ACC potentially on the line. While we do not know if there is a basketball equivalent of “wide right”, we do know this is the most significant match-up in basketball these two have played in years, perhaps ever. The ‘Canes are riding high with a 5 game conference winning streak following Thursday’s home win over Virginia Tech. Prior to a surprising loss Wednesday at BC, FSU had won 7 in a row in the ACC including wins over UNC and Duke.  This is the first of two contest between the long time foes. FSU will be at the BUC on 2/26.

Kenny Kadji and Miami have been all smiles lately.

Projected Starting Lineups:

Miami

C Reggie Johnson                   6’10 300 JR

F Kenny Kadji                          6’11 260 SO

G Shane Larkin                       5’11 160 FR

G Malcolm Grant                     6’1 188  SR

G Durand Scott                       6’4 198  JR

FSU

C Bernard James                   6’10 240 SR

F Xavier Gibson                      6’11 248 SR

G Luke Loucks                       6’5 201 SR

G Deividas Dulkys                 6’5 196 SR

G Michael Snaer                    6’5 205 JR

 

ACC Standings

TEAM CONF OVERALL
Duke 7-2 20-4
North Carolina 7-2 20-4
Florida State 7-2 16-7
North Carolina State 7-3 18-7
Virginia 6-3 19-4
Miami (FL) 6-3 15-7
Maryland 4-5 14-9
Clemson 3-6 11-12
Boston College 3-7 8-16
Virginia Tech 2-7 13-11
Wake Forest 2-8 11-13
Georgia Tech 2-8 9-15

 

Keys to the Game: Penetrate and Dish. FSU’s defense under Leonard Hamilton is about as easy to compromise as a vault at Fort Knox. They are stingy to say the least. But if there is one way Miami can compromise the Seminoles vaunted D, it is through slashing moves to the hoop and well placed passes. Shane Larkin and Durand Scott will need to expose Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys as defenders if the ‘Canes hope to crack 60 in this contest.

Keep Kadji involved. Reggie Johnson has been a force the last 2 games, but we feel the ‘Cane that FSU will have the most trouble with is Kenny Kadji. Kadji remains deadly accurate from downtown, and this has only enhanced his ability to put the ball on the deck and slash. Kadji has gotten away from his back to the basket game some with Johnson’s return, but the more touches he gets the better Miami will fare in this game.

3 for 3 on threes!!!

Best Match-up: Reggie Johnson VS Bernard James. Johnson versus anyone now is intriguing since the big fella has really raised his game of late. James, who just turned 26 this week, is a skilled, athletic, and experienced big man. He averages 10.3 points 8.5 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks. While it is hard to give anyone the edge of Big Reg, James is the kind of player who could get him in foul trouble. If both can stay on the floor, this should be a classic heavyweight slug-fest.

Prediction: Coming off the loss at BC, we expect to see FSU play angry. Miami will have to withstand the Seminoles typical hard-nosed defense and make some contested shots. Reggie Johnson and Bernard James will bang under the basket and both will put points on the board.  The ‘Cane that the Seminoles will have the most trouble with will be Kenny Kadji. Miami will build a second half lead behind K2′s strong play, but Deividas Dulkys will shoot FSU back into it with a bucket or two. A late stand and some Durand Scott free throws seal it.  Miami wins 62-58.

FSU players, after shocking Duke.

 

Here is our full Q&A with Michael Rogner of http://www.tomahawknation.com/

Please check out the site for our answers to his questions.

C6: Miami’s most successful run (3 straight NCAA Tournament appearances 1998-2000) as a program occurred with current FSU Coach Leonard Hamilton at the helm. Clearly he is having success with FSU. What do you feel makes him such a great coach? Is he doing his best job ever this year? How was he able to turn it around after the Seminoles early season out of conference losses and the blow out at Clemson?

TN: Building top quality programs at places like Miami and FSU is a remarkable feat, and one that is not well understood by the FSU fanbase. In terms of financial commitment to the program, FSU is essentially the basketball version of Wake Forest football. So Ham has to be creative. He brings in recruits from all over the place – a high school dropout he saw playing in a military game, a little known Alaskan point guard who was ready to enroll at Cal, etc… And he built his system around undervalued talents – ie offensively challenged players with next level size and athleticism, and then gets them to play defense. In terms of his best job ever, I actually think that was the 2007 season before it was derailed by the Toney Douglas injury. In the pre-season I pegged this team with an offense between 90 and 100 (currently 99th) and a defense around 10th (currently 9th). So they’re pretty much where I expected. The turnaround actually came in the Princeton game (when FSU scored 10 in the first half). Ham switched to a 3-guard lineup and since then FSU’s offense has gone from 184th to 99th, while the defense has remained stout.

C6: Bernard James has been a steady force down low. How do you see James matching up with Miami big man Reggie Johnson? Who has the advantage overall among post players James/Xavier Gibson VS Johnson/Kenny Kadji?

 

TN: This is where Miami has a huge advantage. James and/or Gibson can’t guard Johnson one-on-one (who can, that’s not in the NBA?), and Kadji’s versatility will give anyone problems. FSU will mix and match who’s on Johnson, and front the post with backside help. FSU’s bigs have the advantage when they’re on offense, but if Miami can handle them with minimal help then they should win this game.

C6: Michael Snaer has been very effective all season? What do you attribute his success to? What other players on FSU have been key to their winning streak? Which players on Miami do you feel might give FSU trouble on Saturday?

TN: From a mechanics standpoint, Snaer rebuilt his shot as a freshman and that work is beginning to pay off. From a mental standpoint, he’s still learning how to be the floor leader. When he’s focused and aggressive, he’s very hard to stop. But he tried to hard to involve his teammates, and then he gets frustrated and starts jacking bad 3s. The other play who has keyed their newfound offense is Ian Miller. His return allowed FSU to move to the 3-guard lineup, and he’s the only player who can consistently break down a defense off the dribble. Unfortunately, his defense is as bad as Michael Snaer’s is good, and Snaer is the best perimeter defender in the conference. Who will give Miami trouble? FSU is the best 3-point shooting team in the conference, and whoever gets hot will be that player. I’ll go with Dulkys.

C6: Do you think the FSU-Miami rivalry in basketball will ever come close to football? How do FSU fans feel about the basketball team? Do they have a big home court advantage at the Tucker Center?

TN: No. FSU is a football school, followed by spring football, signing day, fall practice and baseball. FSU fans only get behind the team when they’re winning and a month ago the student newspaper was calling for coach Hamilton’s head. There’s not a good understanding of what good basketball is, like you find at more established schools. However, when they are winning, the Donald L Tucker center can be loud and FSU always plays better at home.

C6: Finally, how do you see Saturday’s game playing out? What is your prediction and who will have big games?

TN: Honestly, I’m going back and forth on this one. Reggie Johnson and Kenny Kadji are just playing so good right now. And Shane Larkin is the kind of player that causes fits for FSU’s big guards. The last four teams to beat FSU all heavily involve sub-6′ PGs who can get into the lane and cause rotation problems for the defense. I hate to say it, but I think FSU is hoping to get a split with Miami. Since this one is in Tallahassee, I’ll take the Noles 67-64.

 

Category 6 Basketball Simulation: Miami (1999-2000) vs. Hurricanes (2007-2008)

This is one for the ages. The Category 6 computer scientists went at it again. This time they’ve outdone themselves by pitting one of the best Leonard Hamilton coached ‘Canes teams (Miami) versus Frank Haith’s lone NCAA tournament squad (Hurricanes). Miami defeated the Hurricanes 87-70 in a lopsided contest that saw coach Haith go through 5 or 6 jackets. (No we’re not aiming to get Men’s Warehouse as an advertiser) Note: I only ran the simulation once for the purpose of this article. I think that’s the best strategy to refrain from picking a particular result. Also, subsequent simulations showed a mix of wins and losses with the 1999-2000 squad winning the lion’s share of the contests. (8 out of 10).

 

Johnny Hemsley nails a three and lets the Hurricanes know about it.

Johnny Hemsley 24pts, 6reb, 1ast, 1stl and NBA star John Salmons went ballistic. Hemsley was on fire from behind the arc and at the line.

 

We could have used a 'Cane photo, sure, but these expressions are priceless. Salmons is like "I can't believe it!". Josh Smith is like "Not again!".

Salmons pushed a triple-double with 19pts, 7reb, 6ast. Mario Bland 17pts, 8reb, 3st was a beast on the boards and lured Anthony King away from the hoop while repeatedly nailing his patented jumper. Elton Tyler also made life difficult for Collins as he sent an early layup attempt into the 3rd row. Brian Asbury scored 13pts but the Hurricanes were beaten up on the boards by Miami.

 

Mario Bland (51) gets a rest after abusing Anthony King and Brian Asbury.

Perhaps the most surprising outcome of this simulated game is Jack McClinton’s 11pts on 3-9 shooting. I know Miami’s defense was world-class, but we’ve all seen McClinton go berserk in big spots, I’m inclined to think that he’d score a bit more.

 

Jack McClinton (33) had a sluggish simulated game against Miami.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jimmy Graham (00) has turned into quite the NFL TE.

NFL All-Pro TE Jimmy Graham 10pts, 5reb put away the cleats for the game and contributed despite only playing 17 minutes.

 

Vernon Jennings 9pts, 4reb, 5ast, 2stl caused problems for McClinton, James Dews 0pts, 3reb, 2ast and Lance Hurdle 7pts, 3reb, 2ast.

 

The story of this game appeared to be Miami’s suffocating defense, as they forced the Hurricanes into 17 turnovers. Miami’s 14 steals reflected their quick hands and heady play. Brian Asbury 13pts led the Hurricanes’ balanced attack, but there wasn’t enough supporting firepower to pull out the win.

 

FINAL
99-00 Miami (FL) 87
07-08 Miami (FL) 70

 

VISITING TEAM: 99-00 Miami (FL)
PLAYER MIN FGM/FGA 3PT M/A FTM/FTA REB AST BLK STL TO PF TP
Johnny Hemsley 33 7/15 4/9 6/6 6 1 0 1 2 1 24
Vernon Jennings 31 2/6 1/2 4/4 4 5 0 2 3 2 9
John Salmons 29 6/12 3/4 4/4 7 6 1 3 2 2 19
Mario Bland 28 6/11 0/0 5/8 8 0 0 3 2 4 17
Elton Tyler 26 3/6 0/0 2/2 4 1 1 1 2 4 8
Joao Paulo Coelho 14 0/3 0/2 1/2 1 1 0 2 2 3 1
James Jones 12 0/4 0/0 2/2 3 0 0 1 0 1 2
Leroy Hurd 12 2/2 0/0 1/2 1 2 0 0 0 2 5
Dwayne Wimbley 12 0/0 0/0 2/2 3 1 0 1 0 0 2
Tarik El-bassiouni 1 0/0 0/0 0/0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Orlando Gonzalez 1 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Michael Simmons 1 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 200 26/59 8/17 27/32 38 17 2 14 13 19 87
44.1% 47.1% 84.4%
HOME TEAM: 07-08 Miami (FL)
PLAYER MIN FGM/FGA 3PT M/A FTM/FTA REB AST BLK STL TO PF TP
Jack McClinton 27 3/9 1/4 4/4 3 3 0 0 3 3 11
James Dews 27 0/4 0/1 3/4 3 2 0 0 1 3 3
Brian Asbury 26 6/9 0/0 1/1 3 2 1 1 1 1 13
Dwayne Collins 22 3/5 0/0 2/2 7 0 2 1 2 1 8
Lance Hurdle 22 3/5 1/2 0/0 3 2 0 0 2 2 7
Anthony King 22 4/8 0/0 2/2 5 1 0 1 2 0 10
Eddie Rios 19 1/8 1/2 1/4 1 0 0 0 3 3 4
Jimmy Graham 17 4/6 0/0 2/5 5 0 0 0 2 2 10
Raymond Hicks 15 1/2 0/0 2/2 2 3 2 2 0 4 4
Landon Glover 1 0/1 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Adrian Thomas 1 0/0 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fabio Nass 1 0/0 0/0 0/0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
TOTALS 200 25/57 3/9 17/24 33 13 5 5 17 19 70
43.9% 33.3% 70.8%

Category6 catches up with Elton Tyler

While there have been many accomplished players in the history of University of Miami hoops, only Elton Tyler has been to the NCAA tournament all four years at UM. From 1997-98 to 2001-02 this versatile 6’10 forward/center saw and did it all.  We recently caught up with him and asked him the following:

 

C6:If you could pick any 4 former teammates to run a game with, who would you pick?                                                

 

ET:My point guard would be Vern Jennings because he can run the team, he’s a distributor. and very intelligent on the floor. Also he’s 6’4″ and plays great defense! My SG would be Johnny Hemsley, because he is energetic, a really good shooter although streaky, very tough minded, and a straight scorer. My SF would be John Salmons the ultimate 3,  who can play pretty much all but the center position and is a very solid player all around and also very good on defense. My 4 is going to surprise you.   It would be Raphael Berumen, I practiced with him everyday and was always impressed by his post play, he was very nimble on his feet, crazy footwork and a great touch around the basket. He never really got a chance to grow as a player because of Perry Clark! He was a better post player then me.

 

C6:What is your favorite memory from your time at UM?

 

ET: One was winning the Big East regular season championship against St. John’s where at the end of the game Eric Barkley was going up for a shot to either tie or go up 1 at the end of the game and I somehow blocked it. Another is senior day when Jerry Schlie got in the game against Va Tech and scored 6 straight points against them. Jerry was a walk on and started that game. Another was my last Big East tournament game against Pitt where I had like 30 pts and 9 rebs. Also, making it to the sweet 16!

 

C6:What do you think of the current UM roster?

 

ET:Well I’m not sure about the current roster but I know last year’s team needed more structure and discipline. As a ball player coming from Coach Leonard Hamilton’s system I could see their defensive focus needed improvement. Dwayne Wimbley and I would talk and both ask what was going on? I think they need to go to their big men more often and with Big Reg being hurt the other guys will have to step up.

 

C6:Can you tell us about your career since you’ve graduated from UM? Anything else you’d like us to know?

 

Well I actually just signed to play in Argentina next season for Atenas.

 

C6: Is there anything additional, you’d like to add?

 

I also just want to say that my experience at UM was ridiculously great! Coming from Boston, the city of Miami is like no other city and The U is like no other place. It’s really hard to explain and understand unless you have experienced it! No matter who you are if you attended The U for a semester or your whole college tenure, we’re all passionate about the ENTITY THAT IS THE U!

 

We couldn’t agree more Elton, and we thank you for taking the time to let us catch up with you.