2022-23 Record: 29-8, 15-5 ACC (1st)
Coach: Jim Larranaga, 13th Season
Departures: Isaiah Wong, G (Draft)
Jordan Miller, W (Draft)
Harlond Beverly, G (Transfer)
Anthony Walker, F (Transfer)
Favour Aire, C (Transfer)
Danilo Jovanovich, F (Transfer)
Arrivals: Matthew Cleveland, W (Transfer from Florida State)
Michael Nwoko, C (Freshman)
Kyshawn George, W (Freshman)
Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Nijel Pack
SG: Bensley Joseph
SF: Wooga Poplar
PF: Matthew Cleveland
C: Norchad Omier
Roster Breakdown
The Hurricanes are coming off a Final Four appearance last year, led by the dynamic guard play of Isaiah Wong, Nijel Pack, and Jordan Miller, plus the strong interior play of Norchad Omier. Wong and Miller have moved onto the NBA, but the Pack and Omier duo returns, and will look to lead The U back on a deep tournament run. After playing his first two years at Kansas State, Pack transferred to Miami before last season and made an instant impact. He's got in the gym shooting range, making 41.6% of his shots from deep on his career, and he put up 13.6 points per game last year. Without Wong, he will likely be the go-to scorer, and could rival or surpass his sophomore year numbers, when he put up 17.4 points a game. The one knock on him is that he's slightly undersized at 6 feet tall, but he's an electric player to watch. Omier is also undersized for a center, standing at 6'7", but he plays much bigger than that. He transferred to Miami from Arkansas State, where he earned 2021-22 Sun Belt Player of the Year honors after averaging 17.9 points and 12.2 rebounds for the Red Wolves. He continued his strong production in the ACC, averaging 13 and 10 for Miami, plus 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks a game. He's a tireless worker who grabs rebounds, is a great finisher around the rim, and just overall makes winning plays. Wooga Poplar and Bensley Joseph return as well after averaging over 20 minutes a game last year, and both rising junior guards will be in line for bigger roles offensively. Poplar was the fifth starter last season, and he's a super athlete with some serious bunnies. His highlight reel has some ferocious dunks, but perhaps more importantly he improved as a shooter last year, raising his three point percentage from 21.4% as a freshman to 37.5% last year, and his free throw percentage went up over 20 points from 65.4% to 86.7%. He should take another step up from averaging 8.4 points a game last year into mid double figures. Joseph was the sixth man on last year's Final Four team, and he can play both guard spots. His numbers don't jump off the page, averaging 5.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2 assists, but he's already really solid, an unselfish passer, shoots it well, he's made 39.7% of his threes in his career, is a good passer, and should see his numbers improve with more playing time this season. Jim Larranaga has had success both developing players and bringing in transfers, and he'll look to continue that this season. Rising sophomores Jakai Robinson, AJ Casey, and Christian Watson all have some recruiting pedigree and could fill in the role Joseph had last year as key bench pieces. Robinson was a top 100 prospect in the 2021 class, but redshirted his freshman year, and played sparingly last season. Casey was ranked 80 in the 247Composite Rankings for 2022, and he appeared in most of the games the Hurricanes played last year, but averaged just 6.7 minutes a game. Coming out of high school, the hope was that he could develop a strong jump shot to go along with his knack for rebounding and plus length and athleticism, and we could see more of his game this year. Watson is more of a wing, and could carve out a role this year thanks to his defensive potential. He was ranked just outside the top 150 in the composite rankings last year, and appeared in just 11 games as a freshman. But with reports of him having good shooting touch, the Canes could have a 3 and D wing on their hands. On the transfer front, Matthew Cleveland has come over from Florida State. He entered college as a 5 star recruit, and he's showed flashes of that potential in his freshman year, winning ACC Sixth Man of the Year, and followed that up by putting together a really nice year last season. He averaged 13.8 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Noles last season while greatly improving as a shooter, going from 17.6% from deep to 35%. He's at his best in transition, where his athleticism shines. He can handle the ball, which makes him a grab and go threat. He's a great finisher around the rim, which pairs well with his smart off ball cuts, and his mid range stroke is strong as well. While we haven't seen freshmen make a big impact recently for Miami, keep an eye on Michael Nwoko and Kyshawn George. Nwoko is a big ranked, currently ranked 139 in the 247 Composite, and he played for Canada over the summer at the FIBA u-19s. He's strong and a good rebounder, although his offensive game is mostly limited to dunks and put backs at the moment. His size and strength could lead to him being the backup center as soon as this season. George comes over from Switzerland by way of France, and at 6'7", he's a big guard who has good ballhandling skills on the wing. It remains to be seen how quickly he translates to the American game, but he's got loads of potential. Paul Djobet is the final member of the recruiting class, but he seems more like a developmental prospect.
My Thoughts
I really like this Miami team heading into this season. I think they have the same DNA as last year's team, and can have success in a lot of the same ways they did last year. The Canes thrived at forcing turnovers and getting easy buckets in transition, and they certainly have the personnel to do that once again. Cleveland and Poplar are going to throw down dunks, and Omier is a great rim running big. In the halfcourt, Miami put the ball in the hands of their guards and let them make plays. I expect Nijel Pack to do that again this year. I think they could actually have better depth than last season, when they were basically using a 7 man rotation. Guys like Jakai Robinson and AJ Casey developing into rotation pieces, plus the addition of Michael Nwoko, should allow Miami to go 9 or 10 deep if Jim Larranaga so chooses. Even though they lose some great players in Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller, I think they have the guys to fill their roles. Matthew Cleveland is about as good of a facsimile for Miller as you could ask for, and I think Wooga Poplar takes another step forward offensively to replicate some of Won'g scoring numbers, while Bensley Joseph steps into his balll handling role. I expect the Canes to once again be competing at the top of the ACC in 2023-24, and I bet they'll be one of the teams I watch the most because of how aesthetically pleasing they are to watch.
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