2010-11 College Basketball Season Preview: Miami

Written by Paul Banks of the Washington Times, David Kay and Peter Christian of the The Sports Bank. Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
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Miami Hurricanes (Last Year: 20-13, 4-12 in ACC)



2010-11 Projected Depth Chart:


C: Reggie Johnson (So)/Raphael Akpejiori (Fr)

F: Adrian Thomas (Sr)/Julian Gamble (Jr)/Donnavan Kirk (Fr)

F: DeQuan Jones (Jr)/Erik Swoope (Fr)

SG: Durand Scott (So)/Rion Brown (Fr)/Garrius Adams (So)

PG: Malcolm Grant (Jr)

Gone: F/C-Dwayne Collins, SG-James Dews, F-Cyrus McGowan, PG-Antoine Allen (transfer-UNC Wilmington)



2010-11 Outlook:
Miami opened a lot of eyes when they started the 2009-10 season by winning all 16 of their non-conference games. Then the reality of playing a soft schedule hit the Hurricanes like a mack truck as they finished dead last in the ACC.

Despite losing their top two scorers, the Hurricanes do return some talent. Shooting guard Durand Scott returns coming off a nice freshman season and is expected to develop into Miami’s go-to scorer. Malcolm Grant returns to run the point while the very athletic, but underachieving DeQuan Jones figures to flank Scott on the wing. Up front, Reggie Johnson, Julian Gamble and Adrian Thomas, who was granted a medical sixth year of eligibility, were all part of the rotation last season and provide some experience and depth.

The Hurricanes bring in four freshmen who will need to provide some depth to a fairly thin bench. Guard Rion Brown (6-6) figures to make the biggest impact of the newcomers and will need to bring some scoring punch off the bench.

Miami has the talent to put together an improved performance in the ACC. Whether or not Frank Haith can get that talent to gel will be the difference between finishing in the bottom half of the league and competing for spot in the NCAA Tournament.





Player to Watch: DeQuan Jones, SF
Coming out of high school with a fair amount of hype, the incredibly athletic Jones has yet to live up to the hype. His playing time fluctuated in January and February to the point that he saw single-digit minutes six times during an eight-game stretch. Jones did show flashes of his ability during the ACC Tournament and if he can consistently bring that type of effectiveness, he and Scott could form a dynamic duo on the wing.



Key Non-Conference Games:
  • 11/15 at Memphis
  • 11/21 at Rutgers
  • 11/30 vs. Ole Miss
  • 12/4 vs. West Virginia
  • 12/18 vs. Central Florida



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