Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Miami FL (Projected: 4th in ACC)
Heading into year 14 at Miami, legendary coach Jim Larranaga has officially matched his tenure length from his time at George Mason. Miami’s great recent momentum was stunted last season however, finishing last in the ACC after back-to-back seasons of deep NCAA Tournament runs. The talent level and improved depth of this season’s squad should be enough to take the Hurricanes dancing once again.
Three players return to Miami after the disappointment of last season. Matthew Cleveland (14 ppg, 6 rpg) is the leading scorer among them, transferring in last offseason from Florida State and having a big impact. Cleveland gives Miami an experienced scorer on the wing and is no slouch on the defensive end. Coming over last season from Florida State, some people expected him to take a bigger jump after two good years at FSU, but I think 2024-25 could be the year with an increased number of touches available for him.
Nijel Pack (13 ppg, 4 apg) returns as the point guard for the Hurricanes, coming off a career-low efficiency season. Pack must raise his shooting marks back up for the Hurricanes to reach their full potential. His playmaking last season was probably the best we’ve seen from him though, and his ability to get other guys involved will be just as important. Paul Djobet (2 ppg) is the final returner for the Hurricanes, a 6-7 wing who showed potential in limited minutes as a freshman last season.
Eight players, including four who played heavy minutes last season, left the Hurricanes this offseason. In the frontcourt, the Hurricanes lost Norchad Omier (17 ppg, 10 rpg), Michael Nwoko (3 ppg), and AJ Casey (2 ppg). In the backcourt, Wooga Poplar (13 ppg, 5 rpg), Bensley Joseph (10 ppg), Kyshawn George (8 ppg), Christian Watson (3 ppg), and Jakai Robinson (1 ppg) all departed the program.
To try and improve his team’s depth going into this season, Jim Larranaga went to the transfer portal and landed six commitments. Jalen Blackmon (21 ppg at Stetson) may be the most exciting of the group, an electric scorer over the past two seasons at Stetson. Blackmon broke the 30-point mark five times this past season, including a 43-point performance in the Atlantic Sun Conference championship game to send Stetson dancing for the first time ever. If Blackmon can settle into a slightly smaller role with the Hurricanes, he will be a dangerous shooting and scoring threat. The other guard entering the Hurricanes’ backcourt via the transfer portal is Samford transfer A.J. Staton-McCray (12 ppg, 5 rpg at Samford). Staton-McCray is a good athlete and defender, and developed a solid three-point shot this past season. He should be an impact guy off the bench for Larranaga’s squad this season.
The Miami frontcourt received a big boost as well in the transfer portal, including much-needed depth pieces. Lynn Kidd (13 ppg, 7 rpg at Virginia Tech) will be anything but a depth piece, an experienced ACC center who broke out last season at Virginia Tech. Last year, the Hurricanes had to heavily rely on Norchad Omier in the frontcourt, but having Kidd will allow Larranaga to utilize a true big man. Brandon Johnson (14 ppg, 9 rpg at East Carolina) will be another important frontcourt addition for Larranaga, a 6-8 forward who can space the floor and rebounds exceptionally well. Kiree Huie (11 ppg, 6 rpg at Idaho State) and Yussif Basa-Ama (1 ppg at Yale) are the final two transfer portal additions and will be the depth guys in this frontcourt.
Jim Larranaga hit the recruiting trails to fill out his roster, landing four commitments, including three guys inside the top 125. Jalil Bethea (5*, NAT 6) is the star of the class, an elite three-level scorer and a guy who will likely start as a freshman. Austin Swartz (4*, NAT 50) is another freshman who could have an instant impact, an elite shooter throughout his high school and summer circuit days. Depending on how the rotation pans out, Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (4*, NAT 121) could also have an impact, providing great athleticism and rebounding at the three or the four. Divine Ugochukwu (Unranked) is the final commit of the class, a guy who will likely have to wait a year to see a real impact for the Hurricanes.
After two great seasons with deep tournament runs, Jim Larranaga’s Hurricanes struggled mightily in 2023-24. I believe this makes this upcoming season even more important than it should be, as the Hurricanes can’t let a down year turn into a downwards spiral. The top-end talent on this team is enough to compete near the top of the ACC, and the depth of the lineup goes deeper than the 7th man this time around, so it’s safe to say I’ve bought back in.
Experienced veterans Nijel Pack, Matthew Cleveland, and Lynn Kidd need to be consistent throughout the seasons and show the young freshman core how it’s done in the ACC for this team to be at its best. My X-factors for this Miami squad are Jalen Blackmon and Jalil Bethea though, two guys who must adapt to the raised level of competition and be efficient scorers for the Hurricanes. If both Blackmon and Bethea develop into consistent options, Miami once again will have a scary good offense.
It feels like this is said every year, but the ACC doesn’t really look as if it matches the firepower of the Big 12, SEC, and Big Ten heading into 2024-25. I think Miami has a good chance to bounce straight back into the top third of the conference and into the NCAA Tournament, and I have the Hurricanes finishing 4th in the ACC.