Divine Ugochukwu Will Take his Place as a Starter With News of Nijel Pack's Injury
It's another year and a new injury for Miami Hurricanes guard Nijel Pack. This season it is his foot. He will be out for the next few weeks after being seen in a walking boot during the Hurricane's dominant 94-75 victory against Presbyterian on Sunday.
Head coach Jim Larranaga looks at this injury to his leading scorer as a deja vu moment from last season when Pack was out dealing with a knee injury that sidelined him and most of the team from last season.
"You'll have to ask him. I don't know. He hasn't practiced since Tennessee. This kind of deja vu if you ask me. Last year Christmastime he didn't play in the last two games against the opponents we faced on December 17th and 22nd or something, so we're right back in that spot. A different set of circumstances. It's not that knee that bothered him last year," Larranaga said.
Now with the Injury, there is time for a new guard to be developed and freshman Divine Ugochukwu will be starting for the time being with Pack down and out.
"I'm not sure. He's had a couple of different things that bother him. Right now Divine's going to start and keep that starting lineup intact for these next games and see how we do."
Larranaga continued.
"He was 1 for 1 from the field, but he had six rebounds and three assists. Those are probably career highs. Divine's quick, but Shane Larkin and Angel Rodriguez, those guys were jets," Larranaga said. "I think Divine's got very good straightaway speed, what I would call giddy-up. Like you jump on the horse and you take off. He's got great acceleration for a step or two. Those other guys were like lightning."
Ugochukwu has all the tools that the Hurricanes need in a player right now if they plan to turn the season around. The natural passing ability that he has is second nature and is a key factor in his being placed in the starting role. He is not afraid to throw a risky pass that can turn into a great shot attempt.
His speed and touch off the glass also keep in on the floor longer because he is one of the only guards that can attack the basket without being held up. He is what this team needs as they look to start streaking again to get back to .500 on the season. This year was a potential tournament team and with some new kinks to work out, the Canes could be back on track for that to be a possible future.
