Miami Hurricanes Basketball Media Availability: Biggest Takeaways

Takeaways From Miami's Media Day Going Into The 2023-24 Season

After a successful past season for both the men and women's basketball teams, the new season is among us as the men open the season November 6th against NJIT and the women November 9th against Jacksonville University. However, during media day today, these were some of the biggest takeaways to walk away with:

#1 Wooga Poplar is well on his way to stardom

When asked about Wooga Poplar, Jim Larrañaga didn't hold back with the endless amounts of praise for the junior wing. He said that there have been a lot of NBA scouts in and out of Miami's practice, and said he wouldn't be surprised if he's drafted this coming year.

Wooga Poplar. Five 3-pointers tonight. Ice cold. ❄️

Tune in on ACCN: https://t.co/NAm9Uqsn39 pic.twitter.com/bklsKJprB7

— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) March 5, 2023

To add onto all of that, Larrañaga said that Poplar is likely one of the best pull-up jump shooters in the country. Larrañaga talked about how he encouraged Poplar last season to continue to shoot them, and that he tallied 31 points in a recent team scrimmage. If it wasn't clear already, a Poplar breakout season is among us as he looks to fill in the scoring void left by Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller going pro.

#2 Michael Nwoko will contribute as a freshman

Miami's top recruit from the class of 2023, Michael Nwoko has gained some valuable international experience of the past few years representing Canada on the FIBA U18 roster. Now coming to play for Coach Larrañaga at Miami, it appears he is positioned to contribute right away for the Canes.

On the topic of rebounding, Larrañaga mentioned that Nwoko has been the team's second best rebounder behind Norchad Omier through offseason practices. Omier's presence on the court is perhaps the most valuable for the Hurricanes, so Miami needs to be able to have a trustworthy backup when he's off.

#3 None of the sophomores have taken a "Wooga" jump yet

On the topic of the players going into their second year, Coach Larrañaga said that nobody has taken a "Wooga" type jump yet. For reference, the sophomores being referred to include Christian Watson, AJ Casey and Jakai Robinson. 

While it is a lot to expect that jump of that magnitude from any of the players, all three of them will be looked at to be key role players this coming season. With the departures of Anthony Walker and Harlond Beverly, it opens up some bench minutes that Miami needs desperately. A definite storyline to pay attention to throughout the season to see who steps up.

#4 Rebounding and defense are areas of improvement going into the season

When asked about areas of improvement for this Miami team, rebounding and defense were top of mind for Coach Larrañaga. Rebounding issues can be dated back to last season, as Miami's players struggled against UConn on the boards with the Huskies having such a size advantage. They'll need Michael Nwoko and Matthew Cleveland to help Omier down low if they plan to fix those problems. 

In terms of defense, Bensley Joseph was Miami's only true defensive stopper on the perimeter last year. Cleveland and Poplar are both expected to be big contributors on that end for Miami, but it seems as if Coach Larrañaga believes the team isn't where he needs them to be now.

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Miami Hurricanes 2023-24 Basketball Schedule

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