The Glaring Issue for the Miami Hurricane Men's Basketball Team
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes are off to one of its worst starts in program history and the issue is clear. It is not a coaching, scheming, or effort problem. It is a player problem.
The players are just not good enough. To be more specific, the transfer players are not good enough to play at this level. The players that have been on the roster for more than a year or were recruited in the last cycle by Jim Larranaga have shown promise on the court and it was hinted at in his retirement speech what the true issue was. NIL has allowed players who don't deserve the type of money they are getting to outbid others which also limits the players that can be added to the roster.
The Hurricanes added six transfer players to the roster this season — Lynn Kidd, Brandon Johnson, Jalen Blackmon, A.J. Staton-McCray, Kiree Huie, and Yussif Basa-Ama. Four of these players are getting quality minutes with two having a starting role.
Moreover, Kidd and Johnson have shown that they can be liabilities on the court. Kidd is an unstoppable force in the paint if he is not doubled. Once he gets doubled he's a deer in headlines. Simple passes that can lead to a rotational open three get left in the dust because he panics. Defensively, he has started to become a target in pick-and-roll scenarios and it was evident in his most recent loss against Virginia Tech.
Miami Men's Basketball Loses in Heartbreaking Fashion as its Troubled Season Continues
Johnson came into the season looking to be an additional weapon from behind the arch for the Hurricanes but has drawn blanks whenever he steps outside of the arch. He is approaching his career low in three-point percentage (26 percent) but still gives great effort on the defensive end.
Staton-McCray has been a positive player coming off the bench and will come hit timely threes and play solid defense. Blackmon has been the weakest guard on the roster this season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Basa-Ama rarely sees the floor and Huie has been injured so his abilities are still in the air.
Missing Nijel Pack also hurts but this team has a future if they can keep its young core together. There is a roster here that can be worked with but that is for next season. This season is already over before it truly even began.
READ MORE FROM MIAMI HURRICANES ON SI:
Bill Courtney Prepares Miami Men's Basketball Team in a Post Larranaga Era
Matthew Cleveland's Confidence is 'at an All Time High' Entering ACC Play
Everything Miami Interim Head Coach Bill Courtney Said in First Press Conference
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