Miami Head Coach Jim Larranaga, Junior forward-center Dewan Hernandez and Senior forward Anthony “Amp” Lawrence will represent the Hurricanes at ACC Operation Basketball in Charlotte on Wednesday.
The Miami basketball team will be the second to last to appear at Operation Basketball with Jim Larranaga speaking first to be followed by Hernandez and then Lawrence. ACC Network Extra is streaming all of Operation Basketball with the Miami segment of the press conference airing live at 4:15 ET.
The Miami Basketball Twitter page @CanesHoops will also have live coverage. Miami returns essentially three starters from last season. Hernandez started all 32 games last season under his previous name Dewan Huell. Lawrence started 31 games, Dejan Vasiljevic 20 and Chris Lykes ten.
Hernandez is Miami’s leading returning scorer at 11.4 points per game and rebounder at 6.7 per game. Lykes and Lawrence lead the returnees with 2.3 assists per game. Miami is going to need more out of Lykes from the point. He will be the starter this season and entrusted with running the offense.
Jim Larranaga, Hernandez and Lawrence all spoke at the Miami Basketball media day two weeks ago. Larranaga discussed getting his players healthy for the season opener in two weeks, who the five starters will be and the excitement about the newcomers.
Hernandez, Lawrence, and Lykes seem to be locked in as starters. Florida Gulf Coast transfer Zach Johnson is likely to be the fourth starter. The fifth starter depends on the direction that Larranaga chooses to go in.
If Miami wants to go big it could be either Senior center Ebuka Izundu or Sophomore forward Sam Waardenburg. If the Hurricanes go with a more perimeter oriented lineup Vasiljevic would be the likely choice. Larranaga discussed what the lineup could be and the injuries his team has dealt with in the offseason.
"“This stage of the season there are a lot of options available to us and right now my main concern is getting everybody healthy because we haven’t been 100 percent healthy since last season ended.Chris Lykes had shoulder surgery DJ Vasilevic broke his ankle and was out for three months with that. Zach Johnson fifth year transfer from Florida Gulf Coast who had a tremendous summer was very excited about him he’s been out for a month with a knee condition”"
Miami has to replace NBA Draftees Lonnie Walker and Bruce Brown plus Senior point guard Jaquan Newton. Walker went 18th overall in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs and Brown 42nd overall in the second round to the Detroit Pistons. It was the first time that two Hurricanes were selected in the modern NBA Draft.
Dewan and Amp ‘bout to drop the hottest single. pic.twitter.com/EvNKVEq7Wm
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) October 24, 2018
After having a lot of depth in the backcourt last season Miami’s strength this season will be upfront. Lawrence will likely play a lot more often on the wing than he did last year when was essentially the starting power forward.
In addition to Hernandez, Lawrence, Izundu and Waardenburg, Miami will also have Junior center Rodney Miller and Redshirt Freshman Den Gak up front. Anthony Mack who redshirted as a Freshman at Wyoming last season gives Miami a shooter off the bench. He is still working on his ball-handling abilities.