When the Miami Basketball team takes the Watsco Center court at 7 pm on October 30 for an exhibition game against Flagler College, they will have only four student-athletes on the roster who played in a game last season.
Last year the Miami basketball team finished the season with seven healthy players. When you play basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference, that is not the kind of depth a team wants going against the best talent in the nation.
With seniors Anthony Lawrence II, Ebuka Izundu and Zach Johnson graduating, former McDonald’s All American Dewan Hernandez losing his eligibility and freshman Anthony Mack transferring the Miami basketball program had many roster spots to fill in the offseason.
Thankfully, Coach Jim Larrañaga, associate head coach Chris Caputo and assistant coach Adam Fisher worked tirelessly to recruit three top 150 players in point guard Isaiah Wong, forward Anthony Walker and shooting guard Harlond Beverley. The staff also landed grad-transfer Keith Stone, a South Florida native.
Junior guard Kam McGusty, who sat out last year, is now eligible to contribute valuable minutes for the Canes. Miami also landed a top big man transfer in Nysier Brooks, who left Cincinnati to join the Hurricanes but is sitting out due to transfer rules. Bleacher Report says McGusty and Stone are the most noteworthy transfers.
"“McGusty was a top-50 recruit in the 2016 class, but a sophomore slump and a demotion from the starting lineup led to his departure from Oklahoma. Likewise, Stone was a top-100 guy in the 2015 recruiting class who never quite found his fit at Florida, despite a near-40 percent three-point stroke. That pair of transfers could have the same positive effect for Miami that Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez had in 2014-15.”"
The Miami Hurricanes return senior guard Dejan “DJ” Vasiljavic along with junior point guard Chris Lykes, redshirt junior forward Sam Waardenburg, redshirt junior center Rodney Miller and redshirt sophomore center Deng Gak. Miller redshirted last year to focus on his conditioning and skill development.
Gak sat the majority of last season with a knee injury. Stone is also coming off a midseason knee injury. The early success of the Miami basketball team could depend on when both he and Gak are cleared to play. It is very likely one or both may not be available for the season opener against ACC foe Louisville on November fifth.