Three Miami basketball alums on ACC top 64 in 50 years

Three Miami basketball greats over the last 25 years have been selected as part by the ACC to choose “BRACKET: Best ACC Men’s Basketball Player of the Last 50 Years.”

Miami basketball alums Tim James, Shane Larkin and Lonnie Walker were been selected as part of a 64 team “BRACKET: Best ACC Men’s Basketball Player of the Last 50 Years.” Walker had the toughest first-round matchup with three-time National Player of the Year Ralph Sampson in a 16 seed versus one matchup.

The Walker-Sampson matchup occurred in the Charlotte Region. James was the 15 seed in the Greensboro Region and had a tough matchup with legendary Duke Shooter J.J. Redick. Larkin is the eighth seed in the Washington D.C. Region against former Georgia Tech point guard Mark Price.

Walker being matched up against Sampson is a near impossibility for the one and done former Hurricane to defeat. The best person to ask would be Miami head coach Jim Larranaga. Larranaga was on the staff at Virginia from 1979-86. Sampson played for the Cavaliers from 79′-’83. UVA made the 1981 Final Four with Sampson.

The Cavaliers lost in the 1983 regional final to Jim Valvano’s legendary North Carolina State team that had an improbable march to the NCAA Championship. In four seasons, Sampson averaged 16.9 points per game, 11.4 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and shot 56.8 percent from the floor.

Walker was solid and at times spectacular during his one season at Miami. There are many Hurricanes players over the last 30 plus years since bringing the program back who would have belonged on this list over him. Walker averaged 11.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.9 APG, shot 41.5 from the floor and 34.6 percent on threes.

Unlike when Virginia lost to NC State in the West Regional Final in 1983, Walker was unable to pull off the upset. Most legends are made in the NCAA Tournament. In Miami’s first-round loss to 11th seeded Loyola in 2018, Walker committed a foul, had a turnover and a missed free throw all in the last 30 seconds of the game.

Next was Larkin against Price. Larkin was the leader against the greatest Miami basketball team in the modern era. The 2013 Hurricanes won the ACC regular-season and tournament titles. Larkin was sensational in the Miami run to the ACC Tournament title. He averaged 23.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, and 2.3 steals.

In the three victories for Miami in Greensboro, Larkin shot 51.1 percent from the floor, made 45 percent of his three-point attempts and 88.9 percent of his free throws. Larkin cooled off in the NCAA Tournament to 13.7 PPG and shot less than 40 percent from the field and on threes. Miami lost in the Sweet 16 to Marquette.

In four seasons at Georgia Tech, Price one-upped Larkin by leading the Yellow Jackets to the 1985 East Regional Final where they lost to Georgetown and Patrick Ewing. In four seasons in Atlanta, Price averaged 17.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 4.4 APG while shooting 52.8 percent from the floor and making 85.5 percent of his free-throws.

The three-point shot was not implemented in college basketball until two seasons after Price graduated. Price made 40.2 percent of his three-point attempt during his NBA career 90.4 percent of his free-throw attempts. Three-times Price led the NBA in free throw percentage. Larkin was the only higher seed from Miami.

James was part of a resurgent Miami basketball program in the late 1990s under current Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton. Like Walker, James had a nearly impossible task matching up with Redick. In four seasons, James averaged 14.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.9 BPG and shot 47.7 percent from the floor.

Redick is one of the greatest shooters in the history of college basketball. Redick graduated in 2006 as the all-time leader in Division I with 457 three-point field goals. He has since been passed twice. Redick still holds the ACC-time record.

In four seasons at Duke, Redick made 40.6 percent of his three-point attempts and 91.2 percent from the line. With Redick starting 134 out of 139 games during his collegiate career, Duke advanced to the regional semifinals all four seasons with one Final Four appearance. Fourteen years later, Redick is still in the NBA.