The Miami Hurricanes have not always been known for their basketball program, but head coach Jim Larranaga has been working hard to change that narrative. This week, the Hurricanes picked up two major commits in small forward Danilo Jovanovich and power forward A.J. Casey.
Jovanovich is a three-star prospect from Whitnall high school in Milwaukee and Casey is a four-star prospect from legendary Whitney Young in Chicago. The two forwards join three-star small forward Christian Watson, who committed to the Hurricanes in September.
Janovich has shown that he can be a good mid-range shooter, with a consistent jump shot inside the three-point line. He has also shown flashes of being a strong defender, something that the Hurricanes need while playing in the ACC, one of college basketball’s toughest conferences.
Casey is an athletic forward who has proven to be a very good defender and a strong rebounder. The Hurricanes are a very guard-heavy squad, with center Rodney Miller and stretch-four Sam Waardenburg set to graduate after this upcoming season.
110%Committed🧡💚#Gocanes pic.twitter.com/RYa0Nut8hx
— AJ Casey (@AndreCaseyjr_23) October 15, 2021
The two new commits, as well as Watson, should have a big role in the near future for a Hurricane team that will graduate four players after the 2021-22 season. Head Coach Jim Larranaga is looking to help the program improve after finishing with losing records in each of the last three seasons.
The Hurricanes last made the NCAA Tournament in 2018 but were bounced in the first round on a buzzer-beater by Cinderella story Loyola-Chicago. The Ramblers went on to make the Final Four, but the first-round exit still haunts the Hurricane program.
The Miami Hurricanes will look to turn things around, beginning this season and moving forward to the first year of their new commits and then on in the near future. The recruiting season is not over, and there is still a ton of room for Miami to pick up new recruits moving forward.