ESPN names Miami basketball all-time starting five plus head coach
Ahead of the Regional Semifinals that begin on Thursday, ESPN examined “March Madness: Ranking the all-time starting fives for the 2022 NCAA tournament Sweet 16 teams.” The Miami basketball team ranked 14th among the 16 schools remaining in the NCAA Tournament. Four of the five Miami players are since the rebirth.
Miami dropped its basketball program in 1971. In 1985 the Miami basketball program was revised. Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry was the sole choice for the ESPN Miami all-time starting five before the rebirth. The Canes Warning starting five published in January 2018 was vastly different than ESPN.
Barry and forward Tim James were the only two players on the Canes Warning 2018 team and the ESPN team. The three Canes Warning players who were different are Don Curnutt 1967-70, Willie Allen 1968-71 and Eric Brown 1985-89. Allen was the first African American to play basketball for Miami.
The Canes Warning list chose Bruce Hale as the head coach. Earlier this season Jim Larranaga passed Hale to become the winningest head coach in Miami history. That distinction clearly makes Larranaga the all-time Miami coach. Larranaga has also led Miami to three of its four Sweet 16 appearances.
"“14. Miami HurricanesThis team will have one objective: Get the ball to Barry.G/F Rick Barry: AP All-America first team (1965); averaged 29.8 PPG and 16.5 RPG in three seasons at Miami; led the nation with 37.4 PPG in 1964-65G Jack McClinton: All-ACC first team (2008, 2009); averaged 17.9 PPG and a 40% clip from 3 in three years at MiamiF James Jones: Averaged 16.9 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 40% from 3 in 2002-03; all-Big East third team (2002)F Tim James: AP All-America third team (1999); Big East player of the year (1999); averaged 18.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG and 2.2 BPG in 1998-99C Tito Horford: Averaged 14.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.3 BPG (1986-88)Coach: Jim Larrañaga (AP coach of the year in 2013)"
Allen, Brown and Curnutt were all more productive players than Horford, Jones and McClinton. James helped lead Miami to second place in the Big East regular season and a two seed in the NCAA Tournament before they were upset by Purdue in the second round. James was the second-leading scorer for Miami in 1999.
Next. Isaiah Wong First-team All-NCAA Tournament through two rounds. dark
Barry being surpassed on the list of the best Miami basketball players all-time is near impossible. Anyone who put up the number Barry did in his Miami career would quickly leave for the NBA. McClinton was a star in his time and Jones became a long-time NBA player who is currently the General Manager of the Phoenix Suns.