Miami Hurricanes men's basketball

Miami Hurricanes men's basketball
2024–25 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team
University	University of Miami
All-time record	1127–819 (.579)
Head coach	Bill Courtney (interim)
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Location	Coral Gables, Florida, U.S.
Arena	Watsco Center (capacity: 7,972)
Nickname	Hurricanes
Student section	The Eye
Colors	Orange, green, and white
Uniforms
Home Away Alternate Alternate
NCAA tournament Final Four
2023
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
2022, 2023
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
2000, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2023
NCAA tournament round of 32
1999, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2023
NCAA tournament appearances
1960, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023
Conference tournament champions
2013
Conference regular season champions
Big East: 2000 ACC: 2013, 2023

The Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team is the college basketball team of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The team competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The University of Miami men's basketball team was formed in 1926, but the program was later dropped by the university in 1971. In 1985, 14 years later, the Hurricanes resumed play as an independent and joined the Big East Conference in 1991, winning the Big East regular season title in 2000. In 2004, in conjunction with the rest of the Miami athletic program, the team moved to the ACC.

In 2012–2013, the team won its first regular season ACC championship and its first ACC championship. In the 2014–2015 season, they reached the final of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The team has reached the NCAA Championship's Sweet 16 five times (1999–2000, 2012–2013, 2015–2016, 2021–2022, and 2022–2023), the Elite Eight twice (2021–2022 and 2022–2023), and the Final Four once (2022–2023).

The Hurricanes are currently coached by Bill Courtney, who was named interim head coach following Jim Larrañaga's resgination and play their home games at the Watsco Center.

History

See also: List of Miami Hurricanes men's basketball seasons

Watsco Center, the home arena of the Hurricanes' men's and women's basketball teams, on the University of Miami campus

Perry Clark era (1999–2004)

See also: 1999–2000 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team

Perry Clark took over the program at Miami in 2000 and spent four seasons with the Hurricanes, where he led them to a 65–54 (.546) record. In his first three seasons with the program, he accumulated 51 wins, the most ever by a Hurricane coach, and became the only Miami coach to take the Hurricanes to the postseason in each of his first two seasons.

Clark's 2001–02 Hurricane squad finished 24–8 and received the school's fourth NCAA Tournament berth and set a school record for wins in a season. Included in the 24 wins were a school-record 14 consecutive victories to open the season. His Hurricanes were not ranked in the preseason, but were ranked for the final 13 weeks of the campaign, ending the year No. 21 according to the Associated Press.

Frank Haith era (2004–2011)

See also: 2007–08 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2010–11 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, and 2011 University of Miami athletics scandal

Frank Haith was hired on April 11, 2004 and tasked with leading the Hurricanes into the Atlantic Coast Conference. In his first season, Haith took a team that was coming off two straight losing seasons and picked to finish last in the ACC and guided it to the postseason for the first time since 2002. As a result, Haith was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award.

Haith again took Miami to the NIT in 2005, and the Hurricanes won their first two games before bowing out in a loss to the Michigan Wolverines. It was just the second time in Miami's basketball history that the Hurricanes had won back-to-back postseason games.

Haith reached just one NCAA tournament as the head coach at Miami, leading the Hurricanes to a second-round appearance in 2008. The next season, Haith's team returned four starters, including sharpshooter Jack McClinton. Miami began the season ranked 16th in the USA Today/ESPN pre-season poll, and the media picked it to finish fourth in the ACC. However, Miami finished below .500 in conference play and missed the NCAA tournament, instead participating in the NIT. The following season, Haith's team finished in last place in the ACC.

Haith has also led the Hurricanes to success off-the-court. Under Haith's tenure, all eight Miami senior basketball players who have completed their eligibility have earned their degrees. Miami also placed three players on the ACC All-Academic basketball team for the 2004–2005 season, more than any school in the conference.

Jim Larrañaga era (2011–2024)

See also: 2011–12 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2012–13 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2013–14 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2014–15 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2015–16 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2016–17 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2017–18 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2018–19 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2019–20 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, 2020–21 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team, and 2021–22 Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team

On April 22, 2011, Jim Larrañaga accepted the head coaching position at the University of Miami. In his first season at Miami, he led the team to a 9–7 record in-conference. It marked the school's first ever winning record in the ACC.

Miami hosts Clemson at the Watsco Center for an ACC conference game in 2024

Miami's 2023 NCAA Tournament Final Four banner at the Watsco Center

In his second season, Larrañaga led the Hurricanes to arguably their best season since the Rick Barry era. They won the ACC regular-season title (the first time in 11 years, and only the fourth time in 32 years, that a team from North Carolina had not won at least a share of the title). The highlight of the season was an unprecedented 90–63 rout of #1 ranked Duke. That win was Miami's first-ever defeat of a top-ranked team, and the largest margin of defeat for a #1 team ever.

On March 17, 2013, Larrañaga coached the Hurricanes to the ACC tournament title—the first tournament title in the program's history — with an 87–77 win over North Carolina. On April 4, 2013, Larrañaga was voted the Associated Press' college basketball coach of the year. A week later, the Hurricanes advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament with their school-record 29th win. The season ended the following weekend with a loss to Marquette. He claimed the Hurricanes had not enough energy to win the game because of Reggie Johnson's injury and Shane Larkin's sickness.

Since the mid-2010s, Miami men's basketball under Larrañaga has become a routine contender in the ACC and nationally. In 2022, Miami made their first Elite Eight in program history, only falling short against eventual national champions Kansas. In the 2023 tournament, the Hurricanes made an even bigger leap, overcoming top regional seed Houston and second-seeded Texas en route to the program's first-ever Final Four. However, in the Final Four, they again ran into the eventual champions, this time falling to UConn. In 2024, with expectations still high, Miami started strong, starting out 15-7, but they finished the season with 10 straight losses, resulting in a 15-17 record, ultimately missing out on the postseason.

Following a 4-8 start to the 2024–25 season, Larrañaga announced he was stepping down from his head coaching position on December 26, 2024, with associate head coach Bill Courtney being named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Hurricanes have appeared in the NCAA tournament 12 times. Their combined record is 15–12.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1960		First Round	WKU	L 84–107
1998	#11	First Round	#6 UCLA	L 62–65
1999	#2	First Round Second Round	#15 Lafayette #10 Purdue	W 75–54 L 63–73
2000	#6	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#11 Arkansas #3 Ohio State #7 Tulsa	W 75–71 W 75–62 L 71–80
2002	#5	First Round	#12 Missouri	L 80–93
2008	#7	First Round Second Round	#10 Saint Mary's #2 Texas	W 78–64 L 72–75
2013	#2	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#15 Pacific #7 Illinois #3 Marquette	W 78–49 W 63–59 L 61–71
2016	#3	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen	#14 Buffalo #11 Wichita State #2 Villanova	W 79–72 W 65–57 L 69–92
2017	#8	First Round	#9 Michigan State	L 58–78
2018	#6	First Round	#11 Loyola (IL)	L 62–64
2022	#10	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	#7 USC #2 Auburn #11 Iowa State #1 Kansas	W 68–66 W 79–61 W 70–56 L 50–76
2023	#5	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four	#12 Drake #4 Indiana #1 Houston #2 Texas #4 UConn	W 63–56 W 85–69 W 89–75 W 88–81 L 59–72

NIT results

The Hurricanes have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 12 times. Their combined record is 11–12.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1961	First Round	Saint Louis	L 56–58
1963	First Round Quarterfinals	St. Francis Providence	W 71–70 L 96–106
1964	First Round	Saint Joseph's	L 76–86
1995	First Round	Penn State	L 56–62
1997	First Round	Michigan	L 63–76
2001	First Round	Auburn	L 60–58
2005	First Round	South Carolina	L 67–69
2006	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Oklahoma State Creighton Michigan	W 62–59 W 53–52 L 65–71
2009	First Round Second Round	Providence Florida	W 78–66 L 60–74
2011	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Florida Atlantic Missouri State Alabama	W 85–62 W 81–72 L 64–79
2012	First Round Second Round	Valparaiso Minnesota	W 66–50 L 60–78
2015	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final	North Carolina Central Alabama Richmond Temple Stanford	W 75–71 W 73–66 W 63–61 W 60–57 L 64–66

Notable players

Rick Barry's #24 jersey was retired by the Hurricanes in 1976

Durand Scott, ACC All-Rookie Team in 2010

Malcolm Grant, third team All-ACC in 2011

Retired numbers

Main article: List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers

No.	Player	Pos.	Tenure	No. Ret.	Ref.
24	Rick Barry	SF	1962–65	1976
40	Tim James	SF	1995–99	1999

Honored jerseys

"Honored" players are those former athletes who have had their jerseys hanging at the Watsco Center rafters, although those numbers are not officially retired.

No.	Player	Pos.	Tenure	Honored
13	Dick Hickox	G	1958–61	2010
11	Don Curnutt	SG	1967–70	2010
33	Jack McClinton	SG	2006–09	2010

National Player of the Year

2013 – Shane Larkin, Lute Olson National Player of the Year

All-Americans

• 1960 – Dick Hickox, AP Second Team
• 1965 – Rick Barry, Consensus First Team
• 1970 – Don Curnutt, Helms Second Team
• 1999 – Tim James, AP Third Team
• 2013 – Shane Larkin, AP, NABC Second Team, Sporting News Third Team, John Wooden All-American, Bob Cousy Award Finalist, John R. Wooden Award Finalist
• 2023 – Isaiah Wong, NABC Third Team

ACC Player of the Year

2013 – Shane Larkin (Coaches)
2023 – Isaiah Wong

All-ACC Teams

First Team All-ACC:

• Jack McClinton, 2008, 2009
• Shane Larkin, 2013
• Kameron McGusty, 2022
• Isaiah Wong, 2023

Second Team All-ACC:

• Guillermo Diaz, 2005, 2006
• Kenny Kadji, 2013
• Sheldon McClellan, 2016
• Jordan Miller, 2023
• Norchad Omier, 2024

Third Team All-ACC:

• Robert Hite, 2006
• Jack McClinton, 2007
• Malcolm Grant, 2011
• Kenny Kadji, 2012
• Rion Brown, 2014
• Tonye Jekiri, 2016
• Isaiah Wong, 2022
• Norchad Omier, 2023

ACC All-Rookie Team:

• Durand Scott, 2010
• Shane Larkin, 2012

ACC All-Defensive Team:

• Anthony King, 2005
• Shane Larkin, 2013
• Durand Scott, 2013
• Tonye Jekiri, 2015, 2016
• Charlie Moore, 2022

ACC All-Tournament Team:

• Shane Larkin, 2013 (MVP)
• Durand Scott, 2013
• Julian Gamble, 2013 (2nd Team)
• Trey McKinney-Jones, 2013 (2nd Team)

Big East Player of the Year

1999 – Tim James

All-Big East Teams

First Team All-Big East:

• Tim James, 1998, 1999
• Johnny Hemsley, 1999

Second Team All-Big East:

• Tim James, 1997
• Johnny Hemsley, 2000
• Darius Rice, 2002, 2004
• John Salmons, 2002

Third Team All-Big East:

• Constantin Popa, 1993, 1995
• Mario Bland, 2000
• John Salmons, 2001
• James Jones, 2002
• Darius Rice, 2003

Big East All-Rookie Team:

• Steven Edwards, 1993
• Kevin Norris, 1995
• Tim James, 1996
• Darius Rice, 2001
• Guillermo Diaz, 2004

Big East All-Tournament Team:

• Jerome Scott, 1992
• Tim James, 1999
• Marcus Barnes, 2002

All-time leaders

See also: Miami Hurricanes men's basketball statistical leaders

Points

Rank	Player	Years	Points
1.	Rick Barry	1962–65	2,298
2.	Eric Brown	1985–89	2,270
3.	Don Curnutt	1967–70	2,006
4.	Darius Rice	2000–04	1,865
5.	Robert Hite	2002–06	1,717
6.	Tim James	1995–99	1,713
7.	Jack McClinton	2006–09	1,702
8.	Durand Scott	2009–13	1,650
9.	Dennis Burns	1985–89	1,594
10.	Dick Hickox	1958–61	1,529

Rebounds

Rank	Player	Years	Rebounds
1.	Rick Barry	1962–65	1,274
2.	Will Allen	1968–71	916
3.	Harry Manushaw	1958–61	914
4.	Tonye Jekiri	2012–16	901
5.	Mike McCoy	1960–63	857
6.	Tim James	1995–99	856
7.	Eric Brown	1985–89	855
8.	Reggie Johnson	2009–13	842
9.	Anthony King	2003–08	824
10.	Edwin Morris	1955–58	787

Assists

Rank	Player	Years	Assists
1.	Vernon Jennings	1996–00	520
2.	Kevin Norris	1994–98	493
3.	John Salmons	1998–02	429
4.	Kevin Presto	1985–89	412
5.	Durand Scott	2009–13	404
6.	Thomas Hocker	1987–90	384
7.	Anthony Harris	2002–07	330
8.	Michael Gardner	1991–94	319
9.	Steven Edwards	1992–96	312
10.	Malcolm Grant	2009–12	292

Steals

Rank	Player	Years	Steals
1.	Kevin Norris	1994–98	208
2.	Vernon Jennings	1996–00	199
3.	John Salmons	1998–02	192
4.	Robert Hite	2002–06	187
4.	Jerome Scott	1988–92	187
6.	Jake Morton	1988–93	167
7.	Durand Scott	2009–13	166
8.	Kevin Presto	1985–89	154
9.	Anthony Lawrence	2015–19	144
10.	Mike Simmons	1998–03	141

Blocks

Rank	Player	Years	Blocks
1.	Constantin Popa	1991–95	263
2.	Tim James	1995–99	224
3.	Anthony King	2003–08	219
4.	James Jones	1999–03	192
5.	Julian Gamble	2008–13	132
6.	Tonye Jekiri	2012–16	126
7.	Tito Horford	1986–88	125
8.	Dennis Burns	1985–89	123
9.	Elton Tyler	1997–02	114
10.	Reggie Johnson	2009–13	113

NBA draft selections

26 former Miami players have been drafted into the NBA:

• Willie Allen, 1971
• Rick Barry, 1965
• Bruce Brown, 2018
• Wayne Canaday, 1970
• Dwayne Collins, 2010
• Don Curnutt, 1970
• Guillermo Díaz, 2006
• Kyshawn George, 2024
• Dewan Hernandez, 2019
• Tito Horford, 1988
• Tim James, 1999
• James Jones, 2003
• Shane Larkin, 2013
• Jack McClinton, 2009
• Mike McCoy, 1963
• Dick Miani, 1956
• Jordan Miller, 2023
• Rusty Parker, 1968
• Constantin Popa, 1995
• Davon Reed, 2017
• John Salmons, 2002
• Bill Soens, 1968
• Lonnie Walker IV, 2018
• Mike Wittman, 1967
• Isaiah Wong, 2023
• Joe Wylie, 1991

Coaches

Main article: List of Miami Hurricanes men's basketball head coaches

#	Name	Term	GC	W	L	Win%	Achievements	Reference
1	Art Webb	1926–28, 1930–31	30	18	12	.600
2	Tom McCann	1928–29, 1931–32	37	30	7	.811
3	Hart Morris	1938–42, 1946–52	201	119	82	.592
4	W.H. Steers	1945–46	13	8	5	.615
5	Dave Wike	1952–54	36	14	22	.389
6	Bruce Hale	1954–67	332	220	112	.663
7	Ron Godfrey	1967–71	104	47	57	.452
University of Miami men's basketball program on hiatus from 1971–72 through 1984–85 seasons
8	Bill Foster	1985–90	149	78	71	.523
9	Leonard Hamilton	1990–2000	291	144	147	.495
10	Perry Clark	2000–04	119	65	54	.546
11	Frank Haith	2004–11	230	129	101	.561
12	Jim Larrañaga	2011–present	436	270	166	.619	ACC Coach of the Year, 2013 and 2016; Henry Iba Award (Coach of the Year), 2013; Associated Press (Coach of the Year), 2013; Naismith Award (Coach of the Year), 2013

Storm Surge

Origins

Storm Surge is the official student section of Miami Hurricanes men's and women's basketball. It was founded in 2011. Prior to Storm Surge's creation, Miami had been victim to years of inconsistent student attendance and a lack of student interest in the basketball program, and prior attempts to create a lasting student section such as "UBeach" and "Haith's Faithful" were largely unsuccessful. Storm Surge works directly with Miami's athletic department to enhance the game day experience and encourage greater involvement from the student body. Storm Surge began with 500 members, but saw average student attendance jump to over 1,100 for ACC games in 2012–2013, its second season. As student capacity at the BUC is limited, students are admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, with students often arriving hours beforehand or camping out to get the best seats.

Traditions

Storm Surge has become famous for its creative and unique free throw chants and distractions, digging up embarrassing facts and pictures of opposing players, and its slogan, "Pack The BUC," which can be seen on T-shirts, signs, and promotional materials at University of Miami home games. Like many student sections, Storm Surge distributes cheer sheets prior to each game, detailing specific cheers for that game. The group also has the ability to create cheers on the fly through the use of a large whiteboard at the front of the student section, which is used to coordinate all cheers.

Storm Surge's official color is orange, and all members wear orange to every game. The student section is situated behind both baskets and consists of bleacher seating and traditional seating. As bleacher seating is closest to the floor, the students in the bleachers are typically the team's biggest supporters. Before each game, Storm Surge sings the national anthem together, even if the anthem is being sung by an individual performer. During opposing teams' introductions, students turn around to face away from the court and throw up "The U." During Miami's home introductions, the student section links arms and rocks left to right, going faster and faster before erupting into cheers for the Hurricanes. For Miami's free throws, students hold up one finger, all jumping once on a made free throw and twice on the second free throw if both free throws are made.

Storm Surge also organizes watch parties and live online blogs for every away game. These events are open to all students and typically take place on campus. Following major road wins, the group gathers at the BankUnited Center to greet and congratulate the returning Hurricanes team, a tradition that has since carried over to football. Membership in the organization also entitles students to exclusive meet and greets with players, priority seating to games, and promotions and giveaways.

Larrañaga Lawn

In 2012, due to unprecedented demand for student tickets to the January 23 game against the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils, students camped out on an adjacent field to the BankUnited Center, which was promptly dubbed "Larrañaga Lawn," after Coach Jim Larrañaga. Students camped out for several other games during the 2012–2013 season, including sold out contests against FSU and UNC. Coach Jim Larrañaga and members of the team always greet students lined up on Larrañaga Lawn both the night before the game and again on game day, often bringing food to students in line. Lawn sports such as football, frisbee, and Kan-jam have become popular ways for students in line to pass the time on Larrañaga Lawn.

National attention

Storm Surge made national headlines in 2012 during Miami's home game against UNC, when students chanted "Austin Rivers" at UNC free throw shooter Tyler Zeller, whom Rivers had hit a buzzer beater over in UNC's previous game. Storm Surge was again in the national spotlight following Miami's 90–63 rout of Duke in January 2013 when students rushed the court in celebration. The student section has been praised by many notable visitors, including: Jimmy Graham, Warren Sapp, Dick Vitale,and Carlos Boozer.

In 2013, Storm Surge received a number of accolades, including three of the "Best Fan Signs in College Basketball" by USA Today and was featured on national programs such as PTI, SportsCenter, and CBS's documentary "March Madness Fandemonium". In addition, it was recognized as one of the toughest ACC venues by ESPN during numerous broadcasts throughout the season. On January 24, 2013, Storm Surge was featured on the front page of The Miami Herald following Miami's win over Duke. On February 9, 2013, Storm Surge was featured on the landing page of ESPN.com following Miami's blowout home win over UNC.

After losing its flair following some up-and-down seasons, the student section was renamed to "The Eye" at the start of the 2021-22 season. More about The Eye can be found on Category 5's page, which is the University of Miami's official student school spirit organization.

Facilities

Miami Beach Convention Center

The Miami Hurricanes played their home games at the Miami Beach Convention Center from 1956-1971.

James L. Knight Center (1985–1988)

Main article: Knight International Center

On November 12, 1985, the Knight Sports Complex was dedicated at a gala banquet that was held on the basketball courts of the new structure. CBS basketball analyst Billy Packer served as the evening’s guest speaker for an event that welcomed more than 500 guests to the on-campus home of Hurricane basketball. The facility served as the practice home to the men’s and women’s basketball programs, while also housing the men’s basketball coaching staff offices until the team moved to Miami Arena in 1988. In addition, the Knight Sports Complex enabled the athletic program to more than double the size of the existing strength room, while also providing meeting rooms and lecture rooms for all of Miami’s student-athletes.

Miami Arena (1988–2002)

Main article: Miami Arena

The Hurricanes called Miami Arena home from 1988 until December 2002. The downtown arena attracted large crowds for marquee opponents as the program began play in the Big East Conference in 1991. The school shared the facility with the NBA's Miami Heat and the NHL's Florida Panthers until each respective professional franchise built newer stadiums.

Watsco Center (2002–present)

Main article: Watsco Center

After years of planning, Hurricanes basketball finally moved on-campus on January 4, 2003 when the Hurricanes defeated No. 22 North Carolina in overtime to christen the opening of the Convocation Center (nicknamed the "Convo"). The $48 million facility was funded through private donations, though was later renamed the BankUnited Center in 2005. In 2016, the University announced the renaming of the facility as the Watsco Center.

External links

• Official website