It’s not too often a 64-year-old basketball coach in his 42nd season of teaching the game shows up with a new lesson plan.
Last month, Jim Larranaga did just that.
The Hurricanes coach knew something needed to change when he saw his team allowing “too many easy baskets.” So he called a couple coaching friends, did his homework and installed a new defense that has turned the rebuilding Canes into a team the ACC is taking seriously.
After nearly taking down No. 2 Syracuse and upsetting North Carolina on the road in its last two games, Miami (9-6, 1-2 ACC) heads into Wednesday’s 9 p.m. game against rival Florida State with the reputation of having a tough defense.
“The zone they play is very challenging, especially if you don’t understand what they’re doing,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. “They are a team to be reckoned with, especially at home.”
Not long ago, those compliments weren’t coming to UM. It looked like it would be a long season when the Hurricanes, who lost the top six scorers from last year’s ACC championship team, lost their most gifted scorer, true freshman Deandre Burnett, to a wrist injury in the preseason.
Knowing scoring would be a major issue, Larranaga sought to slow things down and play stout defense.
After Monday’s games, UM ranked 41st nationally in points allowed per possession and is one of the nation’s slowest-paced teams. The Canes rank 346th out of 351 Division I teams in offensive possessions per game.
After Miami lost to Virginia Tech on Dec. 8, Larranaga decided his man-to-man defense wasn’t working. He called former Pittsburgh coach Ralph Willard, now retired in Naples, and former Syracuse assistant Bernie Fine. Both men spent a day each teaching UM coaches the finer points of a matchup zone. Armed with that knowledge, Larranaga and his staff passed it to their players.
Miami is 4-1 since then. The Canes held Syracuse to 44 points on 36.2 percent shooting in a five-point loss, then limited North Carolina to 30.8 percent shooting in a 63-57 win.
Next up is Florida State, which might have an even better defense than Miami. Using lots of length and athleticism, the Seminoles (11-4, 2-1 ACC) rank ninth in points per possession and have held all three of their ACC opponents to 33 percent shooting or worse.
They caught fire offensively in Sunday’s 85-61 win over Maryland, making 16 3-pointers, 13 of which were closely contested, and shooting 66 percent from deep.
Hamilton, who led UM to its first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2000 and has been at FSU since 2002, wasn’t surprised to see the Hurricanes doing well.
“They have a new team, but they have guys who were in practice last year, who understand the system,” Hamilton said. “It’s a matter of them developing a style where they can be competitive.”
They’ll be more competitive if they can score. The Canes rank a meager 254th nationally in offensive points per possession. FSU, meanwhile, is 160th.
“We have confidence in our zone,” said UM senior Rion Brown, who leads UM in scoring (13.7) and is second in rebounding (6.5). “We know we can stop people. It’s just a matter of us executing our offense.”
Looks like both teams will have a tough time doing that in Wednesday’s game at BankUnited Center.
“It’s a rivalry game,” UM senior forward Erik Swoope said. “It’s going to be physical. It always is. There’s going to be a lot of energy in the crowd. It’s going to be a grind-it-out game.”
Editors Note: This story has been updated to clarify that the coach who worked with UM coach Jim Larranaga and his staff to teach them the zone defense did not have contact with UM players. That could be a violation of NCAA rules.
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