MIAMI HURRICANES
Coach: Jim Larranaga (1 year at UM, 20-13; 28 years overall, 485-342)
2011-12 record: 20-13 (9-7 ACC).
2012: Postseason: Lost in second round of NIT.
Returning starters: Durand Scott, 6-5, SG (12.9 points, 5.4 rebounds); Reggie Johnson, 6-10, C (10.0 points, 7.2 rebounds); Kenny Kadji, 6-11, F (11.7 points, 41.8% 3FG); Shane Larkin 5-11, PG (7.4 points, 85.7% FT).
Top newcomers: Bishop Daniels, 6-3, G (A Top 100 recruit in 2011 who redshirted last season but is expected to be a big contributor this year.)
Outlook: It's been a while since expectations were this high for the Hurricanes. UM is picked to finish fourth in the ACC and should make a run at at the program's first NCAA tournament berth since 2007-08. Deep and experienced, the 'Canes will present tons of matchup problems for opponents.
SCHEDULE
November
Friday - vs. Stetson, 5:30 p.m.; 13 - vs. Florida Gulf Coast University, 7:05 p.m.; 16 - vs. Jacksonville, 7 p.m.; 24 - vs. Detroit, 2 p.m.; 28 - vs. Michigan State, 7:30 p.m.
December
1 - at UMass, 2 p.m.; 14 - vs. Charlotte, 7 p.m.; 18 - vs. UCF, 8 p.m.; 23 - at Hawaii, 12:30 a.m.
February
2 - at NC State, 4 p.m.; 5 - vs. Boston College, 7 p.m.; 9 - vs. North Carolina, 2 p.m.; 13 - vs. Florida State, 7 p.m.; 17 - at Clemson, 6 p.m.; 19 - vs. Virginia, 9 p.m.; 23 - at Wake Forest, 1 p.m.; 27 - vs. Virginia Tech, 7 p.m.
January
2 - vs. La Salle, 9 p.m.; 5 - at Georgia Tech, 2:30 p.m.; 10 - at North Carolina, 7 p.m.; 13 - vs. Maryland, 8 p.m.; 16 - at Boston College, 7 p.m.; 23 - vs. Duke, 7 p.m.; 27 - vs. Florida State, 6 p.m.; 30 - at Virginia Tech, 9 p.m.
March
2 - at Duke, 6 p.m.; 6 - vs. Georgia Tech, 9 p.m.; 9 - vs. Clemson, 2:30 p.m.
Reggie Johnson, the University of Miami’s 6-foot-10, 292-pound center, is a big guy with really big ambitions.
Take, for instance, Johnson’s individual goal for his senior season.
“I’m going to try to average 13 boards,” said Johnson, whose career-high was 9.6 rebounds as a sophomore in 2010-11. “I’m ready for it. I have a knack for the ball.”
The last ACC player to average 13 rebounds? That would be NBA superstar Tim Duncan, who grabbed 14.7 rebounds per game for Wake Forest in 1997.
Johnson, as chatty and friendly as he is large, is even more bullish when it comes to his team aspirations.
“We’re going to make the [NCAA] tournament,” Johnson said. “I’m not shy about it.”
Whether UM, which opens the 2012-13 season on Friday against Stetson at the BankUnited Center, reaches the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007-08 will rest largely on Johnson’s massive shoulders.
The Hurricanes just missed getting there last season thanks to a variety of injuries and suspensions, both of which affected Johnson. He sat out the first nine games while recovering from knee surgery and served a one-game NCAA-imposed suspension for accepting improper benefits.
Those issues, along with the time it took for Johnson to adjust to new coach Jim Larranaga’s system, resulted in an inconsistent junior campaign for the Winston-Salem, N.C. native.
Johnson had a monster outing against Duke on Feb. 5, registering 27 points and 12 rebounds in a 78-74 overtime victory, UM’s first at Cameron Indoor Stadium. But he followed that signature performance with a series of duds. In UM’s final 11 games, Johnson scored more than 10 points only once and finished with double digits in rebounding just twice. He finished the season averaging 10 points and 7.2 rebounds, numbers that were considerably below expectations.
“I feel 100 percent better — my jumping ability, being able to cut and guard,” Johnson said. “Having the whole summer to get better definitely paid off for me.”
The Hurricanes were picked by ACC coaches to finish fourth in the conference. With a healthy, productive Johnson, UM might be able to do better than that.
At his best, Johnson is one of the top big men in the ACC. A deft passer equipped with great hands and a nice touch around the basket, Johnson is virtually impossible to budge from the low post. Former Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg, now a college basketball analyst for ESPN, quips that Johnson is a “mountain masquerading as a man.”
“People say you can’t give Reggie the angle, but to get from one side of him to the other side is like changing time zones,” Greenberg said. “That’s easier said than done.”
Johnson said there will be less of him this season to get around. He expects to begin the season at 285 pounds and, although he’s still bigger than most offensive lineman, much of the old baby fat has been turned to muscle thanks to a rigorous off-season conditioning program.
Johnson has also developed his left hand to the point that Larranaga calls him “ambidextrous” and has shot well enough from the outside during practice that he’s gotten the green light to shoot from the perimeter in games.
“I get tired of banging down there with the big boys,” Johnson jokes. “I can shoot.”
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