University of Miami sophomore Shane Larkin has emerged as an ACC Player of the Year candidate.
Larkin is also one of 12 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard, and is regarded by ACC coaches as the most important player in the third-ranked Hurricanes’ thrilling ride up the Top 25 polls.
But when he was a scrawny, 5-foot-9 teenager playing AAU basketball in Orlando during the summer of 2009, few were projecting those types of achievements for Larkin. The son of Hall of Fame shortstop Barry Larkin, 15-year-old Shane didn’t leave a big impression on college coaches and scouts.
Except for one guy — Jim Larranaga.
Then coaching George Mason, Larranaga loved what he saw in Larkin, a whirling dervish who played with a high-energy style on both ends of the court. Other coaches were less enthralled.
Larranaga remembers comparing notes with some coaching friends after an AAU tournament that Larkin participated in and getting an unexpected reaction.
“When I asked about Shane, it really surprised me the doubts they had,” Larranaga said. “It was, what do you think of Shane? ‘Eh, he’s all right.’ ”
Spotting an opportunity, Larranaga became the first coach to offer Larkin a scholarship. Larkin didn’t accept the invitation, choosing to sign with DePaul. But Larranaga ended up getting his man.
Feeling homesick and dealing with an undisclosed family medical issue, Larkin left DePaul a month after arriving in Chicago. He received a release from his scholarship and signed with Miami, where Larranaga had been named coach a few months before.
The rest is UM history.
Heading into tonight’s game (ESPNU, 6 p.m.) at Clemson (13-11, 5-7), the surging Hurricanes (20-3, 11-0) are looking to extend their 12-game win streak and maintain a three-game advantage atop the ACC standings.
Larkin has been at the center of UM’s rise to No. 3, running the team’s offense like a veteran while consistently hitting big shots and maturing into the team’s defensive stopper. He ranks first in the ACC in steals (2.1), is tied for third in assists (4.3) and has played more minutes than anyone in the conference but Virginia Tech’s Erick Green. Larkin is also averaging 13.4 points and his three-point field goal percentage (.437) would be first in the ACC if he had enough attempts.
“It starts with the little general they have there in Shane Larkin,” said Virginia Tech coach James Johnson.
Leonard Hamilton calls Larkin “the best point guard in the league” and the FSU coach should know. Larkin torched the Seminoles for 13 of his game-high 22 points in the final 7 1/2 minutes on Wednesday in Tallahassee as UM extended its win streak with a 74-68 victory.
“In the second half we didn’t have an answer for Larkin,” said Hamilton. “He made some really, really great plays. His speed, quickness and his ability to make decisions is phenomenal for a sophomore guard. I haven’t seen anybody that has the whole package like he does.”
Larkin continually blew by FSU defenders for layups and used his quickness and tenacity in holding Michael Snaer, the Seminoles’ leading scorer, to nine points and a bad shooting night.
“In the FSU game … they were in the huddle saying, ‘Man, he’s fast. I need some help,’” UM center Reggie Johnson said of FSU’s players. “You know he’s pretty fast when you hear teams complaining about it.”
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