The University of Miami men’s basketball team opened a summer workout to the media Tuesday and wisely handed out a roster with photos of each player as there are 10 new faces on the Hurricanes’ 2024-25 squad.
Guard Nijel Pack is the only remaining player from UM’s 2023 Final Four team. Pack, Matthew Cleveland and Paul Djobet are the three holdovers from last season as rosters all over the nation were decimated by the transfer portal. The ACC had 104 players transfer, including more than a half dozen from Miami.
Former UM standout Norchad Omier left for Baylor, Bensley Joseph for Providence, and Wooga Poplar for Villanova. Freshman Kyshawn George was picked No. 24 in the NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards.
Transfers joining the Hurricanes this season are 6-10 Lynn Kidd from Virginia Tech, 6-8 Brandon Johnson from East Carolina, 6-3 Jalen Blackmon from Stetson, 6-9 Kiree Huie from Idaho State, 6-5 A.J. Staton-McCray from Samford, and 6-8 Yussif Basa-Ama from Yale.
Johnson averaged 14 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season. Kidd averaged 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 66.8 percent from the field, which ranked fourth best in the nation. Blackmon was the 10th-highest scorer in the nation with 21.3 points per game.
Kidd, true center who has already taken a leadership role in his first few weeks on campus, is a Gainesville native and was on UM’s radar for several years. Miami coach Jim Larranaga recruited him out of high school and again when he transferred the first time from Clemson to Virginia Tech. The third time was the charm.
The moment Larranaga saw Kidd was in the transfer portal, he texted him. Kidd called him back almost immediately, by the next day the UM coaching staff was talking to his parents, and Kidd made his decision quickly.
“I knew Coach L is a really good coach and it was one of my top schools both times before,” Kidd said. “I felt like it was the perfect situation. I’m back in my home state, this is a great opportunity for me and I’m excited to be here.”
Kidd added that he appreciated Larranaga’s honesty.
“He was honest with me from the jump, told me what I need to do, how to improve,” Kidd said. “A lot of guys don’t tell me what I don’t want to hear, they tell me what I want to hear to gas my head up, but he was honest, and I respect that.”
Miami’s new roster is loaded with experience with seven grad students and seniors on the team. There are also four freshmen, including five-star shooting guard Jalil Bethea, a top-10 recruit out of Philadelphia who is considered an NBA prospect. Other freshmen are four-star forward Austin Swartz of Concord, North Carolina; three-star Isaiah Johnson-Arigu of Minneapolis and Divine Ugochukwu, a three-star combo guard from the Houston area who also had offers from Baylor, SMU and Texas A&M.
Pack said it was difficult seeing his former teammates leave, and he still keeps in touch with them, especially Omier, who was his roommate. But he is enjoying the fresh start with his new team.
“It’s been fun getting to know everybody’s personality off the court and on the court has been great from the moment we got here,” Pack said. “I can feel that bond already.”
Pack had knee surgery in late May and was cleared to return to practice a few weeks ago. He said the knee feels good, he is getting his wind back, and likes what he sees from his new teammates so far.
“We got some size, and coach is always really good about getting guard play, so with that combination we set ourselves up really well,” Pack said. “A lot of the successful teams have a lot of older guys and having older guys on our team, they come with a lot of experience. We’ve got some really talented freshmen who know how to play the game but can use a little coaching and leadership from the older guys to take their game to the next level.
“For the older guys, everybody is hungry because it’s our last go-around.”
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