University of Miami Men's Basketball Clips 2012-13
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University of Miami Men’s Basketball Clips 2012-13 Jekiri Earning Valuable Experience Inside The U 200s nationally. But Jekiri has come down Chris Stock with some key offensive boards recently in- Feb. 16, 2013 cluding tying for the team-high against Boston College on Feb. 5 with three. “It really helps us,” Jekiri said. “Getting offen- sive boards is one of my key focuses.” Tonye Jekiri is earning valuable experience as a freshman. Since he’s arrived at UM, Jekiri feels he’s im- proved more on the defensive end grabbing The 7-foot center originally from Nigeria has rebounds and blocking shots. played in 21 of 23 games for the third-ranked Miami Hurricanes as a role player off the bench. “I just want to keep that going because our coaches tell us that it’s all defense and de- With a team of three senior post players, fense wins the game so I every time I step Jekiri is just learning the ropes from the vet- on the court I concentrate on making stops,” erans. Jekiri said. “What I really love about Tonye is his enthu- Jekiri attributes the Hurricanes’ success with siasm for work,” head coach Jim Larranaga their preparation in practices. said. “He’s got a great work ethic, a great attitude towards work and he’s going to get “The whole thing comes from practice,” he better and better. As much as he would get said. “We always want to practice good and better if we would only had him play in prac- practice hard, share the ball, play as a team tice, there’s nothing that substitutes for game and all of those things come from practice. experience and he’s getting some very valu- We play together and bring everyone close able minutes.” to each other as a friend, teammate, and a brother. We have that kind of relationship. The Although Jekiri is not posting gaudy num- way we practice is the way we play.” bers, he has been more productive in the last seven games scoring in six. It’s a stark con- Jekiri’s development will be one to watch the trast from the beginning of the season when remainder of the season as he’ll step to the he scored in just two of the first 10 games. forefront next year with the departure of Ken- During the recent stretch, he’s averaging 2.0 ny Kadji, Julian Gamble, and Reggie Johnson. points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.9 minutes. Jekiri and sophomore Shane Larkin are the “I’ve been playing good,” he said. “I’ve been only two underclassmen in the program. called upon at any time to help the team with the defense and offense. I’ve really put my ef- “He’s a very good player,” Jekiri said. “I’ve fort in so every minute I play I really try to talked to him several times and we really get help my team. They all encourage me and let along. I always love playing with him because me know I’m still part of the team so I have he really understands me. He talks to me and a good feeling whenever I’m called upon and tells me to always be ready because he’s go- that I should be ready to go.” ing to pass me the ball when the defense isn’t expecting it. Most of them are on lob plays so The Canes have struggled this season with I’m always ready. We always have eye contact their offensive rebounding ranking in the during the game.” PG Larkin Playing at a High Level Inside the U drive to the basket looking to dish or to sink a intensity and that’s pretty much what pro- Tyler Cooney tough lay-up. Yet no matter how effect Larkin pelled me to have a pretty good rest of the Feb. 16, 2013 is on the court, he is always looking to im- game.” prove. The Miami Hurricanes basketball team is No. 3 Larkin came back in and scored 13 of his 22 in the nation coming off a big road win against “I didn’t shoot the smartest shots last year,” points in the final 7 1-2 minutes of the game to rivals Florida State and don’t show any signs Larkin said. “I’m just a smarter player watch- quell any attempt at a Florida State run. of slowing down. ing film with the coaches and practicing against great competition in practice. As a Larkin’s resiliency, attention to detail, desire Now at 20-3 and 11-0 in the ACC, the big rea- team, we’ve just become a lot better and it’s to get better, and team-first approach to bas- son for such a special season is their sopho- made my individual performance that much ketball has the Hurricanes undefeated in the more point guard Shane Larkin. better. “ ACC at 11-0 and third in the AP poll rankings with a 20-3 ranking. It is by far the best start The stats might not always show it, but Larkin Final Four veteran coach Jim Larranaga in team history and Larranag’s squad has is one of the best point guards in the nation echoes the praise for Larkin’s team-first been lauded by national media as one of the and is playing some of his best ball here in mentality. best in the country. But the team recognizes February. their need for continued growth. With Larkin getting better and better each week and his He’s averaged 17.6 points on 61 percent shoot- Shane Larkin is one of 12 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award resume piling, there’s no ing (53 percent from beyond the arc) and 5.2 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year reason to believe that this wouldn’t be the assists in his past five games dating back to Award case. January 30th at Virginia Tech and has been the mainstay of a deep team of players who “Shane is just all about winning,” Larranaga Larkin is someone who definitely understands usually rotate good scoring days. said. “He just wants to win. It doesn’t matter if his talent; his in-game confidence is evident he scores five points or 20 points; he’s going to all those watching, especially when propel- In addition to being one of Miami’s more con- to do whatever the team needs him to do to ling his team to slap the floor against Duke sistent players, lately he’s begun to acquire a win the game.” and flipping an off-the-backboard alley-oop to rapport with his teammates for being a clos- Kenny Kadji against North Carolina. Yet he also er, a role usually reserved for seniors Durand The 63-year old coach recalled the Canes’ realizes the support he gets from the fans, his Scott or Reggie Johnson. last match-up against Florida State where teammates, and especially Larranaga Accord- the stingy Seminole defense pressured the ing to him, that love is what’s made his season “He never ceases to amaze me,” said Julian men on the wings and Miami had a tough time so special. Gamble, the team’s starting center since playing their favorite game—the three ball. Johnson’s thumb injury. “He really focuses on So Larkin brilliantly recognized this emphasis “I just believe that Coach L believes in me a lot getting other people involved but at the same and began using ball-screens more often to and my team believes in me and that’s pretty time he knows he can be aggressive at any drive to the hoop, looking for an open team- much what’s propelled me to have a good point and we want him to do that. And when mate or making the play at the rim. And this year.” Larkin said. “When everybody believes the game is really on the line we know that was after he was benched for not playing in you, when you believe in yourself, it doesn’t he’s going to step up and make that big shot defense against FSU sharpshooter Michael matter what anybody outside says about you. for us.” Snaer as LarranagaL wanted him to. And their faith in me pretty much has helped me have a good year this year.” This level of unselfishness rarely seen in point “I wasn’t guarding Michael Snaer with enough guards at the college level, or at any level re- intensity,” Larkin admitted. “When (Lar- ally, has impressed Larkin’s teammates and ranaga) sat me down he actually said ‘you’re enabled the offense to be rallied round him. guarding Michael Snaer like he’s the 10th man Larkin has a large repertoire of offensive on a high school roster.’ I was over there just weapons, from his spot-up three-point shot trying to be as good for my team on the bench to his ankle-breaking crossover to his fierce and when I got back in I definitely picked my McKinney Jones and Gamble among ACC’s most overlooked College Chalk Talk Fifth on the squad in scoring (9.3 ppg), McKin- blocks in the program’s first win over a top- Joshua Parrott ney Jones scored a career-high 18 points and ranked team against Duke on Jan. 23. Those Feb. 15, 2013 drilled five 3s in a Nov. 28 win over then-No. games were extra special for Gamble given 13 Michigan State.