Ray Hicks REALLY did hit those three-pointers (as hard as that remains to believe), and the Canes REALLY did almost advance to the Sweet Sixteen...almost. The '08-'09 version of Miami's hoops squadron shoulders the hopes and dreams of Miami basketball fans - remarkably more so than last year's team ever did.
Despite last year's undeniable success, the team was coming off a less-than-impressive 2006-2007 season, finishing in the cellar of the ACC at 12-20. Sure, Jack McClinton was coming off a great debut season for the Canes (16.7 ppg) as a sophomore and Dwayne Collins (8.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg) had enjoyed a solid freshman campaign, but what did you expect from the 07-08 team?
Did you expect to win six of the last eight ACC regular season games (after starting 2-6 in conference play)? Did you predict, on that fine February night, the Canes would take down a highly-ranked Duke squad? Did your pre-season predictions include a #7 seed for the tournament...NCAA, not NIT? If so, kudos to you. Please, go ahead and call me next week to help me with my NFL picks.
Times have changed. Long gone are Anthony King's lackluster inbounding days, the cries of Haith's Faithful for Stratton and Glover, and a three-point stroke Ray Hicks had been waiting for since 2004. McClinton: NBA draftee? DeQuan Jones: ACC Freshman of the Year? Frank Haith: Immortalized by season's end? As the program builds, the hype surrounding the season predictions and storylines build as well.
Can Dwayne "Teabag 'Em" Collins improve on a sophomore season which was usually positive, occasionally negative, but always made you get up out of your seat and scream? Can Lance Hurdle or Eddie Rios stabilize the offense to the next level and become a viable option so fans won't be crying for Malcolm Grant by season's end? What's the deal with Cyrus and Gamble, are they legitimate options in the post? Will fans have to deal with another embarrassing, godforsaken hotdog in the student section again?
I don't know whether Brian Asbury will finally step up his game, whether McClinton can continue to shoot the lights out of the BankUnited (and beyond), or whether DeQuan Jones will be the slasher the Canes needed all of last year. I don't know whether the Canes will land Durand Scott or John Wall, whether Tyler Hansborough will again be hailed with deservedly disgusting chants from the Beach, or whether or not James Dews will hit another shit-your-pants long-range three-pointer by season's end.
What I do know is this: the Canes aren't surprising anyone anymore, ladies and gentlemen. With a pre-season AP ranking of #17 and a huge target on the backs of those sleek-looking jerseys, the Canes will roll into play as typical favorites, no longer underdogs. Most had Saint Mary's in the second round of their brackets, most gamblers expected a beatdown at the hands of Varnado and Mississippi State, and most fans expected nothing after a disaster of a start in ACC play. To describe the 2008-2009 season for the Hurricanes (quoting Kanye himself): "Hi haters, we're back off hiatus, I feel just like you, I mean even I hate us."
With an official start date on the books as 11/15/08 at 7:30 PM, the 2009 season promises to be an interesting one. A tough Paradise Jam field including a potential match-up with UConn (and maybe even Wisconsin) awaits the team sooner rather than later , as do O.O.C. match-ups with touted programs like Ohio State and Kentucky. Florida Southern's up first, as two uninspiring pre-season match-ups with Barry and Florida Memorial have provided nothing of overly serious note other than a chance to enjoy the gorgeous new floor at the BUC.
I'll be here to watch it unfold with all of you starting this Saturday, and hopefully offer some useful commentary along the way. Doubtful, I know, but we'll see. You didn't think we'd have come this far in only a year either, did you? Then give me a chance too. I can't be worse than Dwayne Collins at the free-throw stripe, right?
