“A disappointing and difficult season for the Hurricanes ended on a high note with two inspiring performances in the ACC Tournament last week. Towards the end of the season I heard more and more Canes fans comparing coach Frank Haith to former head coach Perry Clark.

The ACC Tournament performance as well as that of the final two regular season games where the undermanned Hurricanes took Clemson and FSU to overtime should serve as notice that Haith’s style and relationship with his team differs dramatically from the failed era of Clark. In fact while it has been fashionable to blame the Hurricanes woes this season solely on injuries, the reality is that the loss of virtually two recruiting classes due to Clark’s inept leadership and eventual firing is now affecting the Hurricanes negatively.

When Clark was fired three of the five recruits he had signed the previous year transferred (the two exceptions were Anthony King and Anthony Harris both of whom were underused by Clark), as well as each of his commits for the upcoming season. Those two classes would have been juniors and seniors this season.

So instead the Canes had a team built around underclassmen who couldn’t absorb the loss of three big men for the season, a fourth for most of the season and a fifth who was suspended towards the end of the year. Raw freshman Dwayne Collins was the only Miami frontcourt player to survive the entire season. Collins has the potential to be one of the best big men to ever play at Miami, but his offensive skills are limited, and he often times doesn’t demand the ball enough.

Jimmy Graham’s return from injury sparked UM’s ACC Tournament performance. Graham blocked eight shots in the two games of the ACC Tournament and showed incredible post moves in the half court offense. A full season with Collins and Graham inside next season could shoot Miami up the ACC Standings.

King will likely not get a medical red shirt, which means the college career of the Canes best shot blocker since the great Tim James sadly ended after six games as a senior. 6’11” Fabio Nass was beginning to show signs of life when he tore his ACL and was lost for the season, while Ray Hicks was suspended twice and failed to live up to his play as a sophomore a year ago.

Freshman forward Lawrence Gilbert had a nice game in an early season loss at Louisville but showed nothing the rest of the season. Senior walk-on Keaton Copeland ended up getting the minutes one would think Gilbert could have claimed following Nass’ injury. Copeland led by example, diving after loose balls and crashing the boards. It can be argued UM only stayed together as a team because of Copeland’s inspired and active play. Despite all the front court injuries UM was one of the best rebounding teams in the ACC.

Sophomore Jack McClinton led the team in scoring but has a lot of growing to do in the off-season if he is to be the sort of player he is capable of being. Coach Haith wants to see McClinton improve his ball handling and distribution skills in addition to making better decisions on when to shoot. McClinton showed greater maturity than had all season in regulation time versus Boston College in the ACC Tournament but then resorted to his wild shooting ways in overtime when the Canes needed calm. McClinton is one the most talented players in recent years to wear a Miami jersey, but he will not realize his full potential until his decision making improves.

Harris had a strong ACC campaign after a horrible non-conference slate. Harris showed senior leadership when the team really needed it and cut down on his turnovers. Harris however continued to take poor shots and miss easy looks from outside. If Harris has a future at the next level it will be as a point guard, where he improved his play this season. Harris showed excellent instincts when driving to the basket but often times didn’t take full advantage of mismatches and his speed.

Denis Clemente showed some of the potential he was thought to have coming out of High School averaging close to 10 points and 4 assists per game, but he was suspended twice and as Billy Packer correctly pointed out during the broadcast of the ACC Tournament, Clemente’s late season suspension when the team had already lost three players for the season and had several other injuries to deal with showed immaturity and called into question whether he would ever be welcomed back by Haith.

I’m not sure if Packer knew something already but his comments made it sound like Haith may have already shut the door on Clemente. According to Omar Kelly, the UM beat writer for the South Florida Sun Sentinel UM has offered one more scholarship to potential recruits than is currently available. That would indicate a returning player likely Clemente, will not be back.

James Dews, a highly touted freshman sharpshooter improved his play as the season wore on and if he can put on some weight during the off-season, he could be an important cog next season.

Swingman Brian Asbury had a fantastic sophomore season after a terrible freshman year. Asbury helped UM on the boards, and showed an ability to make big shots and make a timely defensive stop. Despite UM’s poor season, Asbury was one of the most under appreciated players in the ACC, and with UM’s expected improvement next year, Asbury will vie for All-Conference honors. Asbury is a scrappy, smart player whose improvement from his freshman year was nothing short of remarkable.

This was a disappointing season for the Canes no doubt. But quite frankly, I feel better about this team winning twelve games, including one against a ranked team in the ACC Tournament with a young team that sustained several serious injuries than last year’s eighteen win, NIT Final Eight team who had no serious injuries and experience all over the court.

Last year’s team missed the NCAA thanks to late game collapses in its last two regular season games. This year, the Hurricanes lost three overtime games in the last two weeks of the season but despite being undermanned they showed a grit and determination that was lacking a much more talented team the previous season.

This means two things: the adversity of this season grew Frank Haith as a coach, and grew his players character and that can only mean positive things for the future. If the Canes can stay healthy, expect the team to make a run at an NCAA bid next season.”