By JJ Metz
After a disappointing 2024–25 season, the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team is hoping for a turnaround. Miami opened the year with three straight non conference wins over non Power- 4 programs before traveling to the Charleston Classic. The trip was a rough one, as the Canes went 0–3 in the tournament with losses to Drake, Oklahoma State, and VCU.
The struggles didn’t stop there. Miami dropped four more games before finally snapping the skid against Presbyterian. That win didn’t spark momentum, as the Hurricanes fell to Mount St. Mary’s in what turned out to be Jim Larrañaga’s final game as head coach.
Assistant coach Bill Courtney stepped in for the rest of the season, but the team’s fortunes didn’t change. Miami lost eight straight under his watch and finished the year 7–24 overall, and 3–17 in ACC play. The Canes finished 18th in the conference and, under the new ACC Tournament rules, they failed to qualify for postseason play.
Coaching Change and Roster Rebuild :
Following Larrañaga’s retirement, Miami launched a national coaching search and hired Jai Lucas, a former assistant at Duke. Lucas immediately faced a huge challenge, as the roster took major hits.
Eight players entered the transfer portal, including Kiree Huie, Jalil Bethea, Paul Djobet, Jalen Blackmon, Nijel Pack, Divine Ugochukwu, and AJ Staton McCray. On top of that, two four-star recruits, Matt Albe and Ben Ahmed decommitted after the coaching change.
Still, Lucas was able to put together a respectable group of newcomers. Miami added transfers Malik Renua (PF, Indiana), Tre Donaldson (PG, Michigan), Ernest Udeh (C, TCU), and Tru Washington (SG, New Mexico). The Canes portal class was ranked 21st nationally.
Lucas also made progress on the high school recruiting trail, signing four-star prospects Shelton Henderson (PG), Dante Allen (SG), and Trevyon Maddox (SF), along with three-star point guard John Laboy. He also tapped into international talent, bringing in Timotej Malovec (Slovakia), Salih Altuntas (Turkey), and Noam Dorvat (Israel).
What’s Next for the Canes :
Even with so many changes, there’s optimism around the program. Lucas has built a roster with young talent and experienced transfers, and fans are eager to see how the team looks under new leadership. Competing for an ACC championship right away might be a stretch, the expectation is that Miami will move up from the bottom of the standings and fight for a spot in the middle of the pack.
