Coming off solid ACC debut year, Miami looks to take next step

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Posted 5:47PM on Thursday, November 10, 2005

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) When Guillermo Diaz thinks about the Miami Hurricanes' first Atlantic Coast Conference season, he doesn't concentrate on what went right. Diaz takes no inspiration from the night he dropped 30 points in Chapel Hill against eventual national champion North Carolina. Or his 25-point, seven-rebound effort against Duke. Or playing all 40 minutes and scoring 27 points to lead Miami's upset win over a ranked Maryland team. Instead, his summer workouts were fueled by the empty feeling he endured back on Selection Sunday, when the Hurricanes didn't see themselves listed on the NCAA brackets and instead settled for a NIT invitation. And he vows that won't happen again this season. ``I'm not really satisfied yet because I haven't been in the NCAA tournament,'' said Diaz, who averaged 18.6 points last season. ``That's all I want. When we get there, it's going to be a different story because I know we've got a lot of talent. We can compete against anybody. And we can make it.'' The Hurricanes open their season on Sunday against Texas-Arlington at the BCA Classic in Seattle, one of those three-games-in-three-nights tournaments that test a team's endurance as much as skill. Miami, 16-13 a year ago, 7-9 in the ACC, will eventually have four starters back; point guard Anthony Harris has a hairline fracture of his foot and may be out until mid-December. But no team in the ACC can say they return as much production from last season as the Hurricanes, whose veterans accounted for 86 percent of the team's scoring, 81 percent of the rebounding and 96 percent of the made 3-pointers a year ago. And that's why expectations are much higher now, a year after Miami was picked last in the ACC and some pundits suggested the Hurricanes would be lucky to win a game in what's considered by many to be college basketball's premier league. ``Those expectations were understandable, I guess,'' Miami coach Frank Haith said. ``But we had some guys step up ... and give us a chance to be competitive. This year, when you have different expectations, that shows you're making progress within your program.'' Diaz was a second-team All-ACC pick last season, even earning a vote for the league's player of the year. He was the league's second-best scorer behind Duke's J.J. Redick, was one of five ACC players to average more than 34 minutes a game, and averaged 22.9 points against opponents who were ranked at the time. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that the native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, started playing only a few years ago. ``Obviously he practices and works hard,'' Haith said. ``But you've got to put in a little more time than what you do on the court. And he comes by and watches tapes, not just watch them and say, 'Ooo-aah, what a dunk, what a pass.' He wants to understand all the intricate little things that are involved.'' When asked about the preseason attention and things like being included on awards list, Diaz sheepishly bows his head and clearly begins to squirm. He finds it flattering, but also unsettling. ``I'm trying to be one of the best,'' Diaz said. ``I like that people say I'm one of the best, but I don't see it like that. I need to learn more and more and I have a lot ahead of me.'' Diaz leads what might be the ACC's best returning backcourt. Senior Robert Hite is coming off his best season (17.3 ppg) and Harris (12.4 ppg) ranked sixth in the league in assists (4.6). ``Everybody remembers what happened last year at the end and everybody has worked extremely hard to not go through that again,'' Hite said. ``And now the season's here, so it's time to go out and prove to people that we are a good team.'' Where the Hurricanes are still largely unproven is in the frontcourt. Anthony King started all 29 games last year, averaging 6.3 points and 8.0 rebounds but Miami is hoping for much more from the 6-foot-9, 235-pounder this season. And 6-foot-8, 245-pound freshman Jimmy Graham, part of a highly touted recruiting class that Haith assembled in his first full year on the job, will certainly help. The Hurricanes were probably in position for an NCAA berth last season before dropping five of their final six ACC games, including a first-round ousting from the conference tournament by Virginia, 66-65. And then the season quickly ended with a NIT loss to South Carolina. ``We were really disappointed that we didn't get to the tournament because that was right there and we felt it,'' Haith said. ``Now, when you sit back and look at the big picture, you had to be pleased. ... But there's no doubt we want more.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)