Spring Break
Miami takes moral victories from defeat
Dave D'Amore
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Sports
As you are reading this, I hope that Oxford is buzzing about the men's basketball team knocking off No. 5 University of Pittsburgh Monday night. I hope that Tuesday morning brings SportsCenter showing non-stop highlights of Charlie Coles and his boys celebrating and gaining national recognition after a huge upset victory.
However, I do not have the privilege of knowing how we fared versus the Panthers because I am writing this before Monday's game took place. Despite the outcome Monday night, whatever it may be, Miami basketball made incredible progress and gave RedHawk fans a reason to be excited this past Thursday when the team took on No. 4 UCLA on its home court. Despite falling short 64-59, Miami fans should have not only been excited because of our near upset victory, but because of the way the Redhawks hung with the powerful Bruins the entire game. Suffocating UCLA defense, timely Bruin 3-point field goals and questionable, at best, officiating could not stop Miami from being within one point with less than one minute remaining and making UCLA earn its victory.
Miami basketball fans should see the good things that came from this loss. The main positive was the play of senior Michael Bramos. Bramos's 22 points do not nearly show how he put the RedHawks on his back at times and got Miami crucial buckets when it needed them. UCLA played very tight defense on Miami's point guards the entire game, but Bramos showed he was up to the task of making sure Miami got offense when the team needed it. Another positive, despite not being seen in the final box score, was the play of guard Kenny Hayes. Although he only registered two points, his two were extremely important as he drove the baseline against numerous UCLA defenders and put in an acrobatic lay-up to bring Miami within two points as the end of the game approached.
This is positive for the RedHawks going forward because it shows Hayes has the confidence to take shots and get Miami points, even if he is struggling on a given night. Hayes is an important factor that makes the offense run, so it is important Hayes stays aggressive at all times. As the saying goes, "Good shooters keep shooting," and that is exactly what Hayes did to bring Miami close to victory.
However, I do not have the privilege of knowing how we fared versus the Panthers because I am writing this before Monday's game took place. Despite the outcome Monday night, whatever it may be, Miami basketball made incredible progress and gave RedHawk fans a reason to be excited this past Thursday when the team took on No. 4 UCLA on its home court. Despite falling short 64-59, Miami fans should have not only been excited because of our near upset victory, but because of the way the Redhawks hung with the powerful Bruins the entire game. Suffocating UCLA defense, timely Bruin 3-point field goals and questionable, at best, officiating could not stop Miami from being within one point with less than one minute remaining and making UCLA earn its victory.
Miami basketball fans should see the good things that came from this loss. The main positive was the play of senior Michael Bramos. Bramos's 22 points do not nearly show how he put the RedHawks on his back at times and got Miami crucial buckets when it needed them. UCLA played very tight defense on Miami's point guards the entire game, but Bramos showed he was up to the task of making sure Miami got offense when the team needed it. Another positive, despite not being seen in the final box score, was the play of guard Kenny Hayes. Although he only registered two points, his two were extremely important as he drove the baseline against numerous UCLA defenders and put in an acrobatic lay-up to bring Miami within two points as the end of the game approached.
This is positive for the RedHawks going forward because it shows Hayes has the confidence to take shots and get Miami points, even if he is struggling on a given night. Hayes is an important factor that makes the offense run, so it is important Hayes stays aggressive at all times. As the saying goes, "Good shooters keep shooting," and that is exactly what Hayes did to bring Miami close to victory.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Calvin and Hobbes
posted 11/19/08 @ 2:55 AM EST
Sweet article.
Post a Comment