19 MIAMI
SPEAKING TO a reporter at Hurricanes Hoopfest—Miami's relatively subdued season-kickoff event, attended by 150 fans—senior guard Jack McClinton said, "Everyone has one common goal, and that's to win a national championship." It wasn't exactly a guarantee, but it still made headlines (MCCLINTON TALKS OF NATIONAL TITLE, said The Miami Herald) because in these parts, after all, the average fan understands the nuances of the BCS more than the Madness of Midnight or March.
A national championship in basketball? That would have been crazy talk a year ago, when Miami was picked to finish last in a preseason ACC poll. Instead, the Hurricanes went 23--11 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Now four starters are back, including McClinton, Miami's first All-ACC first-teamer, and discussion of a deep tournament run isn't so far-fetched.
McClinton, a self-described late bloomer growing up in Baltimore, didn't start at Calvert Hall High until he was a senior. And it wasn't until he averaged 18.4 points per game during a postgraduate year at the South Kent (Conn.) School that he received his first Division I scholarship offer, from Siena.
After his freshman year at Siena, however, his coach was fired, and McClinton, who averaged 13.6 points and 2.7 assists, decided to transfer. His father, Jack, sent Hurricanes coach Frank Haith a highlight tape of his son's exploits ("Jack didn't miss a shot," the coach said with a laugh last March), and Haith was impressed enough to offer McClinton a scholarship.
During McClinton's redshirt year Haith would sometimes call his cellphone on Saturday nights when the team was on the road. Invariably Haith would reach his young guard in the gym, working out by himself and proving that the motto tattooed on his left arm, NO PAIN, NO FAME, was more than just ink.
That work paid off last season, when McClinton led the ACC in free throw shooting (91.9%) and was second in three-point accuracy (42.7%). "He'll put in the time," Haith says, "almost to the point where I have to say, 'Jack, you have to get out of the gym.' He's as hard a worker as anyone I've ever been around."
Shortly after Haith installed Lance Hurdle at the point alongside McClinton and James Dews, the offense began to click. The Hurricanes won six of seven, including an upset of No. 5 Duke. Dews is one of five returnees who shot at least 37% from beyond the arc for the ACC's top three-point-shooting team.
Though a national title still seems out of reach, it marks a sea change in the program's culture that such a pursuit has become a realistic goal. "Jack's right," says Dews. "If we keep playing hard and playing together, the sky's the limit."
STARTING LINEUP
RETURNING STARTER
NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Nov. 15
Florida Southern
Nov. 21--24
Southern Mississippi*
Nov. 29
Stetson
Dec. 2
Ohio State
Dec. 6
at Kentucky
Dec. 12
Florida International
Dec. 14
Robert Morris
Dec. 27
at St. John's
Dec. 31
North Florida
Jan. 3
North Carolina Central
Jan. 5
Florida Atlantic
*Paradise Jam, in U.S. Virgin Islands (also Connecticut, La Salle, Iona, San Diego, Valparaiso, Wisconsin)
Key Game
In a slate larded with just about every cupcake in the state of Florida, and a travel budget that could be paid out of petty cash, the undersized Hurricanes will get a real test against the Buckeyes and their 7-foot freshman center, B.J. Mullens.
my SI
SI.com/topbackcourts
Luke Winn writes that, thanks to Jack McClinton and a cast of sharpshooters, Miami could surprise the rest of the ACC this season.
Coach
Frank Haith (5th)
2007--08 record
23--11
ACC record
8--8 (T-5th)
NCAA tournament
Second round
PHOTO
GERRY BROOME/AP
Happy Jack A self-described late bloomer, McClinton has become a first-team all-ACCer.