To prevent another underachieving season, University of Miami women’s basketball head coach Ferne Labati has recruited several talented freshmen that will be thrown into this year’s mix.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 13-15 record and an eighth place finish in the Big East. Miami returns four starters and nine players from last season, and the addition of five newcomers will give the team some much needed depth as well as more talent.

The go-to player will once again be sophomore Chanivia Broussard. The 6-0 power forward took the Big East by storm last year, averaging 13.2 points while blocking 32 shots and recording 46 steals. With only a few proven scorers in the lineup, Broussard knows there will be pressure on her to improve, but is confident that she will get the job done.

“I feel there is a lot of pressure on myself,” Broussard said. “I have to just step up and try and help my team more this year so that we can depend on each other.”

Assisting Broussard out in the front court is defensive specialist Meghan Saake. The 5-10 junior will make the transition over to small forward, and hopes to improve upon her 6.6 points per game average. Helping Saake out on the offensive end, will be the addition of 5-11 freshman Melissa Knight, who Labati says has the potential to be dangerous in many ways.

“Melissa Knight is a terrific player,” Labati said. “She shoots the ball extremely well, drives to the basket and is going to be a great player for us.”

Junior Alicia Hartlaub, who saw a majority of her action at power forward, will occupy the middle this season. Hartlaub is one of the Hurricanes’ best all-around players, and in the preseason has shown an ability to score from the perimeter as well as in the paint. Hartlaub is not concerned about making the transition to center.

“The four and five on our team is very interchangeable,” Hartlaub said. “We play a lot of help defensive so the four and five will help each other out there and we’ll get the job done.”

The biggest change for the Hurricanes will come at the point. Freshman sensation Yalonda McCormick has the potential not only to become Miami’s starting point guard, but possibly its most explosive player as well. Hutashi Wilson, a 5-6 sophomore, will also get ample time at the point, and brings college basketball experience that McCormick lacks.

“We’re working very hard with both Wilson and McCormick right now,” Labati said. “Both of them are learning the position and for the first game, we went with Wilson because she had a lot more experience.”

Senior Sheila James, widely regarded as Miami’s best overall player, moves over to shooting guard this year. James has recovered nicely from injuries that have plagued her since the end of last season, and looks to improve upon her 10.4 points per game average.

James will also look to benefit from more shooting opportunities, but doesn’t see a drastic transformation in her game.

“I’ll definitely be helping the point guard out and I’ll be pretty much playing mostly the same type of game, just not handling the ball as much,” James said.

The additions of Knight and McCormick single-handedly improve Miami’s bench. In addition, the Hurricanes have returnees Shaquana Wilkins, Martha Bodley, and Amanda Papuga to depend on, as well as freshman Lonnie Whigham, who is expected to make a full recovery from her torn ACL by December.

The Hurricanes may have a lot of talent and depth, but also face the daunting task of another deadly schedule. Miami begins their home schedule Sunday against Iona and Northwestern next Wednesday.

The rest of their games at the Knight Sports Complex includes Big East foes Rutgers and defending NCAA champion Notre Dame, and non-conference opponents Texas and Minnesota.

Miami faces preseason No. 1 Connecticut and non-conference opponent Kentucky on the road.

“The Big East conference is the lone conference of winning back to back national championships so the competition is outstanding,” Labati said.

Despite the stiff competition, Labati is confident in her team and believes that once everyone is accustomed to playing with each other, the Hurricanes will be dangerous.

“We’re looking forward to a great year,” Labati said. “We want to run and push the ball up for more fast break opportunities and also cut down on our assist-turnover ratio, which really hurt us last season.”

Rafael Berumen (12)
F/C, 6-9, Junior, Los Angeles City College
Last Year: Berumen led L.A. City College to a 32-4 record by averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game. Berumen’s stellar play earned him an All-South Coast Conference selection.
This Year: Along with Will Frisby, Berumen will add a lot of much needed depth to the frontcourt this season. Berumen will likely see some significant minutes off the bench and will be expected to contribute.

Paulo Coelho (13)
G, 6-2, Junior, Universidad de Porto
Last Year: Coelho missed all of last season, recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.
This Year: Because of the injury, many of Coelho’s expectations are unknown. Coelho has played in 51 career games, however, and will help bolster Miami’s bench with that experience.

Rodrigue Djahue (14)
F, 6-7, Sophomore, Miami NW Christian Academy
Last Year: Djahue saw action in all but two games and provided the Hurricanes with one of their best assets off the bench, averaging 4.1 points and 2.7 rebounds.
This Year: Although Djahue is still learning fundamentals of the game, the sophomore may be one of the first players off Perry Clark’s bench.

Will Frisby (34)
F, 6-8, Sophomore, Fresno City College
Last Year: Selected to the All-Central Valley Conference first team, Frisby averaged 18.5 points and 10.8 rebounds, while shooting almost 58 percent from the field.
This Year: Frisby will start the season as more of a role player, but has more potential than possibly anyone else on the team.

Danny Marakovits (20)
G, 6-4, Sophomore, Allentown Central Catholic
Last Year: Marakovits saw very limited action, playing seven total minutes and scoring three points.
This Year: With the addition of Kahleaf Watson and the return of Coelho, Marakovits’ minutes will probably not go up significantly.

Brandon Okpalobi (10)
G, 6-2, Sophomore, St. Augustine
Last Year: Okpalobi did not see a lot of action, playing 17 total minutes, scoring one point and pulling down five rebounds. He did play four minutes in the Big East Tournament.
This Year: With several guards on the team, Okpalobi will probably be fighting for playing time with Marakovits.

Jerry Schlie (11)
F, 6-6, Senior, Sachem
Last Year: Used sparingly throughout the season, Schlie scored three points and pulled down three rebounds in 23 total minutes.
This Year: Miami’s lack of frontcourt depth may give Schlie playing time early on. By midseason though, Frisby and Djahue will likely get most of Schlie’s minutes.

Michael Simmons (1)
G, 6-0, Sophomore, Mercersburg Academy
Last Year: Starting all 29 games at the point, Simmons provided stellar defense and dished out 2.5 assists per game. However, Simmons wasn’t much of a scoring threat, averaging 2.5 points.
This Year: Still recovering from a hip injury, Simmons will start the season on the bench. Whether he eventually moves back into the starting lineup or not, Simmons will still have a lot of duties on this team.

Kahleaf Watson (2)
G, 6-2, Freshman, Blue Ridge
Last Year: Led Blue Ridge High to it’s second consecutive state title, averaging 18.1 points and 4.5 assists in the process.
This Year: Watson may not see a lot of time early on, but his quickness and athleticism could land him the primary backup duties by the end of the season.

After an offseason full of changes and a rough start in Big East play, Hurricanes coach Perry Clark’s ability to lead Miami to a 16-13 record and an NIT berth was looked upon rather favorably.

With a full roster intact this season, however, the same result will not be as acceptable.

The Hurricanes enter the 2001-2002 season with eleven returning players, including four out of five starters. This year’s starting five combined to average 56.6 points per game, and have the potential to inflict even more harm. In addition, Clark has added three players that should help solve Miami’s depth problems.

Clark recognizes the talent and potential of his 15 players, and vows to make changes in the game plan that will further assist the Hurricanes.

“We really want to run and we are going to push the basketball,” Clark said. “I think if we can put four good scorers in the game, we want to get them the basketball in transition.”

The best of those four scorers is sophomore and pre-season Naismith candidate Darius Rice. The 6-10 small forward led Miami in scoring last season with 14.1 points per game, and posted double figure scoring totals in all but nine games.

Rice’s scoring ability landed him on the All-Big East Rookie Team, but with several scorers on the court, Clark wants Rice to work on other aspects of his game as well.

“Darius has mentally matured a great deal since his freshman campaign,” Clark said. “We need him to rebound the basketball, play defensively and do some other things to help us win basketball games, even when his shot is not going.”

Also returning to the Hurricane frontcourt will be power forward James Jones. The 6-8 junior averaged 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while showing a surprising outside touch, leading Miami with a 47.1 percentage behind the three-point arc. Jones also led Miami in two exhibition victories, averaging 18.5 points per game.

Much of the frontcourt attention, however, is shifted towards the return of Elton Tyler. The 6-9 center was red-shirted last year for a variety of reasons but has come back at full strength. Tyler averaged 11 points during the preseason and has been an efficient shooter during his career, connecting on 54.4 percent of his shots.

“Integrating Elton Tyler back is extremely important,” Clark said. “He gives us five guys on the court that can score and his knowledge and experience of the game will certainly be more than welcome.”

In the backcourt, Marcus Barnes moves from the bench to the starting lineup, at least for the first part of the season. The 6-2 sophomore saw a good portion of his time at the point last season, but will be moved to the shooting guard to start the 2001-2002 campaign. Clark said that the move should help Barnes gain more consistency.

“With the leadership we have at the point, I think it’s better to keep Marcus off the ball where he can concentrate on shooting and defending the ball better,” Clark said.

That leaves senior John Salmons, Miami’s most versatile player, to run the show. At 6-7, Salmons has the ability to play four different positions, but will be asked primarily to occupy the point. Last year’s All-Big East third team selection is confident that the pressure placed upon him will not become much of a factor come game time.

“There’s pressure, but I’ve been working hard all year and basically, I just put it all on God when I’m out there,” Salmons said. He is the only Big East player to rank among conference leaders in six different categories. “I want to make my mark and just go out there and accomplish things.”

Last year’s starting point guard, junior Michael Simmons, has recovered from a hip injury and will help bolster a bench that includes returnees Rodrigue Djahue and Paulo Coelho.

The bulk of the production off the bench, however, may come from the three new additions to the Hurricane roster – freshman Kahleaf Watson, junior Rafael Berumen, and sophomore Will Frisby. All three players bring ability to help Miami in several different aspects, and according to Clark, already have expectations.

“I think that our three new players satisfy needs instead of just getting outstanding players who demand playing time, and thus mess up the rotation,” Clark said. “What that does is put a burden on some of the players that have been here, and have to certainly step up for us this year.”

The Hurricanes regular season begins with the Virgin Islands Jam on Sunday. The home schedule kicks off with Lafayette on the Nov. 24 and includes teams like Indiana and Charlotte, as well as Big East powerhouses St. John’s and Connecticut.

On the road, the Hurricanes will have to deal with these same Big East opponents, as well as non-conference games at LSU and Texas A&M.

“The Big East conference is the best conference in the nation,” Jones said. “Every team there is capable of winning both the regular season and the tournament title.”

Miami definitely has a tough schedule and some remaining question marks ahead of them. Jones is confident, however, that the core players will step up in the clutch and win some games that eluded them last season.

“This year, we are a young team but we are veterans,” Jones said. “We just have to tough it out during the last five minutes of the game and come up with victories.”

VOLLEYBALL
Marcella Gamarra put an exclamation mark on the end of the 2001 volleyball season for Miami with a blistering kill and the Hurricanes finished on an 11-match win streak with a 3-0 sweep of St. Thomas (30-15, 30-28 & 30-27) on Tuesday evening in Opa Locka. The Hurricanes, completing the first season of volleyball for Miami since 1981, finished 17-7 overall (.708) and posted a 13-1 (.928) home record at the Knight Sports Complex. Gamarra scored 10 kills on 24 attacks (.333), two serving aces and seven digs. Freshman Sandra Totten also scored 10 for the Hurricanes on 17 attacks (.588) while freshman Valeria Tipiana scored eight kills on 13 attacks (.538). Mallorey James contributed 34 assists and four kills with seven digs while Jamie Grass had a team-high 12 digs. In her last match for the University of Miami, senior Kristi Sprinkel had five kills (.500), three block assists and eight digs. Senior Vanessa Koehler, also in her last match for UM, nailed a serving ace and had the distinction of serving the final time for the Hurricanes in 2001. Miami returns five of its six starters next year as the Hurricanes begin BIG EAST volleyball competition.

CROSS COUNTRY
University of Miami sophomore Matt Mulvaney finished 37th with a time of 32:33.42 at the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championships in Tuscaloosa, AL. last weekend. Senior Jeff Gaulrapp finished the 10,000-meter course in a time of 33:49.22 to place 76th. In the women’s 6,000-meter race, senior Jennifer Geroux finished 72nd with a time of 23:35.57.

FOOTBALL
Miami placekicker Todd Sievers captured Big East Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance at Boston College last Saturday. Sievers accounted for 12 of his team’s points in the Hurricanes’ 18-7 win at Boston College. The junior placekicker converted four field goals, with two from distances over 40 yards. Included in the kicks was a career-long 47-yard field goal. Sievers has made 16-of-18 field goals (88.9 percent) this season and leads the Big East in scoring with 85 points. It is his second weekly award this season.

Miami
Quarterbacks: Ken Dorsey had the worst game of his career last week at Boston College. On that note, look for him to bounce right back and have a productive game against the Orangemen.

Running Backs: Clinton Portis was a workhorse last week, rushing for 165 yards on 36 carries. Willis McGahee looks to return from injury and Frank Gore keeps getting better.

Wide Receivers: Kevin Beard and Ethenic Sands have stepped up their play, each recording four receptions last week. Unit must stretch the field and make some big plays.

Offensive Line: Did not allow a sack last game. Offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie will face the biggest challenge of his career against stellar defensive end Dwight Freeney.

Defensive Line: Will look forward to the return of defensive end Andrew Williams from injury. The line will need to be aware of Anderson’s trickery.

Linebackers: Vilma and company will face a big test going up against the option. They must do a better job of closing off the middle of the field.

Secondary: Mike Rumph was the unsung hero last week with his pass deflection that resulted in an Ed Reed touchdown. They will have to make some tackles tomorrow, as they will not be tested downfield.

Special Teams: Todd Sievers’ four field goals last week won the game for the Hurricanes. The kickoff coverage must improve.

Syracuse
Quarterbacks: Sophomore R.J. Anderson is not much of a passing threat, but is dangerous on the ground. He will test Miami’s rush defense.

Running Backs: James Mungro is 63 yards shy from a 1,000-yard season. He will be the main target on the option. Anderson will keep the ball a lot as well.

Wide Receiver: The Syracuse passing attack will not pose much of a threat to the outstanding Miami secondary. Junior David Tyree leads the team with 17 receptions for 221 yards.

Offensive Line: Unit has opened holes all year for Mungro. They have allowed 21 sacks in ten games, but those include when Anderson is tackled for a loss in the option.

Defensive Line: Dwight Freeney will attempt to add on his NCAA-record 16.5 sacks, but must do so against McKinnie. Defensive tackle Christian Ferrara will be an inside threat. He has 4.5 sacks on the season.

Linebackers: Middle linebacker Clifton Smith is second on the team with 82 tackles. Outside linebacker Charles Burton has 47 tackles on the season, including six for a loss.

Secondary: Free safety Quentin Harris leads the team with 107 tackles and four interceptions. Speedy cornerback Latroy Oliver also has four interceptions on the season.

Special Teams: Jamel Riddle is a dangerous punt return man, averaging 13.1 yards a return, including a touchdown against Virginia Tech earlier in the season. Since taking over as place-kicker, Collin Barber is a perfect four-of-four, including a 45-yarder.

Flag Football Playoffs
Men’s Independent Championship:

Outkast- 22
America’s Pastime- 21

In the Intramural Championship for the Men’s Open Division, in a game that pitted the top 2 seeds, America’s Pastime and Outkast, against each other, it was only fitting that the season came down to the last play of the game in overtime. After keeping the ball himself, and scampering in for a 11-yard touchdown run to close the deficit to 1, Outkast captain and quarterback Erik Guanche chose to attempt a 2-point conversion, and the win, on the extra point. After rolling outside the pocket and buying himself plenty of time, Guanche managed to find wide receiver Ryan Pascual cutting across the back of the endzone, drenched in tight coverage, for the score and triumph. Guanche’s guts paid off as Outkast was crowned the Open Champion for the 2001 season. America’s Pastime quarterback T.J. “The Worm Prunty managed to finish 12-for-24 for 145 yards with 3 TDs and one interception. Guanche accumulated 127 yards on 7-for-14 passing, with 3 TDs total (2 rushing, 1 passing). He also managed to ring up 83 yards on the ground, with 2 INTs.

Greek Championship:
Alpha Sigma Phi- 19
Pi Kappa Alpha- 13

Men’s Campus Championship:

Outkast- 28
Alpha Sigma Phi- 0

After a very long Flag Football season, one team was crowned champion while all the other teams looked on. This game brought the undefeated and number one ranked Outkast, also the Labor Day Flag Football Champion, versus the Greek Champion Alpha Sigma Phi. Outkast showed why they were the better team by displaying a stifling defense and unstoppable offensive attack as they shutout Alpha Sig 28-0. After an Outkast stand on defense, Alpha Sig was forced to punt from deep in their own zone. Ryan Pascual took the punt and eventually pitched the ball to Erik Guanche who dashed 65 yards down the sideline for a touchdown and the game winning score. As the 1st half was coming to a close Sergio Sardinas intercepted an errant pass, his second of the game, and pitched it to Pascual who zigzagged and tiptoed his way into the end zone as time expired. Outkast added the extra point to put the halftime score at 13-0. Outkast started the 2nd half with the ball and moved right down the field that resulted in a Guanche 32-yd scamper for a touchdown. All the Outkast offensive scoring ended with a touchdown pass from Guanche to Ugo Nwandike for 6 yards who also added another catch for 26 yards. Alpha Sig QB Ruben Rivera completed 7 of 9 for 89 yards passing. His top receiver was Dax Pedraza who caught 4 passes for 62 yards. Outkast QB Erik Guanche completed 10 of 13 for 138 yards passing with one touchdown. He also rushed 3 times for 70 yards and a touchdown. The MVP of this game goes to the Outkast defense that caused 3 interceptions and 7 sacks including a safety as well as totally shutting down the Alpha Sig offensive attack.

Women’s Campus Championship:
Scrubs- 6
Tri Delta- 0

The 2001 Flag Football Champions will be introduced at tomorrow’s game at the Orange Bowl against Syracuse!

Soccer:
Hui Aloha- 2
Kickin Canes- 0

Gables- 4
Sherm- 3

Genocide- 5
GBSA 2- 2

Sigma Phi Epsilon- 1
Alpha Sigma Phi- 0

Sigma Alpha Mu- 2 (OT)
Pi Kappa Alpha- 1

Alpha Epsilon Pi- 2
Kappa Sigma- 0

Sigma Chi- 2
Phi Delta Theta- 1

Soccer for Dummies- 4
ISUM- 3

Men Free Agents- 4
ACS Men- 0

Latin America F.C.- 3
Reggae Ruffians- 0

Predators F.C.- 5
GBSA 1- 3

Kirk Tracy Memorial F.C.- 3
High Rollaz- 1

Tri Delta- 2
Delta Gamma- 1

Sigma Delta Tau- 2
Delta Phi Epsilon- 1

November 13, 2001

Dear University of Miami Students,

The time is now for all of us to pull together and make this University proud of its winning athletic programs. The Hurricanes are bowl bound, but its still a tough road ahead with Syracuse this weekend and Washington next weekend. We are asking for the support of our students and staff as we continue to make a run for the National Championship one game at a time.

The team thrives off the energy of our fans and for the last two games we would like all of you to be there to rock the Orange Bowl.

This weekend, we will battle with the Syracuse Orangeman for the Big East Conference title in front of a nationally televised audience. Let’s show the nation that our fans are amongst the most passionate and dedicated in the nation. Kick-off is at 3:30 PM, but be sure to get there early for the live broadcast of the ESPN College GameDay with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso. Go Canes!

Thanks for your support,

Larry Coker

University of Miami Head Football Coach

After narrowly escaping the first obstacle in their quest to Pasadena, the Hurricanes will host No. 14 Syracuse tomorrow in a contest that will decide the Big East title as well as Miami’s national championship aspirations.

The Hurricanes enter Saturday with a nation best 18-game win streak. Last weekend at Chestnut Hill, Mass., Miami needed an amazing game-saving interception by Matt Walters and subsequent Ed Reed touchdown return in the final seconds to sneak past an upset-minded Boston College team 18-7.

With a victory tomorrow, Miami will solidify the Big East title, however tomorrow’s contest is only one step in the Hurricanes’ race to the Rose Bowl. After Syracuse, Miami must defeat Washington and Virginia Tech to remain in the top two of the Bowl Championship Series rankings.

With that in mind, Miami can’t overlook the Orangeman, who bring an eight-game winning streak to the Orange Bowl. That includes a quality win over Virginia Tech three weeks ago.

“Syracuse has always been a tough match-up for us,” said Hurricane coach Larry Coker. “They are well-coached and are a very exciting football team that has won eight games in a row. Their defense and kicking game have been spectacular.”

Syracuse is led by that dominating defense as well as a dangerous rushing attack. Senior defensive end Dwight Freeny leads a unit that has allowed 15.7 points per game.

Freeny’s two sacks at West Virginia last week gave him 16.5 on the season – already an NCCA single-season sack record. Freeny will face off against Hurricane offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie, who has not allowed a sack in his career.

“[Freeny] is one of the toughest challenges we will face all year long,” said Coker. “He is one of the premier players in college football. He can take over a game.”

Clifton Smith, second on the team with 107 tackles, leads an Orangemen linebacker unit that is extremely fast. Outside linebackers Rich Scanlon and Charles Burton are quick to the ball and have 50 and 47 tackles, respectively.

The Syracuse pass defense has a lot of athletic ability, holding opponents to an average of just 5.9 yards per pass. Free safety Quentin Harris will be all over the field as he leads the team with 107 tackles and four interceptions.

After struggling mightily last week, Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey will not change his game plan against the Syracuse defense.

“We moved the ball great last week, but just made too many mistakes,” said Dorsey. “I’m still going to throw the ball downfield. We will bounce back.”

The Syracuse offense is run oriented with senior tailback James Mungro getting the bulk of the carries. Mungro will be Miami’s focus as he leads the team with 937 yards and 12 touchdowns on 199 rushes. Mungro rushed for 68 yards on 21 carries and recorded a career-high four receptions last week against West Virginia.

“Syracuse’s strong suit is running the ball,” Coker said. “Mungro is a great tailback.”

Sophomore quarterback R.J. Anderson, who runs the option for the Orangemen, has thrown for 810 yards and four touchdowns, while rushing for 218 yards and four touchdowns.

The passing attack should not pose much of a threat to the Miami secondary, as the Orangmen’s strength is on the ground.

Last time out against West Virginia, Anderson was just 10-of-18 passing for 86 yards.

“They run the option real well,” said Miami linebacker Jonathan Vilma. “The front seven must stop the run.”

Miami controls its fate for the remainder of the season. The Hurricanes must win out to secure a Rose Bowl Bid.

“If we win Saturday, the Big East and BCS looks good for our team,” Coker said.