It was the job of her dreams; until it started.
Sophomore Nicole Pytel, 19, is suing the school for alleged sexual discrimination and harassment on the job while she worked as equipment manager for the football team from August 2000 until February 2001.
Pytel was removed from her job last February nearly one hour after filing a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC].
According to the suit, several attempts to ask her former boss, Bobby Revilla, to stop coworkers’ “disgusting and offensive” behavior went unheard.
Revilla told the Hurricane there’s more to the story than the 51-page lawsuit illustrates, but declined to comment further.
University spokeswoman Margot Winick said Pytel was offered another job shortly after losing her job at the equipment room.
As far as the charges against the school, “we don’t discuss pending litigation,” said Winick.
According to the plaintiff, male equipment managers frequently commented on the size of her breasts, told her she should wear thong panties and simulated masturbation while following her around the field.
During a Rutgers road trip, Pytel alleges Revilla embarrassed her in front of the staff by suggesting “maybe if we get you to drink something, you will tell us what you and Mark [her boyfriend] have done in bed.”
Revilla referred to Pytel and a colleague Lisa Klein as “helpers,” rather than “managers” according to the lawsuit Pytel filed.
Furthermore, the suit claims the two female equipment managers got paid less than their male counterparts who were assigned more stringent tasks.
Klein declined to comment on Pytel’s allegations or the time the two worked at the equipment room.
“I’m still working there, and I’m extremely happy with my job,” Klein told the Hurricane.
Pay was also an issue. Pytel claims she was making half of what one male student working the same post earned.
“He [Revilla] explained there was no set amount one could get paid, and that pay was at his discretion based upon how he felt about the person doing the job,” according to the suit.
When matters worsened during a trip to New Orleans, which Pytel described as “probably the worst week of her life,” she approached team chaplain Beau Jones for help.
On New Years Eve, 2000, Pytel’s parents faxed a note to Revilla that read: “Harassment must stop. Legal Protection pending for both girls.”
On Feb. 23, 2001 the plaintiff’s attorney faxed the university a copy of the EEOC charge of discrimination.
Forty-six minutes later UM responded saying she was being removed from her job, and would be placed at another position upon returning to school, according to Pytel’s lawsuit.
That promise was not kept, according to Jane Pytel, Nicole’s mother, who told the Hurricane an initial offer to get hired as a work-study at the School of Communication fell through because the sum of financial and scholarship aid Nicole was receiving made her ineligible for the position.
“She’s been going through living hell,” she told the Hurricane. “On the other hand, she felt this is a story that needs to be told.”
No date has been set for trial as yet.
Student claims discrimination
Sexual harassment suits rock UM
A Toppel Career Center employee and a couple of her former coworkers filed two lawsuits against the University of Miami this week for allegedly ignoring their former boss’ ruthless behavior for too long.
Mariselly Chiroldes, the only plaintiff who is still working at the university claims UM officials repeatedly ignored complaints of sexual harassment and discrimination she brought against then Director of Toppel, Michael Gage.
Chiroldes values the damages she incurred at over $1 million.
Dulce Ramirez-Damon and Francesca Escoto-Zavala, who worked at UM from Aug. 1998 to January 2001 and Aug. 1999 to December 2000, respectively, allege in a separate suit that Gage sexually harassed the plaintiffs and several other staffers and created a hostile work environment.
They are seeking damages in excess of $15,000.
The university declined to comment on the charges, but confirmed that Gage was fired last summer.
The Hurricane was unable to contact Gage for comment.
In a prepared statement faxed by her attorney, Chiroldes said she filed the lawsuit hoping that her story won’t have sequels at UM.
“I was traumatized by the Internet and real-life pornography that surrounded me working at UM,” said Chiroldes. “It was like working at Porno U,” she added.
She claimed the working environment she endured while Gage was in charge harmed her health and that of her newborn baby.
“The central aspect of the bizarre, sexually hostile work environment was Mr. Gage’s blatant usage of Internet pornography websites, including those with hardcore content and other lurid types of pornography,” according to Chiroldes’ suit.
On numerous occasions, Mr. Gage allegedly squeezed her and pressed her face into his body, Chiroldes claims.
The plaintiff also claims Mr. Gage was once found naked in his office and would often act nervously whenever she entered his office, and would click-out of the frame being displayed on his computer screen.
The suit filed by the two employees who are no longer with the university concurred with Chiroldes’ account and provided further details including his alleged subscription to pornographic magazines delivered to his office as well as a package he received that contained a Polaroid shot of a man in underwear.
The plaintiffs claim Gage’s desktop background contained several pictures of nude men, which were in sight when his seven-year-old son came by the office.
Chiroldes claims she did everything in her power to alert university officials by complaining to her immediate supervisor and subsequently filing two grievances.
The school, she said, undertook little or no investigation for almost two years, although Gage was put on administrative leave for a short period.
In Aug. 2001, with police officers and technicians present, senior UM administrators supervised a search of the computers throughout Toppel, which allegedly yielded evidence of “pervasive pornographic activity.”
According to Pat Whitely, vice president for Student Affairs, things at Toppel are back to normal.
“We haven’t missed a beat,” she told the Hurricane, adding she was extremely happy with the job Gage’s replacement, Jim Smart has been doing to date.
Loungin’ with style at W6
It’s one of those nights. Club-hopping in the frenzy and delusion of SoBe’s nightlife, indulging yourself to find that ultimate satisfying rush, trying ideally to elude the daily intricacies of your life by submerging into a precarious (and very possibly inebriated) night of escapade and profligacy, and testing the offerings of each disparate pleasure playground-enter the temples of hedonism.
And then you wake up the next morning, hung-over, drearily reaching for the pack of Tylenol’s conveniently placed right next to your bed while downing a whole bottle of water, breathing a sigh of relief, then zooming through your memory to try to make sense of last night’s blur. And you remember vaguely, smiling to yourself at that one last dance, and something stands out in your mind. That one place that made the night. Where the dj was conspicuously spinning the right stuff at the right time, making your heat beat with the tempo, taking you in. Where the people were friendly enough to share their momentary bliss with you, but stylish enough to keep that cool attitude of laid-back debonair. Where you decided to stay an hour longer just to sink in.
On one of those nights, that place for me was W6 Lounge, located at Sixth Street and Washington Avenue. (Yes, that is why the club is called W6). I had gone to a number of different clubs that night and ended up at this one last, staying until it closed at 5 a.m. A spokesman for the club I had met that night, an affable and easygoing Hawaiian named Julian Machua, describes the place as “a high-end lounge without the high-end prices and attitude.”
The interior decor is warm and elegant, a rectangular domain with a small dance floor and bar at the entrance, followed by a long row of lavish sofas and chairs on one side, and another extensive bar on the other; a place that has that typical NYC lounge feel to it, where you can dance if your feeling the rhythm or just lay back and lounge with the music, sipping on your drink, eyeing the crowd.
Across the ceiling, a number of lights surrounded by colored balloons add a feel of lush and velvety delight throughout the club. Even the bartenders are friendly and fun-loving, tending to your order with precision and speed at the bar- or you can sit around lazily and have one of the attractive waitresses tend to your thirsty needs, making you Mr. V.I.P. for one special night.
The lounge offers a distinctive array of drinks, from your favorite cocktails to moderately priced bottles, and proposes some beers for only $3 and $5 (a select and alluring feature compared to the usual steeply priced drinks on SoBe).
The lounge started to arise about a year ago and proffered locals of the beach with a chance to party on a lower scale, in a place with more intimacy and a less hyped, yet still continually modish atmosphere. Machua, who has been on the beach for 12 years, likes to refer to the lounge as “a kind of secret location without being a secret.” That sense of entering an enigmatic aura, losing yourself in a crowd of strangers and ending up vanishing into a subterranean abyss, isn’t what you get at W6. As explained by Machua, the “viability of the place is entrenched by the local people.” Though the lounge isn’t necessarily trying to get the most exposure on South Beach, it welcomes new-comers in the most hospitable way possible to allow new people to discover its very own singular attractions.
It is often a worry to go to clubs, especially in the mammoth night scene on SoBe. You’ll find yourself anxiously doubting that you’re going to get inside, hoping that you know someone at the door or you look hip enough to slide in without any hassle. Though at W6, to a certain extent, the bouncers will select the people they want inside, they are, if anything, convivial as opposed to intimidating and will let you in, without you knowing anyone or anything of the sort, if you are appropriately fashionable (I mean, it’s the least they could ask for!). Also, the lounge only occasionally has a cover charge, so if you’re there at the right time on the right night, you might be getting in for free (another attribute of the place you seldom find on SoBe).
Moreover, the music scene at W6 is also another facet of the lounge that makes it a good place to spend the night. On Wednesdays, it’s “In the Biz”, a local night with local DJ’s; Thursday is an especially happening night , with the emanating sounds of eclectic house music and garage with djs from New York and Los Angeles. Fridays are called “Bubbles Miami” and is characterized by the stirring beats and high energy of funk and R’n’B; Sundays have a cool bash with DJ Patrick Greene spinning deep house.
Saturdays at W6 are quite unique because the lounge uses this night for a number of particular parties. Once a month, the club hosts “Tease”, also called a “Skin Party” for couples and single women. What’s more, the owners’ party on Saturdays is an exciting celebration and, finally, Upsidedown Entertainment presents “UM NIGHT@W6” on some Saturdays with hip-hop in the V.I.P. room. The lounge has also had many notable djs playing on some nights such as Patrick Oliver (who has been considered one of the best on the beach and comes direct from London) and Sasha and John Digweed.
Good lounges or smaller venues around the beach are hard to find. The scene seems to be mostly dominated by boisterous clubs such as Crobar or Level. So, where to go when you want to level down and chill out in a more laid-back environment? Check out Tanja or Club Deep and just try to have fun, but I wouldn’t count on it. W6 seems to fit the good picture.
“This place might be the only real lounge on South Beach,” says Machua, “but the lounge scene here is coming of age, it’s still slowly breaking through.”
Machua claims that the club scene is now in a state of disarray and he seems confident that a lot of people are going to smaller venues like in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. “It is thriving and continuously growing; it’s definitely a big scene.”
RUNOVER
Levisiticum officinale: Lovage for those who know
Dan the Automator knows. Back after no perceptible break, super-producer Dan Nakamura shows off his undeniable talent under the pseudonym Nathaniel Merriweather; purveyor of beats, licks, and fine grooving.
You may have caught a glimpse of his talent over the years, in the musical guide to the medicine on Dr. Octagon, the commercially beautiful Handsome Boy Modeling School, or more recently in the operatic Deltron 3030 (setting aside Gorillaz). What all of these eclectic musical journeys have in common is the talented team of artists who reinforce them all.
In the Automator’s latest opus, dubbed Nathaniel Merriweather’s Lovage: Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, Nathaniel Merriweather is joined by the likes of Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields), Mike Patton (Faith No More), Damon Albarn (Blur), Maseo (De La Soul), Afrikaa Bambataa, Kid Koala (Bullfrog) on turntables, and fellow super-producer Prince Paul a.k.a Chest Rockwell.
Nakamura’s strength lies in creating instrumentals that convey each album’s theme explicitly. Space Opera for Deltron, brit-pop meets hip-hop for Gorillaz, and pure sensual exuberance for Lovage. If you have been watching MTV, you are all used to the soporific sludge that is popular music today. With love being taught to us by plastic teens, and gelled ex-convicts posing as high-school seniors, it’s hard to tell what’s what.
And I must say, it’s really not an easy task to make you feel the love when you’re only swayed by the mechanical “boom-boom-ing” of most electronic music. But again, the Automator succeeds in defining sensual groove with the use of acoustic and electronic ingredients. Flute, guitar, keyboards, live kits- all mix happily with the freely yet calculated beats and scratches of Chest Rockwell and Merriweather. No piece is linear or sleep-inducing, and yet, the ensemble is uniform enough to make it thematic without seeming repetitive.
The lyrics of the album may seem a sort of erotic-kitsch to some, but the key is to keep in mind is that this is, after all, a Nakamura production. A sense of humor is just as important as shamelessness. The lyrics read like a harlequin, aback to a lush and intricate orchestration of trip-hop meets hip-hop meets acid jazz. And yet, unlike many side projects, the emphasis is on the project. The experimentation is in its free form; its lack of limits and abandon to the ridiculous will make you smile. Some tracks rest unpolished, scratchy like an old vinyl, and flawed like the best of us.
To those of you who aren’t swayed by the unusual voices of Michael Patton or Jennifer Charles, you can always hope for the instrumental version, but start counting your losses. The organic composition of Lovage is sweet and nutritious much like the lettuce it is supposedly named after (Levisiticum officinale). To the fans of U.N.K.LE, Bran Van 3000, Gorillaz, Mr.Scruff and the likes, this is just the next episode. As for the rest of you, discover, degust the delectable dish, and give in to Nathaniel Merriweather’s advice.
Entertainment News
January 25
Jega and Plastiq Phantom at Poplife. Show starts at 11 p.m. Tickets are $10 before midnight, $12 after. For info visit www.epoplife.com.
Pop punks The Suicide Machines with Poison In the Well and Catch 22 at Freeze. For ticket info call 954-771-3008.
Barbara Muze, Sandra Dohnert, and The Voz performing at the Wall Flower Gallery, 10 N.E. 3rd St. in downtown Miami, at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for each show. For info visit www.wallflowergallery.com.
January 26
Floridians for Medical Rights’ medical marijuana campaign fundraiser from 9 p.m. – 3 a.m. at Tobacco Road, 626 South Miami Ave. For info call 305-374-1198. Admission is $10.
January 29
Moulin Rouge with Nicole Kidman at the Bill Cosford Cinema. Call 305-284-4607 for info.
February 1
Bob Dylan at the National Car Rental Center. Tickets are $28.50-$42.50. Call 954-533-3309 for info.
February 3
Hard rockers Anthrax and Judas Priest at Orbit. Call 561-737-2199 for info.
February 5
Sneak preview of the action film Collateral Damage starring Arnold Schwarzenegger at the Bill Cosford Cinema. Call 305-284-4607 for info.
February 9
Bob Marley Festival with DMX, AZ, Erykah Badu, and the Marley Family at Virginia Key Beach. Tickets are $22.50. Call 305-358-5885 for info.
The Dead Kennedys without Jello Biafra at Orbit. Tickets are $16.50. Call 305-358-5885 for info.
No Good Jams with ‘Canes
The Hurricanes couldn’t do it all by themselves. To conquer the national college championship title for an outstanding fifth time, the ‘Canes needed their own fight song. They needed a track as tight and dexterous as their skills on the field to fuel them up before their big game. This track was Ballin’ Boy, a bouncing, dirty, South hip-hop party track from the Miami-based rap duo No Good.
The Hurricanes football team was so enraptured with the track that three of its players cut a unique Hurricanes version of the song with No Good. Defensive back Edward Reed, wide receiver Jason Geathers, and running back Willis “The Deuce” McGahee rapped alongside the duo for the Playa edition of the track.
As the #1 most requested song at Miami’s urban station 99 Jamz, WEDR-FM, the Ballin’ Boy Hurricanes’ name-dropping and boastings include school mascot Sebastian, the team’s repeated Eastern Championship titles, and their journey to the Rose Bowl alongside the chant “Hurricanes Ballin’ Boys/What you know ’bout the Miami boys?/What you know ’bout the Miami boys?/Hurricanes Ballin’ Boy.”
“The hook of the song, ‘we ballin’ boy,’ was easy to incorporate with sports, especially because sports are jumping on hip-hop now,” said No Good member, Tracy “T-Nasty” Latimer. “It was easy to tie in, we come from an athletic background and we love those ‘Canes.” Defensive back Edward Reed said that Ballin’ Boy grabbed the Hurricanes’ attention when they would hear it at local concerts. Soon after, a club DJ introduced the team to No Good and the players became fast friends with the rappers.
“And the next thing you know, we’re recording with them,” Reed said.
No Good regularly partied with the players at clubs around town. What surprised No Good was just how efficient the players were getting into the groove of the song.
“It’s very different to go from talking and rapping with friends to actually going into the studio to record,” said No Good member Derrick “Mr. Fatal” Hill. “Reed put a lot of power into what he wrote…it came out really good.”
With the Miami-alluding Ballin’ Boy getting spins in cities like Atlanta, Dallas, and Chicago, and members of the Hurricanes sporting their Ballin’ Boy T-shirts on ESPN’s Sportscenter in the days prior to their momentous Rose Bowl win, the pairing of the two groups meshed well.
“We love those ‘Canes, so it was a real boost for us to know that they thought that much of our song, to use it as their fight song,” T-Nasty said.
Recording a custom version of one of their songs is already standard practice for No Good, a group proud to hail from South Florida and its trademark club-bounce sound. When Florida Marlin Craig Counsell scored the winning run of the 1997 World Series, No Good’s Marlins’ version of Luke’s Raise The Roof boomed out of Pro Player Stadium’s speakers and into the homes of millions of viewers.
No Good members Mr. Fatal and T-Nasty have been working in the hip-hop music community for over a decade now. At the forefront of Miami’s innovative bass music scene, the duo released a single on Laface records titled And Then There Was Bass. No Good has opened up shows for rap impresario Uncle Luke and the late Notorious B.I.G. and has performed alongside Trick Daddy and Lil’ Kim.
The original version of Ballin’ Boy is to be the lead single off of No Good’s upcoming major-label debut album on ARTISTdirect Records, tentatively titled Game Day PBB.” Produced by renowned hip-hop producer Tony Galvin (Trina, J-Shin), the album promises to be replete with part-ready rump-shaking songs will include collaborations with Trick Daddy, JT Money, and Mr. Cheeks.
“Worst of the Supposed Best”
Every year, in what’s become an annual tradition, critics put out both their worst and best lists. It’s pretty obvious, though, that Freddy got Fingered and Tomb Raider are terrible movies. What’s more interesting are the movies that got critical acclaim but were actually quite horrible. Here is a list of five things from 2001 that were highly regarded yet turned out to be real duds.
Bob Dylan’s Love and Theft:
No other CD got more critical acclaim than this messy, garbled album from the incomprehensible, highly revered artist. It became apparent to me the crappiness of this CD in the last song, as Dylan rants, “Love is pleasing, love is teasing, love’s not an evil thing.” Sounds quite similar to a certain Beverly Hills 90210 soundtrack, but at least Vanessa Williams isn’t as pretentious as the Dylanmeister. Ugh.
Waking Life:
Please…a dizzing animated film about philosophical principles of life. The movie isn’t intelligent or smart or sophisticated or any of those things stupid critics have been proclaiming. Instead, it’s pretentious, moronic, plotless, and feels like a college bull session. All that and Ethan Hawke ranting about the meaning of life. EEK!
Amelie:
I’ve lost more friends over my hatred for this movie than anything else. I realize everybody loves it, but don’t they see that Amelie’s romanticism is a fake? I didn’t care if these two would get together basically because there was nothing keeping them apart. And why were they right for each other again? Call me a cynic, but that was life through glasses a bit too rose-colored.
The Royal Tenenbaums:
Or how bout the royal tenenBOMBS… As wonderful as Rushmore was, The Royal Tenenbaums strikes out on all accounts. Bill Murray does his best to not be Bill Murray and Gene Hackman tries his best to be Bill Murray. Worst than that is the sullen, detached tone of the entire movie. You mostly feel like a child psychologist trying to connect to a mute orphan.
Family Guy:
Critics for the most part hate this show, but some stupid kids on this college campus somehow defend this ugly, mean-spirited trite Simpsons rip off. Gag after crappy gag, the Family Guy proves that the beauty of the Simpsons is its heart, something the Family Guy has none of. Hopefully the show will be put to its rest quite soon.
The Strokes ruled Billboardlive
They came, they played… and they left. Sure, the Strokes had already conquered the audience that came to see them perform at Billboardlive well before they stepped out of their bus. Singer John Casablancas didn’t so much as utter a complete sentence without a four-letter word tucked in between, and took hold of the microphone as if he were about to fall asleep any moment.
But that’s part of the mise-en-scene that makes the Strokes all the more exciting to hear and see. The sound of their short but well-knit set, that here garnered a couple new tunes not included in their debut, but which expand their range of rhythm and melody, enraptured the packed venue.
Boys moshed close to the stage, making the security toughies frantic and overly concerned. These kids were not out to make trouble, just like the band they came to see. They body-surfed back and forth, wave after wave, and those who weren’t bouncing up and down at least banged their heads.
Anyone who’s heard a Strokes song can say that it’s a very catchy collage of 1970’s-laden punk rock. Some say it all sounds the same, but that is not precise. The fair thing to say is that each song is an angle of John Casablancas’ musical persona, and sometimes some angles seem superimposed.
But look?and listen?closer and you will notice that even his muffled voice and dejected poise are more complex than they seem. It’s a careful study in expression. He’s got IT, and doesn’t even have to try making IT in order to make his emotions come across. How many times he will be able to match this subdued energy on stage and in new compositions, is the riddle that, so far, his audience has not picked up on. But the record executives decked on the VIP lounge at Billboardlive surely staked much into whatever IT is.
We’ve heard all the naysayers claiming that the boys from the boarding school had it easy, that the collegial look and dress of the Casablancas gang is the stuff of teenage-girl morning dedication, but ask somebody sans the class-bias and jealousy, and chances are they will remark on the tightness of the group as a whole.
The guitars played by messieurs Hammond and Valensi never miss a chord, sounding full and round in tone, yielding a cascade of fast and fancy riffs. Bassist Fraiture hangs back with drummer Fabrizio Moretti and put the engine into motion so the driver, Casablancas, can careen the vehicle in fast-gear around jaw-dropping cliffs of sheer energy.
With lyrics that mix innocence, bravado and jadedness, the tunes that make up their debut album Is This It? echoed around the venue propelled by the compliant fandom present, and those who were not so familiar with the band left with at least a couple of choruses playing in their heads along with the buzz from the outrageously loud speakers.
The Strokes played all the tunes they had in about one hour and then left the stage, prompting many in their audience to ask: “Is this It”?
Brazilian drummer Moretti still managed to throw in a solo performance, sipping from and handing out a beer bottle to the audience; he then threw himself onto the throng, only to be restored back onstage and into the paws of a misguided security honcho.
Yes, that was It.
And it is up to define the elusive pronoun.
Sports Briefs
SWIMMING AND DIVING
The Miami swimming team competed at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville on Friday. The College of Charleston slipped by the men’s team, 93-89, while the UM women posted victories over North Florida, 129-97, and the College of Charleston, 132-62. Miami’s Manon Van Rooijen continued her impressive sophomore season by winning the women’s 200-yard medley (2:07.25) and the 100-yard backstroke (59.42). Her performance in the 100-yard back was just 1.84 seconds short of the Miami school record set by Amy Bosseler (57.58). Junior Elaine Schwartz won the 1000-yard freestyle (10:33.71). In the relay events, the Miami women won the 200-yard freestyle (1:39.59) and 200-yard medley (1:50.04). For the Miami men’s swim team, senior Wesley Stoddard took first in the 1000-yard freestyle (10:21.44) and 500-yard freestyle (4:49.89) while finishing second in the 200-yard medley (1:58.96). The Hurricanes next travel to Boca Raton to face Florida Atlantic on Feb. 2.
TRACK & FIELD
All-American Kareen Clarke won the triple jump with a leap of 12.91 meters (42-04.25), and women’s 4×400-meter relay finished first with a time of 3:43.30 to lead the University of Miami at the Carolina Elite Invitational in Chapel Hill, NC. Clarke, a three-time All-American and defending BIG EAST Champion, wins for the second consecutive week. Clarke won the triple jump last weekend at the Florida Intercollegiate. Clarke currently ranks No. 1 in the nation in the event. The women’s 4×400-meter relay of senior Wylleshia Myrick, junior Saraque Whittaker, senior Jenise Winston and junior Jamillah Wade provisionally qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, March 8-9, in Fayetteville, AR. In the first day of competition, freshman Lauryn Williams won the 60-meters with a school-record time of 7.35 at the Tarheel Elite Invitational. Williams, who established a school-record in winning the 55-meters last weekend at the Florida Intercollegiate, is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 60-meters. Her winning time is the fastest in the nation this year and provisionally qualifies her for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.
FOOTBALL
Hurricanes head coach Larry Coker won the Bear Bryant Award on Thursday night as the NCAA football coach of the year. In his first year, the 53-year-old led the Hurricanes to the national title. Coker is the first rookie coach to win a national title since Michigan’s Bennie Oosterbaan did it back in 1948. No rookie coach had won the Bryant award since Army’s Tom Cahill in 1966. Coker beat out Mike Bellotti of No. 2 Oregon, Gary Barnett of Colorado, Ralph Friedgen of Maryland, Frank Solich of Nebraska, Ron Turner of Illinois and Nick Saban of LSU. The award was presented by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
season.
UM wins despite poor shooting
Sometimes winning a game doesn’t necessarily equal playing the best brand of basketball.
On Saturday, the Miami Hurricanes defeated Seton Hall, 56-54, at Miami Arena despite shooting just over 30 percent from the field. The Hurricanes also struggled at the line, connecting on just 15 of 26 free throws, while turning the ball over 21 times.
Miami played an excellent game on the defensive end, however, holding the Pirates to just 35 percent shooting from the field and forcing 26 turnovers.
“Any time you get a win in the Big East, you have to be extremely happy,” UM coach Ferne Labati said. “I don’t think either team is really satisfied with the way they played, but the Big East is a struggle and every game is going to be decided by one or two points.”
For the second game in a row, Miami was led by Shaquana Wilkins off the bench. The 6-2 sophomore shot just 5-of-19 from the field, but her team-high 15 points and 11 rebounds seemed to give Miami another scoring option besides Chanivia Broussard and Meghan Saake. Wilkins’ solid play of late has also boosted her confidence level in a big way.
“I guess today wasn’t a good day for me shooting, but I never gave up and that’s really given me a lot of confidence coming into games,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins was also the only Miami player to score in double figures. Meghan Saake posted nine points for the Hurricanes, but again proved to be one of the best defensive players in the country, recording eight steals.
“Offense and defense are two different aspects of the game,” Saake said. “I know that if I’m not playing real well on offense, then I can make it up on defense.”
Both teams came out shooting blanks in the first half, which ended with Miami on top 23-20. Wilkins led the Hurricanes with seven at the break, while freshman Melissa Knight put up six. The Hurricanes shot a frigid 23 percent in the first half, however, and Labati wanted the team to make some adjustments in the final 20 minutes.
“We knew we were rushing our shots and just not playing our game in the first half, and Seton Hall was doing the same thing,” Labati said. “We told our kids to power the ball inside and go to the free throw line, and I think they did a great job at really looking into the interior and we got to the foul line as well.”
The Hurricanes travel to Queens, New York today to get ready for their 7:30 game tommorow night at St. Johns. The Red Storm have been one of the Big East’s doormats in recent years, but Labati is still expecting another tough game.
“We’ve got to be ready to play at St. John’s,” Labati said. “When you’re on the road, you have to be more focused and you have to play better than you do at home.”
Another Close Call
What appeared to be a bland game on paper, was instead one highlighted by several clutch shots and late game heroics, as the Hurricanes defeated the Providence Friars, 102-96 in overtime on Saturday at Miami Arena.
It was also the breakout game for sophomore phenom Darius Rice, who scored a season high 32 points. He was Miami’s answer for the Friars’ hot shooting, carrying the offensive load in the first half. He scored 20 of Miami’s 37 first half points and at one point scored 13 straight.
“I was just focused,” said Rice, who finished 13-of-17 in the game, including 6-8 from three-point range. “The team did a great job of finding me in the open spots and they just kept hitting me.”
With the score 86-86 and five seconds left in the game, Rice made an open three-pointer from a feed by John Salmons. Then with a second left in the game, Abdul Mills threw up an off-balanced shot that somehow managed to go in for the Friars.
The Hurricanes were about to endure their second straight overtime game.
“After Darius hit the three, we wanted to get back and contain the basketball,” UM coach Perry Clark said. “[Abdul Mills] hit a very very difficult shot and that is the way it goes sometimes.”
The Hurricanes began the overtime with an emphatic dunk by Rice off a missed shot by Marcus Barnes. From then on, Miami never looked back and went on a 7-2 run. With 23 seconds left to go, Michael Simmons sealed the game by making both of his free throws and increasing the Hurricanes lead to four.
The Friars (10-9, 1-4 in the Big East) shot the ball extremely well throughout the game, shooting 49 percent from the field and converting on 14-of-31 shots from behind the arc.
“The reason why they struggled before was that they had not made a lot of their three-point shots,” Clark said. “And I was fearful coming in that sooner or later they would get off that streak, and it happened in the first half.”
The Friars led 48-37 after the first half of play, but the Hurricanes (17-2, 4-2) came storming out in the second half, going on an 18-8 run. It was the result of a stingy defense that did not allow the Friars much room to work.
On the offensive side, Elton Tyler made a series of shots inside the paint while Rice continued his hot perimeter shooting. Two minutes into the half, James Jones made a three-pointer to give the Hurricanes a 59-56 lead.
“We came out and played hard, pressured the ball, got some easy looks and knocked them down,” said Salmons, who scored 23 points. “It all started with our defense.”
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Friars broke through the Hurricane defense and made several three-pointers and lay-ups to regain the lead.
Ryan Gomes was instrumental in the Friars comeback, creating second chance opportunities, battling for rebounds, and making open shots.
Nevertheless, the Hurricanes kept responding with a high-powered offense of their own. Salmons made key shots inside the paint, while Jones and Rice hit outside shots to keep the Hurricanes within striking distance.
“Certainly, we are excited about the victory. I think it will give us momentum,” Clark said. “But it will only get harder.”
The Hurricanes continue their homestand against Villanova (10-4, 3-2) on Thursday night.