Canes’ Restrepo plays for late teammate
University of Miami freshman slot receiver Xavier Restrepo is just one of those young men who trains with intensity, plays with intensity and has a heart full of intense pride and passion.
So it’s no surprise that the 5-10, 190-pound Restrepo, a versatile, highly successful player on both sides of the ball when he played for the Deerfield Beach Bucks, asked Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz
if he could change his jersey number from 80 to 7 to honor his former Bucks teammate Bryce Gowdy.
Gowdy, 17, a talented, well loved player who was about to start his college football career on a full scholarship with Georgia Tech, died in late December when he was hit by a freight train. His death was ruled a suicide by the medical examiner.
“How important was it for you to be able to wear No. 7 for Bryce?’’ Restrepo was asked Wednesday during Zoom interviews.
Restrepo explained that when he broached the subject of changing his jersey number to Diaz, the coach didn’t acquiesce immediately.
He said he was told “all camp by Coach Diaz, ‘Just work, just work. We’re not going to talk about numbers now.’ I just took that into consideration and just took that as motivation,’’ Restrepo said. “Just worked my tail off and Coach Diaz blessed me with having the opportunity to represent my brother up in heaven. And that’s just a true blessing.
“I told Coach Diaz, ‘I’m not going to let him down, because that’s a true blessing to represent one of my fallen soldiers.’ ’’
Restrepo has played in two of eighth-ranked UM’s three games this season, and returned a punt 8 yards in UM’s 52-10 victory Saturday against Florida State, as well as registering a tackle on special teams.
The Canes (3-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) are off this weekend and next face No. 1 Clemson (2-0, 1-0) on Oct. 10 in Clemson, South Carolina.
DIAZ LOVES HEAT
It’s no secret Canes coach Diaz is a huge Miami Heat fan.
So, naturally, he’s ecstatic the Heat advanced to the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time since 2014.
He just wishes that former Heat star and current Lakers star LeBron James could face all the crazy Heat fans up close and personal at the AmericanAirlines Arena in downtown Miami — instead of just on TV at the bubble in Orlando because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The only thing that breaks my heart is that we don’t have LeBron coming down and the Lakers coming down to this arena for a home game with this place packed,’’ Diaz said Monday in an interview with WQAM. “I promise you, that would be an uncomfortable place for the L.A. Lakers. They got a great team, but man, if we could get them on Biscayne Boulevard, wouldn’t that be something?”
WQAM host Joe Rose asked Diaz what he sees in Heat coach Erik Spoelstra’s team besides their winning.
“You see how connected they are,’’ Diaz said. “And if you listen to Spo, and it’s been a great inspiration to us, they have a great respect for how hard it is to win. And they talk about it all the time.
“It is hard to win a game. It is hard to win any game in the playoffs. It’s certainly hard to win the fourth game in the playoffs and finish somebody off. Now to win three consecutive series and earn the right to go to the NBA Finals — selflessness.”