’Canes cool Blue Devils
But after scoring 25 for UM in upset, is Brown a one-and-done player?
CORALGABLES— When Jim Larrañaga recruited Bruce Brown, it went nowhere. Larrañaga called. Brown didn’t answer. Larrañaga texted. Brown didn’t answer. This continued for months until Brown was scratched off Miami’s wish list. Then Larrañaga’s phone rang. “Are you coming to see me?” Brown asked.
“Why?” Larrañaga said. “Bruce, you never returned a call or text.”
“That’s not important,” Brown said.
Here’s whatwas important Saturday: Brown scored 25 points in Miami’s 55-50 win against No. 10 Duke. Brown was the one player Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski couldn’t contain.
Whatwas important is Brown was the best player on the court in a nationally televised game against possibly four one-and-done Duke freshmen, if you believe the early NBA mock drafts.
So the question Saturday wasn’t if Miami, 20-8, is in the NCAA Tournament. That’s decided. They’re not only in, they’re rising. The question that could make Miami fans groan is
whether Brown has emerged as Miami’s first one-and-done possibility.
He’s 6-5. He’s a point guard. He runs the offense, attacks the defense, rebounds, passes and, when Miami needed a basket to hold off Duke, typically came up with the play.
Is he ready for theNBA? Is any freshman?
This is all you need to knowabout his game: Miami led 39-32 in the second half when Brownwent to the bench for a rest. The rest lasted 84 seconds. Duke had cut Miami’s lead to 39-38.
Back came Brown to assist on a Ja’QuanNewton layup. Then he cut backdoor for a dunk to stretch Miami’s lead to 43-39. Then hewaded through traffic to get a defensive rebound. It was SeniorNight at Miami, but the freshman put his signature on the day.
“He scored half their points,” said Krzyzewski, whowas barely rounding up. “They had a great game, and he scored the most for them. And the defense wasn’t bad. He made tough plays.”
Krzyzewski pointed out that Dukewas hurting with Grayson Allen out with an ankle injury and forward Amile Jefferson struggling through a foot problem. That’s valid. Aswas Krzyzewski’s next comment.
“The most important games will be played in a couple ofweeks,” he said. “We’re going to be there. Wherever there is, we’re there. We’ll be one of those teams that start 0-0.
“There are three times in the year you start 0-0. The start of the season. The start of conference play. And the start of the [NCAA Tournament]. We’ll be one of those teams in it. Miami will be one of them, too.”
Part of the intrigue to Saturday remains Duke is college basketball royalty and Miami isn’t. It’s building. It’s laying a foundation. It’s somehowstill not ranked this year despite having the portfolio to merit that.
Beating rankedVirginia and Duke in the sameweek is a nice step for this team. Consecutive trips to the tournamentwould be a progressive step for this program.
Whatwould having a one-and-done player mean? This is a college basketball conundrum. Krzyzewskiw rest led with its minimalist statement on his game until finally accepting it.
Miami never had a player enter this conversation before Brown. Shane Larkinwas a sophomore when he rocketed into the NBA discussion. Brown is coming on as his first year closes. He had 30 points againstNorth Carolina. Nowthis day against Duke.
“I’ve been playing in big-time gamesmy whole life in AAUand high school,” he said. “I play the same way I play every game.”
A year ago, Brown did visit Larrañaga on a recruiting trip. It turned out he hadn’t returned any early messages fromany coach recruiting him. And by Saturday hewas the central part of Miami’s upset of Duke.
“I think this game is pretty much indicative of games in our conference,” Krzyzewski said. “Acouple of plays here or there. It was a performance by Brown. Something that separates you like that is all you need.”
The biggest games remain. But the big question ismoving into the realm of possibility: Could Brown be Miami’s first one-and-done freshman?