Hurricanes
UM freshman Lonnie Walker takes to social media to assure fans his knee is OK.
CORAL GABLES — University of Miami freshman guard Lonnie Walker told everyone he was all right in a tweet that followed an early exit against Middle Tennessee State on Monday night after an injury to his left knee.
Now we’ve heard it from his coach, too.
Jim Larranaga assured reporters Thursday that Walker will be “100 percent this weekend” as the 15th-ranked UM men’s basketball team (12-1) kicks off its ACC schedule at Pittsburgh on Saturday.
“Lonnie is fine. I was just extra cautious the other night,” Larranaga said after his McDonald’s All-American sixth man played just five minutes and didn’t return. “He could’ve played in the second half, but I wanted our doctors to look at him to be sure there wasn’t going to be any issue. He was examined [Wednesday], and he’s been given a clean bill of health.”
Walker, the Hurricanes’ fifth-leading scorer at 8.5 points per game and a potential lottery pick, was able to limp off the court Monday night after apparently hurting his left knee — not the one he had surgery on in July — as he landed awkwardly after leaping for a pass. UM ended up winning the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.
“I’m all good everyone,” he tweeted later Monday night. “Now it’s time for ACC.”
Walker participated in Thursday’s practice, and Larranaga said he will play Saturday. It’s the third injury scare the prized freshman has had with UM.
Walker twisted his left ankle last month in a win against Florida A&M on Nov. 16, but didn’t miss any time as he was on the floor for the Hurricanes’ next game against La Salle in his hometown of Reading, Pa.
He also tore the meniscus in his right knee during his fourth summer workout with the Hurricanes in July, but had surgery and was available for UM’s opener.
Earlier this month, Walker earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors after a 26-point, seven-rebound (both career highs) performance against Boston University in his lone collegiate start.
Senior point guard Ja’Quan Newton believes Sunday’s loss to New Mexico State and the ensuing double-digit deficit the team had to erase to beat MTSU will ultimately work as a positive as the Hurricanes get going in the Atlantic Coast Confernece.
“Every team can’t go undefeated. When we lost, we took it as a learning experience, and just wanted to bounce back from it,” said Newton, who enters Sunday 16 points shy of 1,000 for his career. “For us to battle back like that and stay poised, I think it’ll really get us ready for conference play.”
Larranaga said Thursday that he wants to see sophomore guard Bruce Brown, who is averaging 11.1 points on 43 percent shooting, play more aggressively on offense.
“We thought Bruce was playing way too conservatively, and we let him know that at halftime of the New Mexico State game. He came out, was on the attack, made some buckets, got himself going,” Larranaga said. “I think he’s in a good position now mentally.”
Forward Dewan Huell, the other prized sophomore Larranaga coaches, has seen a major uptick in scoring this season, from 5.8 points per game as a freshman to now leading the team at 13.9.
“I think he is much more confident in his scoring ability,” Larranaga said. “I’d like to see him rebound more because I know he’s very capable of that.”
Larranaga added that keeping opponents off the offensive glass will be a focus moving forward, after surrendering 14 offensive rebounds against New Mexico State and 15 secondchance points against Middle Tennessee State.
UM has three of its first four ACC games on the road, going to Georgia Tech on Wednesday, returning home Jan. 7 for Florida State and then playing at Clemson on Jan. 13.