Hurricanes
Injured guard still hoping there’s glory ahead this month.
Bruce Brown
NEW YORK — describes his game as “a little
bit of everything.”
He slashes to the basket and
shoots it from distance. He cre
ates for his teammates and crashes the glass. He defends anyone in his path, often after hitting them with a stare, a devilish grin and some “come and get it” clapping.
Five weeks ago, a stress fracture in his left foot turned Miami’s best all-around player into its best volunteer assistant coach. He’s doing well at his new gig, thanks to the competitive fire that made him one of the ACC’s brightest stars.
“It’s great because we’re winning,” he said Tuesday, as the Hurricanes practiced at a Manhat-
tan prep school in advance of the ACC Tournament. “I really want to be out there. I’m happy for them. They’re playing extremely well. I’m just trying to give them the knowledge I see from the sideline. I try to put them in the right positions.”
During a recent game, he noticed Lonnie Walker was driving into the defense, when a pass to the wing would be a better option. After Brown chatted with him on the bench, “he came down, he hit the pass, found an open three,” Brown said. “Next time, he had an open layup.”
At this rate, Miami’s real coach might hand him a clipboard.
“We’re only going on this run because he’s the coach now,” Jim Larranaga said.
He was kidding, even though without Brown, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound combo guard from Boston, the Hurricanes have won four in a row and seven of their last 10. Brown, who last played Jan. 27 at Florida State, hopes he doesn’t have to coach much longer.
The Hurricanes play Thursday night at Barclays Center against the winner of today’s North Carolina-Syracuse/Wake Forest game. They hope to stay in Brooklyn long enough to lift their second ACC title, and first since 2013. They’ll learn their NCAA Tournament destination Sunday.
On Monday, doctors will take another look at Brown’s foot. He hopes they’ll clear him for the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. According to NCAA rules
“It feels fine,” said Brown, changed in 2016, college speaking for the first time underclassmen can declare since suffering his injury. for the draft, work out for “It looks good. It’s healing. teams, and return to school. Hoping it’ll heal fast enough Brown, a NBA prospect since to get back for March. the day he walked on cam
“I’m going to come back pus, said he “[hasn’t] even 100 percent.” thought about it.
The injury happened in “I’m going to wait until the practice one day before season’s over and see where Miami hosted Pittsburgh. things are at,” he said. “I’ve “I didn’t really feel it. I didn’t got a lot of time.” know,” he said. “It just felt Last March, Brown felt his weird one time in pracgame had holes. After the tice when I came down. I season, he took Larranaga’s thought it was going to be a advice to stay in school. After little check-up, you’ll miss a 19 games this year, he was practice and be back.” leading UM in rebounding (7.1
Surgeons inserted a pin to per game) and assists (4.0) fix a crack in his fifth metaand was second in scoring tarsal, on the side of his foot. (11.4). ESPN this week rated He won’t need another proce- him as the 26th-best draft-eldure to remove it. He’ll wear igible prospect (Walker, his a small insert in his shoe. freshman teammate, was
He’ll take that over the 13th). NBADraft.net’s most walking cast he has worn recent mock draft had him for five weeks. He removes it 32nd overall. only when he sleeps, showAssuming he is healthy, ers and swims for fitness. He does he feel like his game rides a stationary bike and is where it needs to be to lifts weights. He can shoot, explore the process? but only if he pushes off the “If the coaches think I’ve right side. made the right strides, then I
He said he “definitely” feels think I should take that turn,” good enough to go, but he’ll he said. “But we’ll see. Nothtrust UM’s medical staff. Sim- ing’s set in stone yet.” ilarly, when it comes to his future, he leans on Miami’s coaching staff.