Longtime friends looking to lead new-look ’Canes

CORAL GABLES — The idea was brewing, Dewan Her nandez said, for a while.

As he watched his former Miami Norland teammate Zach Johnson go through his junior season at Florida Gulf Coast, Hernandez couldn’t help but wonder what it might take to lure Johnson back to his hometown where he could join Hernandez in Coral Gables and the two could play — together — for their hometown Hurricanes.

Whatever pitch Hernandez made to his friend worked.

Once Johnson graduated from Florida Gulf Coast and began thinking about where could play as a graduate transfer, Miami — which was in need of a scoring boost after Lonnie Walker IV and Bruce Brown departed for the NBA — seemed like a natural fit.

He transferred, joined the Hurricanes and now, with Miami set to start a new season Friday against Lehigh, Hernandez, Johnson and Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga couldn’t be more excited about Johnson’s decision to return to South Florida.

“I don’t know if he knows this, but I think I’m the reason he transferred,” joked Hernandez, who tested the NBA waters himself before deciding to return to Miami for his junior year. “I put it in his head. He graduated and I was like, ‘Hmm. Let me see if I can get this done. Let me get him over here.’ ”

Responded Johnson with a laugh, “That’s my son. Definitely my son. But just playing with him, knowing where somebody’s going to be, having a feel for somebody already and having played with somebody before, you don’t really get that opportunity in college. A lot of people don’t get to play with their high school teammate. It’s a unique situation. We’re taking advantage every day.”

Now, the Hurricanes — who are coming off a 22-10 season last year and will be bidding for their fourth straight NCAA Tournament

berth — are hoping to take advantage, too.

Johnson was Florida Gulf Coast’s second-leading scorer last season, averaging 16.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. He earned a spot on the All-ASUN first team and became just the third junior to join the school’s 1,000-point scoring club. He left the Eagles program as their fourth all-time leading scorer and now, at Miami, he’ll give the Hurricanes some much-needed scoring help.

Hernandez, who changed his name to honor his mother after playing as Dewan Huell last season, is hoping to do the same.

After meeting with a handful of NBA teams, including the Heat, and going through the draft process, Hernandez returns to Coral Gables as Miami’s leading returning scorer. He averaged 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds during a season in which he started all 32 of Miami’s games, notched his first five collegiate doubledoubles, and scored in double figures 20 times.

Along with Hernandez and Johnson, the Hurricanes’ rotation includes guards Dejan Vasiljevic, Chris Lykes and Anthony Lawrence, who all return and Wyoming transfer Anthony Mack. Forward Deng Gak, who redshirted last season, is also expected to contribute as Miami tries to defy expectations after being picked to finish 10th in the ACC.

“We’re going to have what I would call seven starters,” Larrañaga said. “If you look at Chris Lykes, DJ Vasiljevic, Anthony Lawrence, Dewan Hernandez, Ebuka Izundu, Sam Waardenburg and Zach Johnson, every one of them is capable of starting, depending on our matchup and our game plan. So, Zach is going to be a major contributor.

“I think we have very good balance.”

ERIC ESPADA/GETTY After weighing his NBA options, forward Dewan Hernandez decided to return to Miami — and he encouraged his former high school teammate Zach Johnson, a transfer from Florida Gulf Coast, to join him in Coral Gables.