Kameron McGusty worth the wait as Miami men’s basketball rolls over Quinnipiac

The Miami Hurricanes had to wait one year for Kameron McGusty and 20 minutes of game action for Dejan Vasiljevic.

Pretty soon, their wait for Keith Stone will also be over.

All of that was the upshot of Miami’s 80-52 win over visiting Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon.

Miami (3-1), which won its third consecutive game after getting routed by Louisville, got a career-high-tying 22 points from McGusty, a 6-5 junior shooting guard who sat out last season after transferring from Oklahoma.

Vasiljevic had 17 points and a career-high-tying 10 rebounds. But he went 0-for-5 in his second scoreless first half of the season.

Stone, a 6-8, 245-pound graduate transfer from the Florida Gators, has been cleared to practice in full, starting on Monday.

“That’s the best news we got this week,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said of Stone. “He hasn’t played since [ACL] surgery in January, and he will need to get up to speed and go through some practices.

“He’s a stretch four who can shoot three-pointers but with a huge body. He’s a good defender who moves his feet well.”

Miami could’ve used Stone early on Saturday as the Canes made just 1-of-11 three-pointers in the first half. The Canes grabbed their first lead at 12-11 and never trailed again, taking a 29-24 advantage into the break.

Vasiljevic, a senior who led the ACC in three-point shooting percentage as a sophomore, said he wasn’t worried after his scoreless half.

“I don’t think about anything — those 20 minutes are over with,” Vasiljevic said about his mind-set at halftime. “I just went back out thinking that the next shot was going to go in.”

That was exactly what happened as Miami’s 8-0 run to start the second half featured two Vasiljevic buckets — a three-pointer and a layup.

Vasiljevic finished the game shooting 4-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-9 on three-pointers.

Larranaga said he had a good idea what ailed Vasiljevic in the first half.

“In our scouting report, we told him that [Qunnipiac] zones a lot,” Larranaga said. “He puts a lot of pressure on himself to be the zone buster. He wants to break up the zone with a lot of three-pointers.”

Vasiljevic admitted he was putting too much pressure on himself.

“I told the guys we were playing too tense,” he said. “We weren’t having fun in the first half. We needed to relax, and that’s when we started making shots.”

With Vasiljevic finally heated up, Miami made 11-of-15 on three-pointers in the second half.

McGusty, who shot 7-of-11, including 4-of-6 on three-pointers, on Saturday, said he spent the year away from game action dedicated to honing his game.

Larranaga said Miami assistant coach Chris Caputo worked with McGusty on three-pointers on a daily basis.

“I stayed in the weight room and also working on my jumper and my playmaking,” said McGusty, who also scored 22 points against Kansas while with the Sooners. “I bonded with my teammates, and I got in better condition. I can see improvements.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Miami center Nysier Brooks’s mother, Monique Brooks, passed away on Wednesday.

Brooks, who is sitting out this season after transferring from the University of Cincinnati, was with the team on Saturday after flying home to Philadelphia.

“When he led us know there was a chance she was going to pass, he flew up to Philly to be with her,” Larranaga said. “He knows this is his family as well, and he will get a lot of support from us.”

Added McGusty: “That [loss of Brooks’ mom] was very tough. … We’re a close group. He knows that anytime he needs to reach out he can. I’m praying for him and hoping for the best.”

▪ Vasiljevic on Stone: “I recruited him. I told him to come and have a good run with us, and he decided to come.”