Caputo, Martin coming ‘home’ for Orange Bowl Basketball Classic
George Washington University coach Chris Caputo recently texted his Massachusetts counterpart Frank Martin.
“Whoever brings the most Cuban fans to the game,” Caputo wrote of Saturday’s Orange Bowl Basketball Classic doubleheader, “gets a bonus.”
Martin, a Cuban-American and Miami High graduate, would seem to be the favorite in terms of drawing fans/friends. But don’t discount Caputo, who was Jim Larranaga’s associate head coach for 11 years during their great Miami Hurricanes run.
Saturday’s doubleheader starts at noon with Florida State against Massachusetts. That will be followed by George Washington against 18th-ranked Florida.
Caputo is coming off a 21-13 record in 2024-2025, which was George Washington’s best record in nine years.
Now in his fourth season at GWU, Caputo’s team is set to arrive in Miami at 5 p.m.
What is one of the first things Caputo will do upon arrival?
“I’m going to have some Cuban coffee,” Caputo said in a phone interview with The Herald.
Caputo’s love for Miami is so great that he and his family – wife Julie and their Miami-native daughters Lily 11; and Charlotte, 6 – will stay an extra day in the city so that they can visit a multitude of friends they left behind when they left for the job in Washington D.C.
Unfortunately for Caputo, his former boss Larranaga will not be at Saturday’s game because he will be at George Mason as that school celebrates the 20th-year anniversary of their shocking run to the Final Four.
Caputo was also on that staff, but he will be busy wrestling some (basketball) Gators on Saturday.
This will be Caputo’s first Orange Bowl Classic as a head coach.
“It’s exciting because of my great memories in Miami,” Caputo said. “But the idea that we will be playing the reigning national champs (Florida) is going to be great for our players to challenge themselves.”
Here’s a closer look at the four teams set to play the OBC on Saturday:
Florida: The Gators have been an ascending program in their three completed seasons under coach Todd Golden, going from a 16-17 record to 24-12 to 36-4 and last season’s national title.
This season, the Gators (5-4) have played a rugged schedule with three of their four losses coming against teams ranked among the nation’s top-15 at the time. In fact, Florida has lost two straight games – to No. 4 Duke and to No. 5 Connecticut. Florida’s four losses are by a combined total of just 15 points.
Players to watch for Florida this season include 6-9 forward Thomas Haugh, who is a projected 2026 first-round pick; 6-11 forward Alex Condon, a possible selection late in the first round; and 6-2 guard Boogie Fland, who transferred in from Arkansas and could be a second-round choice.
The Gators also have high hopes for Alex Lloyd, a 6-3 freshman guard from Westminster Academy. He averaged 27.9 points as a senior.
George Washington: The Revolutionaries (8-3) are coming off a disappointing 70-58 loss to Delaware on Wednesday, and they haven’t faced anyone nearly as talented as Florida.
A GWU player to watch is 6-11, 220-pound center Rafael Castro, who is of Dominican Republic ancestry. In fact, his father played minor-league baseball. Rafael clearly outgrew baseball, but he led GWU last year in points (14.0), rebounds (8.9) and blocks (1.4) while shooting 66 percent from the floor. He made the Atlantic 10’s All-Defense team and also second-team all-league.
Florida State: The Seminoles (5-4) have lost three straight games in their first year under coach Luke Loucks. Those three losses – to Texas A&M, Georgia and Houston – were by a combined total of 85 points.
FSU players to watch include 6-10 forward/Clemson transfer Chauncey Wiggins along with guards Lajae Jones; Robert McCray V; and Kobe MaGee. In fact, Jones had a 36-point game this season against Georgia Southern during which he tied a program record with 10 3-pointers.
The good news for FSU’s future is that Loucks’ first full recruiting class is ranked 19th in the nation by ESPN. That 2026 class includes Chaminade point guard Jasen Lopez; 6-8 Calvary Christian forward Collin Paul; and 6-11, 330-pound center/potential game-changer Marcis Ponder.
Massachusetts: The Minutemen (7-3) are coming off a 76-74 win over Boston College on Wednesday. Massachusetts led that game by 14 points in the second half before a late Boston College rally made it close.
The Minutemen are led by two transfers: 6-2 guard Marcus Banks Jr. and 6-8 forward Leonardo Battiol. Banks scored 29 points against Boston College, including two game-winning free throws with 4.6 seconds left.
Martin, who is in his fourth year as Massachusetts’ coach, has led eight teams to 20-win seasons. He also led South Carolina to the NCAA Final Four in 2017.
Last season, however, U-Mass finished 12-20, and the Minutemen are looking for a turnaround. Martin brought in 10 new players this season, including freshman forward Dwayne Wimbley Jr., who led St. Thomas Aquinas to the 2025 state championship, ending a 24-year drought.