UM guard Chris Lykes turning pro. Isaiah Wong weighs options, transfer portal explodes
University of Miami men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga, calling the transfer portal “the Wild, Wild West,” revealed on Thursday what he knows so far about the Hurricanes’ plans for next season.
“There are over 800 Division I players in the transfer portal and every Division I head coach and assistant are visiting that portal every day, some to find out who you might recruit and some to find out if your player just left you,” Larranaga said with a chuckle. “We anticipated this happening. We’ve had a number of our guys announce and others in wait-and-see mode.”
Chris Lykes, who missed all but the first few games of his senior season with a sprained ankle, is turning pro rather than using an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA to all players due to the pandemic.
“Does that mean he will be in the NBA or Europe next year? I don’t think he knows yet,” Larranaga said. “He’s going to visit with some agents and then in a few weeks make some decision about his future. I’ve had multiple conversations with him.”
Lykes, a 5-7 point guard who was voted preseason All-ACC before his injury, is being advised by “people back in Washington, D.C., who he trusts that are guiding him through this process,” Larranaga said.
Asked for his opinion on Lykes’ NBA potential, Larranaga said each NBA team has its own criteria.
“My opinion is Chris had a heck of a three-year career here. Unfortunately, he was not able to complete that run. Had he played this year, he probably would have graduated as the fifth-leading scorer in school history. I don’t know how to anticipate what prospects he might have.”
Larranaga said Lykes was not interested in returning. “Chris is going to be very excited when he gets his degree. He would not have been that excited about having to try for another degree. He’s a basketball player. He loves being on the court and competing, and he told me, `Hey, I want to make as much money as I can at this.’ Basketball careers are often cut short by injuries. And he’s had his share. In his mind, ‘Hey, I’ve accomplished all I want to in college, I want to accomplish some things as a professional athlete.’”
Sam Waardenburg, who will earn a master’s degree this summer, will return for a sixth season. Larranaga is “absolutely thrilled” about that. “He’ll be my second sixth-year player,” the coach said. “My last one was Julian Gamble and his sixth year he led us to the ACC regular-season and tournament championship. We’re very, very excited and happy to have Sam back.”
The coach said Waardenburg should be lauded for his commitment to the Hurricanes and education, “we’re not likely to see a lot of that in the future.”
Seniors Nysier Brooks, Deng Gak, Rodney Miller are weighing their options. Elijah Olaniyi, who transferred to UM from Stony Brook last season, plans to transfer or turn pro. Kam McGusty is exploring NBA possibilities, but left open the option of returning.
Sophomore Isaiah Wong, UM’s leading scorer this season, is entering paperwork to the NBA Advisory Committee and will make a decision based on their evaluation of his readiness for the league. Larranaga said he expects Anthony Walker and Harlond Beverly to return, along with Wong if the NBA recommends that he get more college experience.
Larranaga said he and his staff are scanning the transfer portal every day. He had good success with transfers in the past. Shane Larkin, Kenny Kadji, Angel Rodriguez, Sheldon McClellan, McGusty, Olaniyi and Brooks were all transfers.
“Looking at it from a historical point of view, the culture has completely changed,” Larranaga said. “Almost every college basketball player, I don’t care what level — low-major, mid-major, high-major — the main goal is to get to the NBA and I think that’s tragic. I think you should go to college to get your degree and if an opportunity comes along that you can’t pass up, then go for it.
“But right now, with NCAA rules changing from having to sit out a year to being eligible right away, kids are going to look at the transfer portal as their vehicle for success. In their minds the grass is greener somewhere else, but as we all know, in life, that’s not always true.”
Both UM freshmen this year transferred, Matt Cross to Louisville, Earl Timberlake is still deciding.
Larranaga lamented the days when programs would bring in freshmen, they would sit on the bench and develop and then start. “Now, it’s come in as a freshman, play right away, prove you’re good enough for the NBA, submit your name to NBA Draft and go pro. Some kids are going straight from high school to the G League. So, education has taken a back seat.”