Mario Cristobal on Canes’ Elite Eight run: The ‘world’s better when Miami’s kicking’ butt
Mario Cristobal has been in a good mood most days since he took over as the Miami Hurricanes’ coach late last year. He’s at his alma mater, recruiting like crazy, and soaking in the excitement of a fan base and group of alumni itching for Miami to get back to its glory days.
He also now has an Elite Eight men’s basketball team to get excited about, and he and his players are feeding off its energy, he said.
“The whole world’s better when Miami’s kicking [expletive],” the coach said. “The juice, the energy is incredible and it affects everybody. It affects our players. Our players are talking about it nonstop. It brings everybody together, so we’re super happy for those guys, proud to be a member of this university, always proud to be a Cane. I’m looking forward to them maintaining and keeping that streak going.”
It wound up being a good weekend to be a Hurricane and Saturday, Cristobal said, felt like a throwback to the days when he was playing in Coral Gables and the sidelines at Greentree Practice Fields were lined with luminaries like Ray Mancini and Marvin Hagler, only instead of boxers there were championship-winning coaches.
Cristobal hosted his first coaches clinic at Miami this weekend and Sean McVay, Ed Orgeron and, of course, Jimmy Johnson were all in attendance for the Hurricanes’ sixth practice of the spring Saturday.
McVay, who just coached the Los Angeles Rams to their second Super Bowl last month, spoke to the team after practice and Cristobal said he had some “wise words ... that really hit home.”
“He was cool. Some of the words he had to share with us — he was pretty inspiring,” quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said without diving into too many specifics about the coach’s message. “Coming off a Super Bowl, he knows how to get it done, so it’s coll to hear from him.”
Said Cristobal: “He felt there was some real special stuff going on out there.”
As important as the speakers are to the clinic, Cristobal spoke just as glowingly about the high school coaches who came out to attend. More than 200 were in attendance and Cristobal viewed it as an important step to building local relationships.
When the Hurricanes hosted their junior day in January, Miami’s staff was still far from complete, so this was the first real chance for the completed staff to interact with South Florida high school coaches in one place.
“You want to be able to build trust in people and confidence, and the only way someone can trust you is if they know you and the only way they can know you is if you spend time with them, you invest time in them, so for us -- we want to make sure that we invest in them and their programs, help their programs get better,” Cristobal said. “If we can provide a drill, if we can provide a format, if we can provide a regimen, whether it be strength and conditioning or a couple wise words from a Sean McVay or a Jimmy Johnson — all this stuff is really important.”
Cristobal, 51, knows he can keep learning, too. He’ll take away some tidbits from this weekend — both because of what’s happening around the football program and what he’s watching the basketball team do.
When he was coaching the Oregon Ducks, Cristobal liked to go watch the basketball teams practice, so he could see how Dana Altman coached the men and Kelly Graves the women. Although he didn’t have time to get out to any basketball practices this season, Cristobal wants to learn from Jim Larranaga, too.
After all, there aren’t many people better at winning big games than the 72-year-old coach.
“I learn from everybody. His experiences, success—without a doubt,” Cristobal said. “I love watching coaches teach. You always pick up something.”
Mallory expected back for season
Although Will Mallory will miss the rest of spring practice with a shoulder injury, Cristobal said he expects the tight end to be back for the regular season, although he declined to give any specific timetable for Mallory’s return.
“When we play this season,” the coach said, “he’ll be playing with us.”
Mallory, who’s about to be a fifth-year senior, left practice with an injury Tuesday and wore a sling on his arm at practice Thursday.
Last season, Mallory set career marks with 30 catches for 347 yards, and tied a career high with four touchdowns. He’s Miami’s second most productive returning receiver and poised to be a full-time starter for the second straight season, assuming he’s healthy.
