Transfers Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier stand out as UM beats Lafayette 67-54 in opener
Eager for something to cheer about as the football team is in a funk, a larger-than-usual student contingent showed up at the Watsco Center Monday night and helped energize the University of Miami men’s basketball team as it pulled ahead late to beat Lafayette 67-54 in the season opener.
The night began with the unveiling of the 2022 Elite Eight banner, conjuring up memories of the Hurricanes’ surprise NCAA Tournament run last spring. Once the game began, it was clear this team has work to do to reach elite status, but there were plenty of promising performances to give fans reason for optimism.
The stands behind both baskets were packed with 1,505 students, who made up more than a quarter of the crowd, and by the end of the game they were chanting “It’s great! To Be! A Miami Hurricane!”
It was not an easy night for the Hurricanes, who won 26 games last season and were picked No. 4 in the ACC preseason poll.
They trailed the Leopards by two at halftime but started the second half with a 10-0 run and never trailed again. Lafayette kept it close, packing the paint and daring the Hurricanes to shoot from outside. The game was tied at 43 with 10 minutes to go, Miami led by just four with five minutes to go but came up big in the final minutes.
Returning UM guard Isaiah Wong, a first-team preseason All-ACC pick, and guard Nijel Pack, who transferred from Kansas State, each scored 16 points. Pack made four three-pointers.
Another newcomer who made his presence immediately felt was Norchad Omier, the 6-7 and 250-pound forward who transferred from Arkansas State, where he was named Sun Belt Player of the Year. Omier, the first Nicaraguan to play Division I basketball, dominated the boards with his energy and physicality.
He had 10 rebounds by halftime and finished with a game-high 15 rebounds to go with 11 points in 34 minutes. It was the first 15-rebound game by a Hurricane since December 2020.
“He’s a monster,” said guard Isaiah Wong. “The way he played, I was surprised. The way he jumped is crazy, to get all the rebounds. I saw at half he had 10 rebounds. I’ve never seen that in my four years here. The way he was doing it in the other conference, it’s an honor being with him. He helps us a lot. He’s just a monster.”
Omier had trouble finding his shot in the first half, going 0-for-4 from the floor and 1-for-4 from the free throw line. Larranaga pulled him aside in the locker room at halftime and told him to have more fun. Omier took the coach’s advice. He made his first two free throws after intermission to tie the game 30-30 and then made a reverse layup to give UM a 32-30 lead.
“I was not nervous, but it was a new atmosphere, I wanted to do everything right, so I put pressure on myself, and I really didn’t have to do that,” Omier said. “Coach L pulled me aside, told me to just have fun, and everything felt better after that. He gave me that confidence.”
Larranaga gave credit to Lafayette for having a good game plan. “They’re extremely well-coached, disciplined and organized,” he said. “They were not interested in running up and down with us. They didn’t want to score 80. They wanted to beat us 60-55. I give our players credit because our practices are more up and down.”
UM shot just 29 percent from the floor and 17 percent (1-of-6) from the free throw line in the first half.
“When we had some golden opportunities to score, we missed,” Larranaga said. “At halftime I told them we needed to calm down a little bit. I told Norchad he needed to have more fun. In the second half, we did a much better job. I give credit to all the guys.”
One of the biggest plays during the 10-0 run early in the second half was a thunderous dunk by Wong off an assist from Wooga Poplar.
“I felt like it was a game changer, I was trying to get the team hyped,” Wong said. “I appreciate Wooga for the pass because he’s a shooting guard, but he decided to pass that time.”
Wong was delighted to see how many students showed up.
“It’s a great feeling. It’s my fourth year. I feel like this is the year fans should come because he have a lot of talent, a lot of athletic players,” Wong said. “We’re going to have a show out every time we come out.”
Despite the win, Larranaga said the team needs to play better going forward: “As good as Lafayette is, we play against teams that have considerably more size and talent, so we still have a lot of work to do at the defensive end.”
The Hurricanes are home again Friday night against UNC-Greensboro.
This story was originally published November 7, 2022 at 11:14 PM.