Lynn Kidd scores 24 to lead UM to 113-72 season-opening rout of Fairleigh Dickinson
Lynn Kidd was the fourth-most accurate shooter in the nation last season, a 6-10 ambidextrous center with a soft touch, jump hook, and excellent footwork for a man his size.
The Virginia Tech transfer has been drawing raves from his new University of Miami teammates and coach Jim Larranaga since he arrived on campus. On Monday night, UM fans got to see for themselves what a valuable pickup Kidd is for the Hurricanes.
He went 10-of-11 and was the game’s top scorer with 24 points in 25 minutes as Miami routed Fairleigh Dickinson University 113-72 in the season opener, the most points scored by a UM team since 1989. Kidd also tied Brandon Johnson with a game-high nine rebounds.
“I’m hoping he’ll play that way all year long,” Larranaga said of Kidd. “He’s not going to always get the ball that easily. The court was wide open for him, but he’s very efficient inside. We’ve very, very pleased with his performance, but we need a much larger sample size to see how teams will defend him.”
“Lynn Kidd has been surprising me, actually, shocking me,” guard Nijel Pack said a few weeks ago. “I knew who he was, especially playing against Virginia Tech, but I’ve seen his game go to another level since he’s been here with us. And I’m like, `Man, what a pickup!’ Every time I give him the ball, it’s basically an automatic bucket.”
Pack, in peak form after struggling with knee issues last season, had a big opening night himself. He shot 9-of-11 for 21 points and had five assists.
“He’s our leader; at time outs I said to Nijel, `Hey, what do you want to run?’” Larranaga said. “He’s our quarterback, our Tom Brady.”
The Hurricanes were hot all night, shooting 67 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. Miami made 10 of its first 12 shots to set the tone and was ahead by 25 points with six minutes to go in the first half.
“They can really shoot the basketball one through four, and then [Kidd] at the five spot, having that kind of touch around the rim is pretty incredible,” said FDU coach Jack Castleberry. “I’m really curious what they’re going to look like because I think they’re really good. Basketball is about making shots at the end of the day, and they do that at such a high clip.”
UM guard Matt Cleveland also gushed about Lynn: “He is really talented, really skilled. He’s probably the best big I’ve ever played with. His touch is great, footwork is great, going over either hand and I feel like he’s doing a great job of listening to what the coaches want from him defensively. He’s been a great addition.”
Cleveland was back in action after missing the exhibition game last week with an upper body injury. He came off the bench early and delighted the Watsco Center crowd with three consecutive dunks over five minutes to open a 23-8 lead for the Hurricanes. His dunk-fest continued a few minutes later and he finished with nine points.
A newcomer to keep an eye on this season is freshman guard Divine Ugochukwu. He did not generate as much buzz on the recruiting trail as five-star Jalil Bethea but came to Larranaga highly recommended by NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, whose sons played high school ball with Ugochukwu in the Houston area.
The initial plan was to redshirt him because Miami had already signed young guards when they came across Ugochukwi, but Larranaga and his staff changed their minds about a month ago, saying he was too good to sit and was ready to contribute.
Ugochukwu had 15 points, two assists, no turnovers, and one steal in 14 minutes off the bench in the season opener.
“We thought he was a guy who’d be good on the scout team, but he has just impressed us and keeps getting better and better,” Larranaga said. “His size, speed, athletic ability and ability to get the ball to the rim is very, very good.”
Stetson transfer guard Jalen Blackmon added 15 points and Bethea scored nine points in 13 minutes off the bench.
The Canes had 11 steals, scored 27 points off FDU turnovers, 39 points off the bench and had a 66-34 edge in points in the paint.
Terrence Brown led FDU with 18 points and Dylan Jones had 15.
The Hurricanes are back home Sunday afternoon at 2 against Binghamton.
This story was originally published November 4, 2024 at 10:04 PM.