UM coach Courtney expected back on sideline vs. Syracuse Tuesday after missing last game
University of Miami interim coach Bill Courtney, who did not travel to the Louisville game during the weekend due to illness, said he expects to be back on the sideline Tuesday for the Hurricanes’ home game against Syracuse.
“I’m feeling a lot better; I was in bad shape on Thursday and Friday, and that’s why I didn’t make the trip, but I was taken care of by the University of Miami health system, which is unbelievable,” Courtney said Monday morning on the ACC coaches’ weekly teleconference. “They put me back together.”
Courtney said he was sapped of energy but planned to be at the Watsco Center for the game against the Orange Tuesday night.
Miami enters the game with a 5-18 overall record and is in last place in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 1-11 in conference games following the 10-point loss at Louisville on Saturday. Syracuse (11-13, 5-8 ACC) is coming off a triple overtime win over Boston College.
The star of that Syracuse game was junior guard J.J. Starling, who went 10 of 22 for 28 points. Starling is no stranger to Courtney, who has known him since Starling was 8 years old and is well aware of how dangerous an opponent he can be.
“J.J. and my son played AAU basketball together in upstate New York when they were 8, 9 years old until they were 12,” said Courtney, who coached previously at Cornell. “I’ve known J.J. for a very long time. My son was a manager at Notre Dame when J.J. was a freshman there. So, I know the Starling family very well.”
Courtney said Starling’s explosiveness with the ball is something the Hurricanes will have to try to contain.
Center Eddie Lampkin Jr., who is 6-11 and 265 pounds, is another Syracuse player to watch. Miami doesn’t have much beef or depth in the post, so that could be a mismatch.
“Eddie is a veteran post player, a big body who provides a lot of energy every game,” Courtney said. “I think it starts with J.J. and Eddie.”
The Hurricanes were hoping to build on their lone conference victory, against Notre Dame Feb. 1, and make it two in a row at Louisville. They got at close as three points midway through the game, but never got closer.
The two Miami players who stood out in that game were Matt Cleveland, who scored 21 points, his sixth game in a row with 20 or more points, and A.J. Staton McCray, who led Miami with 22 points.
“A.J. was super aggressive from the start, getting the ball to the basket, using his strength and athleticism,” Courtney said. “We’d love to see that on a consistent basis. If he can continue to do that, that will really give us a boost. He was tremendous on the defensive end, as well.”
Courtney praised Cleveland for his leadership during the transition after coach Jim Larranaga’s unexpected retirement a day after Christmas. Cleveland came up with some big shots against Louisville, including an acrobatic flying dunk over several Cardinal defenders.
“Matt has grown so much as a player and a person,” Courtney said. “I think he’s one of the better players in our league right now.”
After the Syracuse game, Miami plays on the road against Pitt and FSU before returning home for games against Virginia Tech and No. 3 Duke. Only the top 15 of the 18 ACC teams will qualify for the conference tournament, so UM will have to string together several wins and get help from other teams to have a chance at the ACC tournament.
This story was originally published February 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM.