HurricaneSports Magazine - Feb. 20 by Miami Hurricanes

Meier Wins 200 Games Johnson Scores 2,000 Points www.HurricaneSports.com

February 20 2012

Get to Know Miami Hurricane Student-Athletes Diego Soto, Reggie Johnson, Michelle Woods

Photo of the Week

Miami’s Shane Larkin inbounds the ball with Duke’s Cameron Crazies in the background

Video of the Week

Raising Canes - Women’s Basketball “One”

Click to play

2011-12 Calendar of Events

Click the text below for more information about each Hurricane athletic event

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Peter O’Brien made a successful debut in orange and green in the No. 13 Hurricanes’ opening series against Rutgers at Alex Rodriguez Park. The senior captain, who transferred to Miami for his final season of college baseball, hit his first two homeruns of the year in the series finale and came just a triple shy of the cycle, helping guide the Canes to a sweep of Rutgers. After a series with Albany from Feb. 24-2, the Hurricanes have one of their most anticipated matchups in recent memory when the in-state rival Florida Gators arrive in Coral Gables for a weekend series. The Hurricanes will take on the Gators, who advanced to the 2011 College World Series Championship Finals, from March 2 – 4. See page nine for information about tickets.

Save the Date March 24, 2012

Miami Hurricanes Football Scrimmage Ted Hendricks Stadium | Hialeah, Fla. 10 a.m.

March 30, 2012

Miami Hurricanes Football Scrimmage Location: Bishop Verot High School | Fort Myers, Fla. 6:45 p.m.

April 14, 2012

BankUnited CanesFest & Spring Football Game Sun Life Stadium | Miami Gardens, Fla. 2 p.m.

Games of the Week

M. Basketball vs. Florida State

The Canes face off against Florida State on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. at the BankUnited Center.

W. Hoops - Feb. 26 vs. Boston College

No. 6 Miami battles Boston College at 1 p.m. on Feb. 26 in Coral Gables.

Quick Links > Are you following the rivoting Raising Canes series on HurricaneSports.com? Here’s a link to 50+ plus episodes on YouTube. > The UM Ticket Office can now be reached through Live Chat during standard business hours. > UM Athletics and Spanish Broadcasting Systems have inked a new deal to bring Spanish language radio broadcasts to CIMA 106.3 FM. > UM has launched a ProCanes Monday Morning Recap that highlights the exploits of Miami alums in the NFL. > Text “canes” to 55888 to join the Canes Mobile Fan Club.

@HurricaneSports Tweet of the Week @pilam76: #ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Miami in his “Last 4 In” the field of 68 to the tournanent. OOOHHH C-A-N-E-S #CANES

MariaRowing Siemann Senior Maria Siemann came to the University of Miami her freshman year with no intention of participating in varsity sports. The Millstone, N.J. native was soon approached by the coach of the rowing team, however, and asked to try out while she was jogging around campus. She initially said no because she had never even heard of the sport, much less had ever tried it herself. But after a little convincing, Siemann agreed and ended up truly enjoying it. She joined the team that October. The challenge of rowing is what Siemann appreciates the most. “You get out exactly what you put into it. It’s something that if you work really hard at, you can get really good. It is a lot of hard work.” She emphasizes that it’s all about dedication. “I went from knowing nothing about it. I stuck to it and it has paid off for me a lot. It wasn’t too hard to learn so that was nice.” In high school, Siemann played softball and field hockey, which she characterizes as very different beasts. She emphasizes that rowing is an ultimate team sport; it’s not a game that you have to score points so you have to find a reason to motivate yourself every day,

similar to sports such as track and swimming. The Miami rowing team practices at North Miami Beach in the mornings. “It makes for a very beautiful scene and something really nice to row up after waking up so early in the mornings,” said Siemann. Practicing “right across the street from the beach every day” definitely helped convince her to join the team. Siemann is a quadruplet along with two sisters and one brother, and has another older brother; all of whom are also athletes. Although they were all born at the same time and look similar, their heights vary quite drastically. One sister is five-foot-two, while her brother is several inches taller. Her brother is on the wheelchair track team at the University of Illinois, while her two sisters play field hockey and rugby. Their older brother participates in ice hockey. Outside of rowing, the studentathlete lists juggling knives as a hobby in her bio on the HurricaneSports website. Siemann explains that it initially started out as a joke; something unique she could list on her athlete bio. She initially turned her bio in without

anything “overly interesting” and was told by her coach to come up with something crazy. Since adding that tidbit to her bio, numerous people continuously come up to her asking about the hobby. Everyone from her teammates to teachers and even her own parents were intrigued. “My parents were really concerned and I had to reassure them that I wasn’t going run off and join the circus.” Upon asking her to juggle knives, Siemann claims that she “can barely even juggle three oranges” if I asked her to. Thankfully, the knives she used to juggle with were simply butter knives and there were never more than four in the air at once. Siemann is also ambidextrous, a talent that actually helps her with her sport. She says that helps allow her to row on both sides of the boat, which is quite useful to her at the moment while she nurses a shoulder injury. As she prepares for her final season rowing collegiately, Siemann is thankful that she gave the sport a chance and doesn’t regret anything. by Cameron Harati

Rion Brown

HINESVILLE, GA. | GUARD | SOPHOMORE

Click here to learn more about Rion

They are stories of perseverance. Stories about growing up, becoming men and being a part of a family. One-by-one, we hear from them. These are the Miami Hurricanes...

The U means great tradition and pride, lots of pride. My family means the world to me. Everything I do is for them. Playing basketball has given me great opportunities and a chance to see places I never thought I’d ever see like Arkansas and Vegas, I had never been to Vegas. I went my senior year in high school to an AE tournament. So just basketball has allowed me to see amazing places that I never thought I would ever see in my life. It also allowed me to come to college to get a free education, travel the world. It’s just a great experience. I like to swim. That’s the first thing that came to my head. My dad taught me how to swim when I was two years old. So I have always loved water. I love going to the pool and swimming, diving, actually, if I wasn’t playing basketball that’s probably what I’d be doing. I didn’t swim in high school, we didn’t have a team in high school, but In middle school I did. My best race was just a regular freestyle. When I was introduced to Coach Larranaga we all met him in the conference room. He came in with a big smile, shook everybody’s hand. The look in his eyes was just funny, I could just tell that he was like, ‘Okay, this is going to be good’. I started playing basketball when I was in sixth grade, it was rec basketball, my first time playing organized basketball. The most I remember was, I actually shot one in the wrong goal my very first game. I’ll never forget that. The hardest part of being away from home is not being able to see my son. I have a four-month-old son. So that’s probably the hardest part about not being home. I’m always thinking about what he’s doing, he might be doing something new today. So that’s probably the hardest part. I’ve learned from Coach L that patience is a virtue on the court. Slowing everything down, that’s the best thing that I’ve learned. I was always in a hurry, everything I did. Basically, if I have the ball in a pass or a shot situation, I see it, I look at everybody around me and think ‘Okay, is this the right thing to do right now’, instead of just rushing into it. It’s like “is this the best shot or is this the best pass, is there somebody else open?” So just slowing everything down in my head and just knowing that I don’t have to do everything right away. I can take my time and make the right play. I was raised in Savannah, Ga., for about four or five years then I moved to Hinesville, Ga., and played high school basketball there, and then here at Miami. We had the southern hospitality down there so everything was real respectful with ‘Yes ma’am, No ma’am’. You never talked back. Everything that they said that’s what happened. When I was growing up I would actually say that I had a great childhood. My parents were always there. I was their only child, and my parents were always there. My dad was basically like a brother to me, also. We did everything together; football, basketball, everything. We had a real great family and they were always there for me. They did everything for me. They are still there, every step of the way. When I played basketball as a kid, I pretended to be Tracy McGrady. That was always my favorite player. I just liked his style, just everything about him. He always looked so sleepy, like he wasn’t going to do anything and then he has the ball and he’s going at you, so it kind of throws you off. And a lot of people say I played like him when I was younger because my face never changed. I had no emotion, so that’s probably who I looked up to the most. I’ll never forget when I got chased by a dog and I had to jump on top of a car and my knee went through the windshield. My whole body ended up inside the car. My knee just broke and shattered the windshield. I had to get nine staples in my right knee. That’s probably why the reason I have tendinitis in both my knees too. I’m sure that didn’t help. I am a Hurricane because I wanted to play in the ACC. I grew up watching my dad play at Georgia Tech and all the ACC teams. I just felt like this would be a great place to live. They had a great coaching staff before and they have a great coaching staff now, so it felt like this is where I belong.

Fast Breaks

Some of my personal goals include just being successful in life whether that be playing basketball or doing other things. I want to own my own restaurant, so just doing that and just being successful and able to take care of my family. I want to have an Italian restaurant. I just always had it in my mind because the way my name is spelled everybody would call me ‘Rion’ (Ree-on). And I just thought it sounded Italian. So I could have a restaurant called Rion. I just always had that in my head. But it might not work out like that. My favorite Italian meal is just regular pasta. I like chicken Alfredo and pasta with the meat marinara sauce, basically spaghetti. Those are my two favorites. At the U, I’ve learned so much from Reggie Johnson. He was one of those people that when I first got here he was always in my head. I got tired of him, he got on my nerves, but when I really think about it, he was always trying to help me and guide me through the little things. Even off the court stuff that I was going through, like problems with school or personal stuff from home I was letting get to me. He would always talk to me, and tell me ‘Hey, you’ve got to leave that outside for right now, you’ve got other work to do. If you do this, everything else will take care of itself.” I learned a lot from him. My favorite thing about the U family is that we are very close knit. We do everything together. We go out to eat, everybody goes. We go hang out and play video games, everybody is there. It is just a great family atmosphere. Everyone is laughing and joking, I love these dudes, it’s just funny. In high school I tried to score 40 on this one kid I didn’t like. He was just one of those kids that ever since we were little, playing rec ball together, we just always grew up going at each

other. So in high school we met one time, and I really wanted to score 40 on him, and I actually scored 42, it was my career high in high school. I didn’t think I would be playing college basketball at around ninth or 10th grade. It got a little frustrating for me. Things weren’t working out. In my mind I wasn’t the player that I needed to be to get to college. But, of course my dad stayed on me, we worked hard, I worked hard from the 10th to 11th grade - it basically felt like I was in college already. Waking up at six in the morning, I woke up shooting in the gym at the YMCA before I would even go to school, and after school I had to meet my dad over there. He stayed on me, so that’s what I have to say about that. We have great competition in the ACC. The games we play every day. Everything is in the margin of two to three points, so the plays you make at the end determine whether you lose by two or three or win by two or three. And with Pitt and Syracuse coming into it, it’s about to be even better. I secretly wish that I was about 7’2”. I just always had it in my head that I was going to be seven feet tall since I was little. My dad is 6’6 and I’m 6’6, too, so it’s just my imagination, but I thought was going to be seven feet. Georgia is home. That’s where my family is. That’s my love. That’s what I do it for, Georgia.

Check out more player profiles on the University of Miami’s athletics website at Fast Breaks Central.

Getting to Know U REGGIE JOHNSON | JR | WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. First memory of playing basketball?

The state championship with my high school team.

Other than basketball, I’m talented at ... Baseball.

Most embarrassing moment? Falling on the Wall of China.

People might be surprised to know that... I can’t cook.

The weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten is... Duck head.

Favorite cartoon when I was growing up? Rocket Power.

DIEGO SOTO | SO | MADRID, SPAIN What is the best thing about being a Hurricane? The feeling of represent the U and the unity of the team.

What are your pregame rituals?

I always walk in to the court with the right foot, I always tie my right shoe first, I warm up with one set of wristbands and play with other ones.

What is your favorite meal?

I love jamon serrano (a typical spanish food).

If you let someone on the team cut your hair, who would it be? Omar, he has style.

If you could invite three people to dinner, who would they be? Fito Cabrales (singer), Leo Harlem (comedian) and Agustin Jimenez (comedian). Favorite sport besides tennis? Soccer and basketball.

MICHELLE WOODS | FR | NAPLES, FLA. Favorite candy and dessert?

WatermelonSour Patch Kids and Chocolate Chip Cheesecake.

Favorite class? Math.

Farthest you have traveled from home? Alaska, with the team this year.

Early morning workouts make me want to... Cry.

Favorite saying?

YOLO - You only live once.

Most watched TV show? Pretty Little Liars.

S E A S O N

I N D I V I D U A L

Season Tickets*

Individual Tickets**

Field Box . . . . . . 495

Family Plan . . . . 260

Chair Back . . . . . $395

Adult . . . . . . . . . $120

Season Ticket

Chair Back - . . . $198 Weekend Season Ticket Section H only (Saturday & Sunday games only)

G A M E S

Season Ticket (2 adult / 3 youth) Season Ticket

Youth / Senior . $100 Season Ticket

15 Game . . . . . . . $90 Flex Plan

Field Box

Adult GA

Premium Single Game . . . $20 Non-Premium Weekend . $16 Non-Premium Week Day . $12

Premium/Weekend . . . . . $10 Week Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $8

Chair Back

Premium/Weekend . . . . . . . $9 Week Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7

Premium Single Game . . . $18 Non-Premium Weekend . $14 Non-Premium Week Day . $10

Youth/Senior GA

Group Tickets

Premium/Weekend . . . . . . . $8 Week Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4

Suites are available on a season and single game basis . Contact the Hurricane Ticket Office for more information.

Season Ticket

* University of Miami full-time and part-time benefited employees receive a 20% discount off the full season ticket price shown above. ** Premium games are the Florida series and ACC games . Week day games are Monday thru Thursday, excluding the Virginia game .

Order your tickets @ HurricaneSports.com or call 1-800-GO-CANES

2012 Hurricane Club Membership Renewals 2012 Annual Contributions: $4,557,129 2012 Active Hurricane Club Members: 2,233 40for40 Campaign Participants: 622 States Represented: 41 Countries Represented: 4 Goals • Raise $10.1 million for scholarship support • Increase Hurricane Club membership to 5,500 active members • Achieve a 40% participation rate among active members in the 40for40 Campaign in honor of the Hurricane Club’s 40th anniversary, with each member increasing his or her annual gift by $40

Important 2012 Dates • 01/01 Annual giving cycle begins • 01/31 Hurricane Club contributions due in full or on approved five-month payment plan from January 31 to May 31 • 01/31 Donation payment plan charge #1 • 02/15 Priority Points update #1 • 02/29 Donation payment plan charge #2 • 03/30 Donation payment plan charge #3 • 04/30 Donation payment plan charge #4 • 05/25 Donation payment plan charge #5 • 05/31 Priority deadline for Notre Dame and away-game tickets • 06/15 Priority Points update #2 • 11/15 Priority Points update #3

Please Note: • All Hurricane Club donations were due in full or on an approved payment plan by Tuesday, January 31, 2012. • Ticket invoices for 2012 Football & 2012-2013 men’s basketball will not be mailed until your Hurricane Club membership is renewed in full or on an approved payment plan. • Only Hurricane Club members at the Orange Level ($250+) and above are guaranteed priority to order tickets for the Miami vs. Notre Dame game, October 6, 2012 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The number of tickets allocated per giving level will be announced this June. Click here to Renew your 2012 Hurricane Club Membership Now Please use your Account ID and your security password. If you do not have your security password, use the password reminder link at sign in. Click here to download 2012 Giving Opportunities Brochure

Save the Date

Miami Hurricanes Football Scrimmage, March 30, 2012 Location: Bishop Verot High School, 5598 Sunrise Drive, Fort Myers, Fla. 33919 Time: 6:45 PM

Save the Date

Hurricane Club Southwest Florida Golf Classic and Luncheon, March 31, 2012 Location: Heritage Bay Golf and Country Club Registration: 7:00 AM Shotgun Start: 8:00 AM Lunch and Awards: 1:00 PM Sponsorship opportunities available. Visit uhurricaneclub.com or call the Hurricane Club at 305-284-6699 for more information.