Peter O’Brien Leads the Canes with Four Home Runs and 14 RBI
www.HurricaneSports.com
March 4, 2012
Get to Know Miami Hurricane Student-Athletes Trey McKinney Jones, Suriya McGuire, Gabriela Mejia
Video of the Week
Raising Canes - M. Basketball Thought of the Day
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Photo of the Week
Along with Sebastian the Ibis, Miami’s Shawn Eichorst and Blake James bookend the men’s basketball founders.
Twenty-seven years ago, a passionate group of Hurricanes came together with a common goal in mind: to revive the basketball program to the University of Miami, which had been idle since 1971. Through their vision, enthusiasm, and commitment to the University of Miami and its student-athletes, these Basketball Founders welcomed back basketball in 1985. A banner still hangs in their honor today at the BankUnited Center.
2011-12 Calendar of Events
Click the text below for more information about each Hurricane athletic event
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Games of the Week
ACC M. Hoops Tournament
The University of Miami men’s basketball team has been dealt the No. 6 seed and will face No. 11-seed Georgia Tech in the first round of the 59th Annual ACC Tournament held at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Ga., March 8-11. The Hurricanes ended the regular season 18-11 overall and 9-7 in the ACC under first-year head coach Jim Larranaga. Miami finished fourth in the ACC, the best finish since landing fifth in the league in 2007-08, but were dealt the sixth seed due to tie-breakers with NC State and Virginia. The Canes also posted its most wins (9) in ACC play, the most since joining the ACC. With a win in the First Round, Miami would face No. 3-seed Florida State at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 9.
Save the Date
Baseball vs. Miami Marlins
The nationally-ranked Canes face the Miami Marlins at the brand new Marlins Park on March 6 at 7 p.m.
Track & Field
The Miami track & field team hosts the Hurricane Invitational March 16 on the UM campus.
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.
Up Next at Home 3/5-6 Golf Hurricane Invitational | All Day 3/6 Baseball vs. Miami Marlins | 7 p.m. | Buy Tickets 3/7 Baseball vs. Miami (Ohio) | 6 p.m. | Buy Tickets 3/9 W Tennis vs. Boston College | 12 p.m. 3/9-11 Baseball vs. Boston College | 7/7/1 p.m. | Buy Tickets 3/13 W Tennis vs. Baylor | 5 p.m. 3/13 Baseball vs. Illinois State | 6 p.m. | Buy Tickets 3/15 W Tennis vs. Kentucky | 5 p.m. 3/16-17 Track Hurricane Invitational | All Day 3/17 W Tennis vs. Yale | 11 a.m. 3/17 M Tennis vs. Alabama | 3:30 p.m. 3/17 Rowing vs. Connecticut | Miami Beach | All Day
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 @VicD_BigCaneFan: 1st day of spring ball at The U, not sure if that makes Sept 1st seem closer or even further #IStandWithTheU #NFLU #TheU
K elsi Hall Swimming & Diving Kelsi Hall loves the water and always has. The senior on the University of Miami swimming and diving team has always found herself at home in the pool as long as she can remember. She didn’t, however, start swimming competitively until her brother began swimming. “I’ve always loved the water and going to the pool and lakes during the summer,” said Hall. “When my brother started swimming competitively, I wanted to do it too because I looked up to him.” A native of Yorktown, Ind., Hall used to participate in gymnastics and swimming, but at the age of 13 she decided she needed to pick between the two. “The practice schedules were starting to be too much to handle,” she explained. “I was better at swimming and I was starting to get into higher levels of gymnastics, and I was afraid I was going to hurt myself.” She joined her middle school swim team and never looked back. In only her sophomore year of high school, she began a run of threestraight state championships in the 50-meter freestyle and earned the Indiana Association record in the 50-free. Those results helped the four-year letterwinner earn the title of Most Valuable Swimmer at Yorktown High School. Her most notable accomplishment, however, was being named a four-year Academic AllAmerican.
Throughout middle school and high school, Hall looked up to the older girls on the team, saying, “they all went on to have successful collegiate swimming careers and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.” Hall decided to go to college and swim at the University of Kentucky for her freshman and sophomore years. While there, she was a member of the 2009 NCAA Championship team and a part of the record-breaking 200-medley relay that took sixth at the 2009 SEC Championships. After two years at Kentucky, she wanted a new experience and went through the recruiting process again. “I looked at a lot of other schools, but I decided to come to Miami because of the coaching staff and because it was very different from all the other schools,” said Hall. The changes were noticed immediately by Hall, who liked everything about Miami. “Kentucky had a women’s and men’s team that trained and competed together so the team was very large compared to Miami’s all-woman swim team. Because it’s smaller, the training here is much more individualized and you get more attention from the coaches during practices and meets,” continued Hall. “The weather and the city environment is also very different than Lexington.” She thought it would be difficult to join a new team in her junior year, but instead found her new teammates and coaches very welcoming.
“Christie [Schefchunas] helped me a lot when I first got here,” she said. “I would meet with her weekly, and still do, just to talk about anything that was on mind, and she would help me if I was having a hard time with anything.” Last season, Hall’s first at UM, she added to her list of accomplishments with two more records. She was a part of the 200 medley relay team that set a school record with a time of 1:38.88 and set the school record in the 50 freestyle twice. First, she set it at the ACC Championships in Atlanta with a time of 22.59, and then at the Georgia Bulldog Invitational with a time of 22.53. Kelsi owned a part of all five of UM’s top times in the 50 freestyle last season and earned seven first-place finishes in the event. Through it all, she continues to attribute her success to her family and coaches. “My family has always been very supportive,” she explained.“I’ve been lucky to encounter a couple of very good coaches that have been invested in me and my swimming.” The senior, an exercise science major who plans to go to graduate school for dietetics and get a master’s degree in nutrition, will look to continue the same success this season for the Hurricanes and into the future. After graduation, “I would like to keep swimming and train for the Olympics,” said Hall. by Tim Capasso
DeQuan Jones
STONE MOUNTAIN, GA. | FORWARD | SENIOR
Click here to learn more about DeQuan
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...
I was raised on the east side of Atlanta, Stone Mountain to be particular. I grew up very involved in sports. I started playing basketball when I was a kid, like six or seven years old. I always liked the sport but I didn’t get serious about basketball until I was 15. My favorite holiday is Halloween, because you get free candy. Nobody knows that I can cook. I’m very skilled in the culinary arts. I can make a number of things, like baked chicken, spaghetti, just the usual. Then I can go into steak, depending on how you want it cooked. I just recently learned how to sauté and marinate steak. For Memorial Day, I marinated steak for like three days and baked it, then put it on the grill to give it that smokey taste. To be a Miami Hurricane means it’s always you against the world. The oddest nickname I’ve ever had is G-Money. My uncle gave me that nickname. Right now I’m listening to old Southern blues. I’m a big fan of Sam Cook, Otis Redding, Johnny Taylor. Old school stuff. If I wasn’t playing basketball I would be an entrepreneur. I would be in the beginning stages of starting my own business. When I was younger I wanted to be either a Power Ranger or an NBA player, so it was pretty cut and dry for me. My favorite UM athlete is Sean Spence. The kid is phenomenal. He’s a beast. The U is very family-oriented. It’s a close-knit community. Everyone is in-tune and close with each other. I’m afraid of the little lizards you see running around when you’re walking to class. After college I want to start my own business. I’m not really sure in what field or what my expertise would be, but I want to start my own business. One thing everyone should know about Miami basketball is we work extremely hard and we’re extremely dedicated to bringing positive results to the school. In March I want to still be playing.
Fast Breaks
I never thought college would be this hard. When I was a kid, I always watched A Different World. I always thought college would be like two or three hours of class and the rest was casual or leisure time. My favorite quote is “the harder you work during peace, the less you bleed during war.” My high school coach used to always tell us that, but he was known for always taking other people’s words, so I don’t really know where it originated from. Before every game I like to relax and unwind. Usually I’ll go to a movie or do something relaxing to get my mind and my focus off of the game. My favorite midnight snack is eating cereal. I feel like cereal is the perfect balance of food and hydration (laughs). Coach Larranaga is probably one of the most upbeat and energetic coaches I’ve ever played
for. He knows exactly how to get the best out of all of his players. My favorite movie is Antwone Fisher, because it moves you on so many different levels. It really taught me how that you never really know what type of person you are dealing with or other people’s experiences until you know what type of obstacles they’ve overcame to get to where they are now. The actor I would want to play me in a movie is Soulja Boy (laughs). Just kidding. I would say Denzel Washington probably because he’s the greatest actor of my lifetime. Check out more player profiles on the University of Miami’s athletics website at Fast Breaks Central.
Getting to Know U TREY MCKINNEY JONES | JR | MILWAUKEE, WIS. First memory of playing basketball?
When I was in middle school and my dad was the coach.
Other than basketball, I’m talented at ... Track and football.
If I were a superhero, I’d be...
Fast man and I could run faster than Flash.
If I could spend one day with anyone, who would it be? President Obama.
The weirdest thing I’ve ever eaten is... Shark.
Favorite cartoon when I was growing up? Rocket Power.
GABRIELA MEJIA | SR | CALI, COLUMBIA What is one thing on your bucket list? To go on a cruise.
What is one superpower you’d like to have? To be able to control the time.
What is your all-time favorite Christmas present? When I got my first new racket from my parents.
If you could visit one place in the world, where would it be? China.
To be a Hurricane means...
It’s all about the U. Favorite sports besides tennis? Soccer and basketball.
SURIYA MCGUIRE | FR | MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. Favorite candy? Sour Patch Kids.
Favorite class? Art.
Farthest you have traveled from home? India.
Early morning workouts make me want to... Cry.
Favorite saying?
Don’t work hard, work smart - from my Mom.
Nickname?
Ray Ray Fresh.
59th Annual ACC Tournament March 8-11, Philips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Finals
#1 NORTH CAROLINA #8 MARYLAND Game 1 12:00 noon
Game 5 12:00 noon 8/9 winner Game 9 1:00 p.m.
#9 WAKE FOREST #4 VIRGINIA #5 NC STATE Game 2 2:00 p.m.*
Game 6 2:00 p.m.* 5/12 winner Game 11 1:00 p.m.
#12 BOSTON COLLEGE #2 DUKE #7 CLEMSON Game 3 7:00 p.m.
Game 7 7:00 p.m. 7/10 winner Game 10 3:00 p.m.*
#10 VIRGINIA TECH #3 FLORIDA STATE #6 MIAMI Game 4 9:00 p.m.*
#11 GEORGIA TECH
Game 8 9:00 p.m.* 6/11 winner *denotes tentative game time
ACC Champion
2012 Hurricane Club Membership Renewals 2012 Annual Contributions: $5,021,696 2012 Active Hurricane Club Members: 2,353 40for40 Campaign Participants: 649 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.