Bill Courtney Expected to Return as he Prepares the Hurricanes For Syracuse
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CORAL GABLES, Fla — The Miami Hurricanes have a few more games left in the season with a slim chance of making the ACC Tournament.
The top 15 of the 18 teams have a chance at making the dance, and now they will prepare to do that against Syracuse, with a returning Bill Courtney.
Courtney shockingly missed the game against Louisville when a few hours ahead of the game it was announced that he was down with an illness. He feels better and will be back on the sideline against the Orange.
How to Watch: Syracuse at Miami
“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.”
While he was down and out, he watched the game and highlighted the performances of A.J. Staton-McCray and their star player Matthew Cleveland.
“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.”
Cleveland is playing the best basketball of his career. He has scored 20 or more points in six straight games and is the backbone of this team. Courtney knows this and will ride on him for the rest of the season.
“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.”
Miami returns to the Watsco Center on Tuesday to host the Syracuse Orange. Tipoff in Coral Gables, Fla., is set for 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at justice.sandle111@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter@Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.