One of Miami's Breakout Freshman is Set to Return Next Season
In this story:
The Miami Hurricanes are coming off the best turnaround in D1 basketball history, and it is only the beginning of the Jai Lucas era.
The Hurricanes now turn to retool and it starts with keeping their star freshmen on campus.
One has confirmed that he is returning for his second season
"I always like to say I recruited Dante secondhandedly when I was at another school recruiting some of his teammates," Lucas said. "I saw Dante play a lot, and I said if I ever got a job that would value what Dante Allen did, I would take him with me. And I just had the opportunity to get this one."
Dante Allen's value had been seen all season to the point that he was elevated to the starting lineup for the Canes once Tru Washington was sidelined for personal reasons. The Hurricanes knew that they could lean on Allen, and in the NCAA Tournament, he proved why he was such a valuable piece.
Allen had struggled with his shot all season but became a sniper in the NCAA Tournament. Between him and Shelton Henderson, both were the key reasons that Miami never fell behind, as their seniors had slow starts in the first half. Allen would consistently hit threes and make the right play at the right time.
Allen will be returning for his sophomore season, but he has a lot to improve on heading into his second year.
Unless the Canes go and get another veteran point guard out of the portal, it will be Allen running the show. His management of pick-and-roll and, most importantly, his free-throw shooting have to improve. Those are two key areas he struggled with during his freshman season, but an offseason of work will clear them up.
However, the positives in his game will only get better with another off-season of training on the basics. Allen's potential is great, and he knows that the future is bright with him in the program.
"I definitely think we're really going to get it going together, and that was really great," Allen said after the Purdue loss in the Round of 32. "I think we're growing it. We'll continue it, I think we're definitely, most definitely, going to grow into bigger roles."
Sign up for our free newsletter and follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes-related: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and BlueSky.
Read More Miami Hurricanes News:
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.
Follow Justice_News5