Rapid Reaction Takeaways from Miami's win over Saint Leo

Trinton Breeze

Oct 30, 2024 2 min read

Here are some takeaways from Miami's 94-61 win over Saint Leo today:

The Jalil Bethea Party has started despite getting thrown out of the game for a flagrant two-foul

Jalil Bethea fans didn't have to wait long to see him get going in today's breakout game in the Watsco Center. The Hurricanes’ top-rated freshman had a hot-shooting debut, making 3 out of 3 shots coming out of a timeout break within minutes. Bethea finished his debut night with 10 points, going 3-for-3 from the field.

Bethea found himself in a tussle for a loose ball and was subsequently ejected from the game for a flagrant two-foul.

Paul Djobet could see big-time playing time this season.

Today, the player who surprised me the most was Paul Djobet. Similar to Jalil, he entered the game after the media timeout and quickly sank a three-pointer from the right wing. He was the second-leading scorer on the team with 16 points.

Paul scored 6 points out of 8 attempts today, hitting 2 of 2 shots from three-point range. He also recorded three rebounds and two assists.

Djobet could be a player who gains significant playing time if he performs like he did today against Saint Leo. His jumper was smooth, as he has been in the gym working on his shot.

Nijel Pack doing Nijel Pack stuff

Today was significant for Nijel Pack, who sustained an injury last season. Nijel was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points, three rebounds, and five assists.

Great to see him back out there!

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Comments (22)

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casualcane

Nov 2, 2024

Watching Jalil on the podcast, he seems humble and down to earth. Let's see how things play out

H
hotshot

Nov 2, 2024

Who do we think is gonna emerge as the "leader" of this team? The player we look to in taking the last shot in the waning minutes of a tight game?

Sounds like L is hoping it's Nigel but ... he'll have to prove it. Last year's team never really had an answer to replace Wong in that key role -- the guy who stopped other teams' "runs," was able to create, drive to the hoop to score or get to the FT line to win a game, etc. There was a definite leadership void.

Cribby

Nov 2, 2024

King of Allapattah said:
Games like this Il like to focus on the backups and newcomers, particularly the freshmen. Bethea is a stud. There's no denying his talent. Has got superstar potential. Offensively, he had his skill set on full display early on. Defensively, he still seems to be a work in progress but that's to be expected. However, something to keep an eye on that kind of caught my attention last night was his maturity. I know I'm nitpicking a bit but I'm a stickler for these kind of things. Watched the game on TV, so I wasn't able to pick up on everything but some of the things I did see, I didn't like. Is he coachable? How does he interact with his teammates? His body language? These are all things super star freshmen sometimes struggle with and for some, the reason they don't see much of the floor early on.

A name many, including myself overlooked coming into the season was Divine Ogochukwu. Miami may have found a diamond in the rough with him. Very poised despite his youth. Looked like a seasoned veteran. Again, I know it's against a Division II foe but he plays with a high IQ and that usually plays well at any level. Like what I saw from him, particularly on the defensive end. Definitely someone to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Paul Djobet seems to be much improved. Looked a lot more confident out there compared to what we saw last season. Not sure how much PT he'll get once Matt Cleveland comes back in the lineup but Djobet could end up being a very good glue guy for us coming off the bench.

Austin Swartz didn't do much, but showed flashes with his athleticism.

From the veteran newcomers, I was most impressed by Lynn Kidd. I wasn't sure what to expect from him, but was pleasantly surprised albeit going against lesser comp. Despite facing a lot of double teams, he almost put up a double-double with 16 & 9. For the first time in a very long time, I was yelling at the TV wondering why our guards weren't feeding the ball more inside to a Miami big. Had a much more productive 2nd half, once they started giving him the ball. Finishes well around the rim with both hands. Not a bad passer out of double teams. Yes, it remains to be seen how that'll translate against ACC foes, but against smaller competition I would like to see him get more touches.

All in all, a good win. Handled business and did what they were supposed to do. GO CANES!!

I was gassing Djobet up in the offseason. Last year I liked what I saw more than most here. The intention was for him to redshirt since he was a tad raw but all the injuries happened. Even though he was thrown into the fire he held up pretty well imo. He just needed to work on the jumper and handle. He has the physical ability though.

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Rapid Reaction Takeaways from Miami's win over Saint Leo

The Jalil Bethea Party has started despite getting thrown out of the game for a flagrant two-foul​

Comments (22)

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The Jalil Bethea Party has started despite getting thrown out of the game for a flagrant two-foul