One day after Christmas, Miami men’s basketball coach Jim Laranaga made the stunning decision to step down. It was more the timing of his decision than it was he was stepping down. You can add him to the latest list of coaches to step away from the game they love because of NIL. Virginia coach Tony Bennett made the same decision right before the season started back in October.
As we saw last March and April, the basketball transfer portal picks up right after teams’ seasons come to an end. That was the case for the Virginia Tech men and coach Mike Young who saw a mass exodus out of Blacksburg. However, when a coach gets fired or steps down during the season, it opens a 30-day window where players on that roster can enter the transfer portal for 30 days. A former Virginia Tech recruit is doing that from Miami and he should be on Young’s radar.
Miami’s Isaiah Johnson-Arigu enters the transfer portal
Freshman Isaiah Johnson-Arigu entered the transfer portal and the Hokies were among his top schools coming out of high school in Minnesota along with Northwestern, Iowa, and Texas Tech. He ended up choosing the Hurricanes but now is searching for a new home for next season and beyond.
Pursuing Johnson-Arigu makes sense for Young and his staff. The 6-foot-7 small forward has appeared in seven games for Miami this season averaging 4.9 minutes and 0.9 points. According to On3 Industry Rankings, Johnson-Arigu, a four-star prospect, was the 125th overall player in the Class of 2024, 38th small forward, and No. 2 in Minnesota.
It’s clear that after the exodus last year, Young needs to rebuild the roster and do it quickly to be competitive in the ACC going forward. If they had that much interest in Johnson-Arigu before, they should again.