Wong impresses, Meier channels Ted Lasso, and other notes from UM basketball media day

Katie Meier is a fan of Ted Lasso, the endearing fictitious T.V. coach who left American football to coach an English soccer team.

Like Lasso, Meier, the longtime University of Miami women’s basketball coach, has an infectious positive spirit, and she has adopted some motivational slogans from the show as her team prepares for the 2021-22 season.

There is a yellow “Believe” sign in the locker room. She had her staff watch the first season of the show during a retreat. She reminds her players to “be a goldfish” – a Lasso-ism that reminds athletes not to dwell on mistakes or losses, to be more like goldfish, who have 10 second memory spans.

And she likes to declare that “Basketball is Life!” – a takeoff on the T.V. show’s Dani Rojas mantra that “Football is Life!”

With all the attention on the UM football team of late, Hurricanes fans may have forgotten that the basketball season is just around the corner as the men’s and women’s teams open with a doubleheader on Nov. 9. The women play Jackson State at 4 p.m., followed by the men vs. Canisius at 7:30 p.m.

Meier, men’s coach Jim Larranaga and players from both teams shared their preseason thoughts at Media Day on Tuesday.

Among the takeaways:

Charlie Moore making impact

DePaul transfer Charlie Moore is a veteran point guard who is expected to make a huge impact. The 23-year-old former Illinois Mr. Basketball is at his fourth school in six years, and says the experience he gained at Cal, Kansas and DePaul make him “a better person, and better player.”

He transferred from Cal to Kansas due to a coaching change, and left Kansas for DePaul because his parents were ill in Chicago, and he wanted to be near them. They have since recovered, and he felt UM offered him a bigger platform to showcase his game. His relationship with UM assistant Bill Courtney, formerly of DePaul, sealed the deal.

“Fans can expect a show from Charlie,” said center Rodney Miller. “He’s a true point guard who also knows how to score the ball. His three-point shooting is incredible. He also knows how to get to the rim and be real crafty. He’s a leader on and off the court and really vocal. He’s respected because we know his resume and the different conferences he played in and knows how to win.”

Moore scored 25 points last week in an exhibition win over Nova Southeastern, and had six rebounds, five assists and was 9 of 10 from the free throw line.

Isaiah Wong impresses NBA scouts

Hurricanes fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when Isaiah Wong and Kam McGusty announced they had taken their names out of the NBA Draft and were returning to UM. They are both hungry to win, and showed it against Nova. Wong scored 40 points, McGusty 22.

“Isaiah’s an outstanding scorer but he’s improved dramatically on his defense and rebounding,” Larranaga said. “We love the fact he decided to come back and take his name out of the draft but we believe this will likely be his last year at the University of Miami because he’s an NBA quality guard. We’ve already had NBA scouts at practice watching him, and all very, very impressed. They also believe he’s a first-round pick.”

Freshmen to Watch: Ja’Leah Williams and Wooga Poplar

Meier has called Williams, a point guard from Pompano Beach, the “Baby Bay-Bay,” comparing her to former UM star Riquna “Bay-Bay” Williams (no relation), who now plays in the WNBA. Ja’Leah has speed, shooting skills and a great sense of humor. She has already perfected a Katie Meier impersonation, propping reading glasses on the edge of her nose.

“The crowd’s going to fall in love with Ja’Leah, how hard she plays and how fun she is,” Meier said. “Already in two months she’s got the imitation of Coach Meier down to a T and has the confidence to pull it off whenever requested. That’s a special kid that has a lot of confidence and swag, but very respectful.”

Poplar, a 6-5 guard from Philadelphia, has been raising eyebrows in practice.

“He’s a high-octane scorer very much like Isaiah Wong was as a freshman,” said Larranaga. “He can score the ball, shoot the three, take ball to the basket, terrific athlete. A little stronger than Isaiah was as a freshman, but he has a lot to learn defensively. He put his defense on vacation in high school.”

P.S. Wooga’s real first name is Nisine, but he has been known as Wooga since his aunt gave him the nickname as an infant.

Mykea Gray is Back

Graduate student Mykea Gray is back at point guard after suffering a season-ending ACL tear last year. Before that, she started all 96 games of her UM career and averaged double digits every season.

“I learned to be more vocal, and not to take the game for granted, and it rekindled my love for the game,” Gray said.