Cats win a Thriller

Kentucky entered Monday night's contest with Miami University expecting to welcome superstar freshman John Wall to college basketball. But the ending was more like a story book than a regular season game.    Full Story

Kentucky started off the season with a victory over Morehead State, 75-59. Now the Wildcats come in at full strength and take on the Miami University Redhawks.   Full Story

A few weeks ago, 5'7" Josh Cookie Miller decided to transfer from Nebraska to Miami-OH. The point guard will not be eligible until the 2010-11 season after sitting out one year per NCAA rules. Miller now tells RedHawk Insider why he chose Miami, what RedHawk fans can expect from him, and what he wishes to accomplish in Oxford.   Full Story

Cookie Miller will transfer from Nebraska to Miami-OH. Miller essentially started his freshman and sophomore years for the B12 school before deciding to transfer closer to his West Virginia home. Miller is also a former Mr. Basketball and spent two years in prep school after high school.   Full Story

Cincinnati’s Greater Catholic League (GCL) has a reputation for sending quality players to Miami. The next in line to carry on that GCL lineage could be point guard Ryan Bass from Chaminade Julienne. After seven games, the Dayton, Ohio standout is averaging approximately 20 points, 3 steals, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds as a junior for Chaminade Julienne.   Full Story

Quinten Rollins, a 6’1”, 175 pound point guard, has begun to make some noise with his play over the past year. As a result, some of the top mid-major programs in the Midwest have taken notice, including schools from the MAC.   Full Story

Sophomore Stevie Taylor kills them with speed. The diminutive 5’9”, 145 pound point guard from Lincoln High School in Gahanna, Ohio (near Columbus) is as quick at they come. Despite his size, Taylor has the tools to be a star point guard at the NCAA Division I level. Taylor’s 5’11” wingspan is longer than his body. His vertical leap goes to 29 inches.   Full Story

Senior combo guard Vee Sanford plans to spend his life devoted to sports. His ultimate goal is to make the NBA. The 177 pound Lexington Catholic High School standout told RedHawk Insider, “I want to reach the best level of basketball, the NBA.” However, if pro basketball does not work out, Sanford would like to go into sports journalism. “I like being around sports,” Sanford said.   Full Story

Sheila Johnson, mother of Miami starting point guard Kenny Hayes, had to some good news and some very bad news for Miami RedHawk fans. The good news is that Hayes will get to play a full year as a senior for Miami. The bad news is it will be next season. The 6’3” senior guard injured his shooting hand in the Northwestern State victory on December 6, 2008 and is out for the '08-'09 season.    Full Story

Junior Ricardo Johnson has his eyes on the ultimate prize - a state championship. The 6’5” and 190 pound guard/forward has reached near that summit, but was unable to stand on top. Last year, Covington Holmes High School reached the title game before losing 57-48 to Kentucky Wildcat signee Darius Miller’s Mason County Royals.   Full Story

6’7” forward Elijah Pittman (2010) is part of a tandem that looks to win the Kentucky state championship. Along with his teammate and fellow junior Ricardo Johnson, the 205 pound standout has his eyes on “bringing the state championship home” to Holmes. Last year, Covington Holmes High School reached the title game before losing 57-48 to UK signee Darius Miller and the Mason County Royals.   Full Story

LEXINGTON, Ky -- The # 21 Miami Hurricanes built a 20-point halftime lead, and withstood a determined second-half effort to defeat the Kentucky Wildcats 73-67. The Hurricanes were led by James McClinton and his game-high 23-point effort, while the Wildcats were led by Patrick Patterson's 19 point, 16 rebound performance in a losing cause.   Full Story

The recruiting class of 2009 was one of the most important recruiting classes in the history of Miami basketball. Miami has secured commitments from five outstanding players. So today, RedHawk Insider looks at some of the players that Miami has shown some interest in for the Class of 2010.   Full Story

Aaron Cosby was already considered by some as the best guard in the Kentucky Class of 2010. Now, one scouting service thinks enough of him to rank him as the #1 player in the state overall. Per Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier-Journal, Cosby was just named as the top player in the strong Kentucky junior class. This same service also has Cosby ranked in the top 50 in the nation.   Full Story

Miami announces another year of difficult non-conference play, highlighted by games versus Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Xavier, and a possible showdown with UCLA.   Full Story

“It was awesome.” That is how Drew Kelly described his visit to Miami this past weekend. So awesome, in fact, that Kelly left Oxford as the fourth commitment in the class of 2009. That class has already shaped up to be Miami’s best recruiting class in over a decade, and there is still one more scholarship to give.   Full Story

Late Sunday night Mark Anderson verbally committed to Miami and became the fourth member of Miami’s 2009 recruiting class. RedHawk Insider spoke with his Sinclair Community College head coach Jeff Price to discuss what kind of player and student Miami is getting.   Full Story

When Drew Kelly’s high school coach told him to take his time finding the school that was right for him, he was probably listening carefully. See, Brian Kelly isn’t just Drew’s coach, he’s also his father. But the elder statesman of the Kelly family had another message for his boy. “I figured if something grabbed his heart, he should go for it.”   Full Story

Aaron Cosby is considered by some as the best guard in the Kentucky Class of 2010. Former Massachusetts head coach Travis Ford thought enough of him to offer Cosby as a high school freshman. Cosby eventually verbally committed to the Minuteman. After Ford left UMass last Spring to take the Oklahoma State job, Cosby decided to decommit from UMass and reopen his commitment.   Full Story

2009 center Drew McGhee from North Ridgeville High School is one of Miami’s most important recruiting targets this year. McGhee, who hails from northern Ohio, has narrowed his schools down to just four. Three of the four will get in for an official visit. The fourth school is up in the air.   Full Story

Lights out shooter Drew Barham is one of the most highly sought after players in Memphis. The Miami RedHawks are one of the schools with a serious interest in this gunner. As a junior this past season for Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, the 6-6, 183 pound Barham led his team to a regional championship and a trip to the state title game before falling to Briarcrest in the final.   Full Story

Jonathan Smith, a 2009 6-7, 185 pound power forward, is one of the top seniors-to-be in central Ohio. Last year for Grove City High School outside of Columbus, Smith averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game. Next season, Smith is looking for Grove City to do some damage. Smith said, “I will have good senior year because of the coaches and the seniors returning.”   Full Story

Richie Phares (6-7, 200), the second ranked player in the Kentucky Class of 2009 behind Kentucky commit Jon Hood, is still searching for the elusive Division I offer. Despite being the top ranked senior power forward in the state, he has only received an offer to Georgetown College. Georgetown is an NAIA school in his hometown.   Full Story

Drew Kelly is one of the top forwards in the state of Tennessee and a key recruiting target for the Miami RedHawks. As a junior this past season for Centennial High School in Franklin, Tennessee, the 6-7, 245 pound Kelly led his team to a 27-6 record and a trip to the regional semifinals. “We beat a lot of good teams last year. We had a (physically) strong team.”   Full Story

The state of Indiana has been a fertile recruiting ground for Miami basketball. In recent years there has been Damon Frierson, Bryan Reed, and Antonio Ballard, just to name a few. The next Miami recruit in line to carry on the Hoosier pipeline could be Batesville High School shooting guard Colt Ryan.   Full Story