CaneSport TV: Up close with Miami Hurricanes freshman center Favour Aire
Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga joked recently how a year ago UM played small ball, and how this year the team will play “smaller ball” given the anticipated size of its lineup/rotation.
Looking to the future, though, that probably won’t have to be the case for much longer. The team is looking to develop 6-11 freshman center Favour Aire into a weapon in the middle.
Aire is the tallest player on the Miami roster … but he is just a first-year guy.
“It’s all a learning process for me,” he says. “I’m trying to adjust and put myself in the best position to succeed. It’s all just me learning at this point.
Larranaga’s tenure at Miami hasn’t been marked by many capable centers, so perhaps Aire can add another aspect to the team. But at 215 pounds, it’s more likely that this year Aire will see a smaller role while he works to gain strength and weight and learn the nuances of the college game.
“As a competitor, anyone would love the opportunity to come in and go to work as soon as possible,” Aire said. “It’s me being the most productive guy for the team and doing what the team (needs). It’s all about locking in and buying into the process.”
Yes, it’s a big transition to this level.
“It’s always something tricky with better players, it’s adjusting to that,” Aire said. “It’s not just your athleticism, you have to be smarter when you’re playing. If you jump and try to block everything they’ll foul you out. So it’s adjusting to the game, being smart, knowing when to use your athleticism.”
A four-star prospect out of Bishop McNamara High School in Maryland, Aire is from Ekpoma, Nigeria and he committed to Miami over offers from Georgetown, Rutgers and USC.
This is only his fifth year of playing the sport.
Of course, having a tremendous talent ceiling doesn’t always mean an easy transition to college. Aire reflects on how, in the team’s second practice, guard Isaiah Wong dunked on him.
“I was maybe a little nervous when I first got in, and I messed up a lot,” Aire said. “I’m still messing up, but it’s all about taking in the good days, taking in the bad days and making it all come together.”
As Aire puts it, college hoops is “a lot different” than high school.
In high school, for instance, he was a strong offensive player who had his way. In Miami’s practices, though, he’s constantly doubled inside per Jim Larranaga’s defensive style.
And he has to go against an older big man in practices, transfer Norchad Omier.
“Norchad, I played people his size a little shorter than me, but no one as strong as him,” Aire said. “Having that physicality every day going against each other, he can only make me better.
“At the program we emphasize not letting the ball get into the post because there’s a lot of good bigs (in the ACC). Every school has a good big. So it’s a fight all practice – he’s trying to post up, I’m trying to post up. at the end of the day it makes me better, him better. … I like that my experience is not easy, not a cakewalk. I’m embracing the whole experience basically.”
