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Manu Lecomte has been on a tear of late. The freshman point guard from Belgium who teamed with UM senior Rion Brown to almost pull off a miraculous comeback win against Maryland last week (19 points 8-11 from the floor), followed it up with another good game this weekend in a win Vs Norfolk State (13 points on 4-6 shooting).
Earlier in the season, there were struggles (0-6 Vs UCF comes to mind).
But the precocious, sharp shooting freshman appears to have turned the corner.
Coach L told me this morning that he was very pleased overall with Lecomte's freshman year, pointing out that his numbers over the last 5 games were incredible (11 ppg and nearly 47% 3P%).
"Manu can do a lot of good things offensively. His problem has always only been on the defensive end."
Coach also noted that a big reason they switched to zone was to keep Manu away from the basket,
"Manu is smaller then nearly every point guard he faces."
Could Miami play multiple PGs at the same time next season?
Larranaga suggested it was a very realistic possibility.
"Manu and Angel (Rodriguez) love going up against each other in practice, and something we have worked on is playing them together some."
While a line-up featuring Lecomte (generously listed as 5'11) and Rodriguez (5'11 as well) might not be ideal defensively, it would arguably give the 'Canes the best ball handling duo in the conference.
Looking ahead to next season, whomever man the point will have weapons like DeAndre Burnett, Sheldon McClellan, and a more mature Davon Reed to pass to. The possibility of LeComte and Rodriguez penetrating and dishing to explosive finishers is certainly an intriguing one.
In the meantime look for more solid play from Manu as UM looks to stay in the mix in the ACC.
James Kelly Update: Coach L advised that while Kelly had received treatment today, he was "doubtful" for Wednesday Night's game Vs Pitt. Look for more minutes for Erik Swoope (4 blocks off the bench Saturday Vs Norfolk State).
Bonus: Footage of Coach L's presser:
