If anyone thinks the 1998-99 season was a breakthrough year for the University of Miami's resurrected men's basketball program, don't tell head coach Leonard Hamilton. Sure, at 23-7 the team tied a school record for wins dating back nearly 40 years; it cracked the top ten national rankings for the first time since 1960; and it upset the eventual NCAA Tournament champion, Connecticut, while on the road. For his efforts, Hamilton was named big east Conference Coach of the Year. And America took notice. In March both Sports Illustrated and The New York Times profiled the team's lofty exploits. "Hard Work Transforms a Program," screamed the Times' headline.

But Hamilton bristles at any notion of a breakthrough. "It's not as though we suddenly came from nowhere," says Hamilton, head in hands, letting out a here-we-go-again sigh. "Look at what we've done over the past five years. We've had three straight post-season appearances. We've had 14 wins over teams ranked in the top 25. This program has been on the rise for some time. Last season was just another year to be proud of." Yes it is.

If Hamilton is sounding a bit like P. T. Barnum these days, touting University of Miami basketball, that's because he has more on his mind than records, rankings, and national publicity. Indeed, for Hamilton--the man credited with returning a once-moribund basketball program to national prominence--each successful season is another small step toward endowing the school with a basketball-rich tradition.

"Sure it's nice to have a good season, but you really need to look at the bigger picture," he says. "The question is, where are we as a program? What kind of progress are we making toward establishing ourselves as a force in basketball?"

Such soul searching, explains Hamilton, is an unavoidable part of the job at an institution such as this one. While University of Miami football and baseball are widely mentioned along with the nation's powerhouses, the basketball program barely registered a blip on the national radar screen until Hamilton's recent run of success. And a few good seasons, he soberly points out, does not a basketball program make.

"Think college basketball and who comes to mind?" he asks. "Kentucky, Connecticut, North Carolina, to name a few. Programs such as these are successful year in and year out." Why? They are driven by tradition. Success breeds success.

The recruiting process--the annual dance with the nation's top high school student-athletes--may best illustrate the chicken-and-the-egg dilemma facing University of Miami basketball. The top programs can woo the top prospects by showing off their collection of championship banners and alumni who've made it to the professional ranks. Less established programs, like Miami's, don't have the banners; alumni in the pros are a rarity. Hamilton's challenge is a formidable one: Without the tradition of excellence, it's difficult to attract the top student-athletes, and without the top student-athletes, it's difficult to establish a tradition of excellence.

ronically, basketball is one of the first intercollegiate sports to be played at the University of Miami, dating back to 1926-the year the University opened. In their debut season, coach Art Webb's team finished with a record of 7-1, averaging 44 points per game, while surrendering just over 21. Hurricane basketball first cracked the ranks of the nation's elite in the late 1950s, earning its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1960. (Its second wasn't until 1998, under Hamilton). The team remained competitive through the mid-1960s, thanks in large part to the play of Rick Barry (B.B.A. '65), a collegiate all-American who led the nation in scoring his senior year. Barry went on to star in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association (NBA) and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986. But in 1971, the program was disbanded. After years of lobbying by alumni and community leaders, it was revived in 1985.

Hamilton, 51, is the second head coach since the revival, taking over for Bill Foster in 1990. Hamilton spent four years at Oklahoma State and 12 years as a top assistant with perennial power Kentucky. While there, his teams advanced to three NCAA tournament "Final Fours" and in 1978 won the national championship. The University of Miami, of course, offered different kinds of challenges, chiefly the prospect of helping to rebuild a program. "I came in here well aware that football was the dominant sport on campus and that the tradition in basketball was not yet a strong one," he says. " Frankly, that was one of the most appealing aspects about the job-the opportunity to create something that would be around for a long time."

Hamilton's first four seasons at Miami were difficult ones, with the team finishing 9-19, 8-24, 10-17, and 7-20. But the foundation he had laid those early years proved to be a solid one, and the following year, 1995, the Hurricanes finished a surprising 15-13. In recognition of the turnaround, Hamilton was named the United Press International National Coach of the Year. Since then the team has advanced to three straight post-season appearances.

ecognizing the difficulty of attracting the nation's top high school basketball prospects, Hamilton has mined the wealth of talent in South Florida. Plenty of gifted student-athletes, he has learned, find an academically strong, private university, like Miami, to be attractive. Such was the case of Tim James, a high school standout at Miami's Northwestern High. James received other scholarship offers but chose Miami for its potential as an up-and-coming program. During his four years at the University, James emerged as one of the premier players in the nation, receiving BIG EAST Conference Co-Player of the Year honors.

"Going to Miami seemed like a unique opportunity to help establish something special," says James. "Years from now I just hope people will remember me as playing a part in that."

Hamilton attributes the team's turnaround to simple hard work. When the cards are stacked against you, he says, the only sure strategy is to give more effort, more consistently, more of the time.
That work ethic has not been lost on his players. The Hurricanes have earned a reputation for strict on-court discipline and defense, consistently ranking among the nation's top teams in numerous defensive categories. Getting to that point, says Steven Edwards (B.G.S. '96), wasn't easy. "Coach Hamilton gives 100 percent in everything he does, and he wants everyone else to give the same," says Edwards.

Edwards is now playing professionally in Argentina. Meanwhile, James is on to the NBA, having been drafted by the Miami Heat in the first round last June. In March, James' number 40 jersey was retired during a ceremony preceding the team's last home game. He became only the second player in University history (after Rick Barry) to receive such an honor.

Hamilton is thrilled for Edwards and James, and for the program. "These sorts of things are what our students can look back on, and be proud of," says Hamilton. "We want them to have an emotional attachment to the experience that is University of Miami basketball."

To that end, Hamilton is working to revive the early memories of Hurricane basketball. A chief means is inviting back alumni players, encouraging them to reconnect with the University. Former players, of all ages, can be seen at Hurricane home games. Hamilton expects even more to return once the planned on-campus arena, the Ryder Center, opens. "This will create an atmosphere that players, students, and fans can directly relate to," he says. "It's absolutely crucial to what we're trying to create here."