Miami's Isaiah Wong Plans to Transfer If NIL Compensation Demands Aren't Met
Apr 29, 2022
CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 25: Isaiah Wong #2 of the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes drives to the basket against the Iowa State Cyclones during the Sweet 16 round of the 2022 NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament held at United Center on March 25, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Isaiah Wong's future at the University of Miami is uncertain due to compensation from his name, image and likeness deal.
Speaking to ESPN's Jeff Borzello and Jonathan Givony, Wong's NIL agent, Adam Papas, said Wong will enter the transfer portal if his NIL compensation isn't increased.
"If Isaiah and his family don't feel that the NIL number meets their expectations they will be entering the transfer portal tomorrow, while maintaining his eligibility in the NBA draft and going through the draft process," Papas said.
Papas pointed to the deals incoming Miami players are getting as the basis of his argument.
"Isaiah would like to stay at Miami," Papas explained. "He had a great season leading his team to the Elite Eight. He has seen what incoming Miami Hurricane basketball players are getting in NIL and would like his NIL to reflect that he was a team leader of an Elite Eight team."
Givony and Borzello noted that Florida state law prohibits schools from being involved in NIL deals, with Papas telling them he's not talking directly to Miami's coaching staff.
Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, billionaire John Ruiz "has become perhaps the most significant person in Miami Hurricanes athletics" because of his willingness to sign more than 100 active athletes for the school to marketing deals promoting two companies, Cigarette Racing and LifeWallet.
Ruiz tweeted after Nijel Pack announced he was transferring from Kansas State to Miami that he signed the 20-year-old guard to an NIL deal worth $800,000 over two years and included a car.
***BREAKING NEWS*** @LifeWallet is proud to announce @NijelPack24 has officially committed to UM as a basketball player. The biggest LifeWallet deal to date, two years $800,000.00 total at $400,000.00 per year plus a car. Congratulations!!! @johnnyruiz4@alex7ruiz@ddiazon7pic.twitter.com/SzKHag8qnG
— John H. Ruiz, CEO and Attorney at Law (@JohnHRuiz) April 23, 2022
David Cobb of CBS Sports ranked Pack as the No. 2 player in the transfer portal after he was named to the All-Big 12 first team and made 43.6 percent of his three-point attempts at Kansas State last season.
In response to Wong's desire for a new NIL deal, Ruiz told Givony that the third-year sophomore "is under contract" and he doesn't intend to renegotiate.
"Isaiah is under contract," billionaire John Ruiz told ESPN. "He has been treated by LifeWallet exceptionally well. If that is what he decides, I wish him well, however, I DO NOT renegotiate! Surprises me because there are so many players that would love to play for the U!" https://t.co/CFI1VeVUZj
It hasn't been announced what Wong's NIL deal with Ruiz is worth. The deadline for players to enter the transfer portal and remain eligible to play next season is May 1.
Wong finished second on the Hurricanes in scoring average with 15.3 points per game in 2021-22. He was named to the All-ACC third team in each of the past two seasons.
He has declared for the NBA draft while maintaining his eligibility. He wasn't listed in Jonathan Wasserman's top-50 big board for Bleacher Report in February.
Miami went 26-11 last season, the third-most wins in a single season in school history. It was a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight before losing to Kansas.
No. 10 Miami Upsets Jabari Smith, No. 2 Auburn; Will Face Iowa State in Sweet 16
Mar 21, 2022
GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 20: Isaiah Wong #2 of the Miami (Fl) Hurricanes shoots past Dylan Cardwell #44 of the Auburn Tigers in the first half during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 20, 2022 in Greenville, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Miami Hurricanes are on their way to the Sweet 16 for the first time in six years after their 79-61win over the Auburn Tigers in the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament on Sunday.
Miami made the tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, as head coach Jim Larranaga's team had its best regular season since 2015-16 (23-10). It had to hold off a furious second-half rally from USC in the first round to advance this weekend.
Meanwhile, Auburn looked like a potential national-title contender coming into the tournament. The Tigers earned their highest seed (No. 2) since the 1998-99 campaign after going 27-5 during the regular season. They had no problems against Jacksonville State with an 80-61 win in the first round Friday.
After a close first half, Miami outscored Auburn 46-29in the second half to cruise to an easy win.
Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller, Charlie Moore and Kameron McGusty combined to score 68of the Hurricanes' points in the win.
Auburn's offense vanished with just 61 points, its fewest in a game since Jan. 25. The Tigers' inability to put the ball in the basket offset their 17-6offensive-rebound advantage.
The formula for Miami to succeed this season has been outscoring opponents. Larranaga's team finished the regular season ranked 35th in offensive rating (110.1).
Miami's offense didn't put its best foot forward against USC in the first round. It scored 68 points on 42.9 percent shooting (1-of-14 from three-point range).
On Sunday, even though the three-point shooting still wasn't there for Miami (3-of-15), everything else for the offense was on point.
Four of their five starters scored in double figures. Wong has been fantastic so far in the tournament, scoring 22 points against USC. The sophomore guard followed that up with 21 points against Auburn.
Wong also had arguably the best highlight of the tournament thus far when he put Jabari Smith on a poster in the first half.
McGusty had a solid bounceback game after a 5-of-18 performance against the Trojans. He had 20 points on 10-of-18 shooting vs. Auburn.
The duo of Wong and McGusty scored Miami's first eight points to start the second half when the team opened up a 41-32 lead.
In addition to their efficiency on two-point attempts, the Hurricanes were great at protecting the ball and creating additional opportunities. They had 19 assists to 4 turnovers in the win.
Consistency hasn't been there for Miami throughout the season. It went from beating Duke on Jan. 8 to losing to Florida State in its next game. It needed overtime to beat a 13-20 Boston College team in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.
If Larranaga and his staff can harness this performance going forward, though, the Hurricanes will continue to be a major factor in the tournament with their offensive upside.
Shooting Lets Tigers Down in Loss
A matchup with Miami seemed like it was designed to highlight a lot of the things that Auburn does well.
The Tigers ranked in the top 50 in offensive (108.9) and defensive efficiency (92.4), per Basketball Reference. Miami's defense was 227th in points allowed (70.9) and 281st in efficiency (104.6).
Instead, everything that could go wrong for Auburn pretty much did across the board. The team's 30.4 field-goal percentage matched its performance in a 67-62 loss against Texas A&M in the SEC tournament quarterfinals.
Miami nearly pitched a shutout on fast-break points in the game:
Walker Kessler, who was fourth on the Tigers with 11.7 points per game during the regular season, scored two points and didn't make a field goal Sunday.
Jabari Smith did have a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds, but he only made three of his 16 shot attempts. Smith and K.D. Johnson were the only Auburn starters to score in double figures.
Auburn been so awful. I know Jabari and Kessler both massive struggles, but going away from them and jackin contested 35 footers aint the way.
Jaylin Williams was the only Auburn player who can legitimately claim to have played a good game. The junior forward scored 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench, as he tried to provide a spark.
But nothing was working for head coach Bruce Pearl's team. He didn't have any way to stop the slide once it started, leading to a blowout loss and a frustrating end to what was one of the best seasons in program history.
Auburn's 28 wins are the third-most in school history. It reached No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time ever Jan. 24 and remained there for three weeks.
Pearl has done a fantastic job of making the Tigers into an annual title contender. He will almost certainly be able to reload for next season, but this loss will likely linger for some time because of how high the expectations were coming into the tournament.
What's Next?
Miami will play Iowa Statein the Sweet 16 on Friday.
4-Star PF Prospect AJ Casey Commits to Miami over Memphis, Michigan
Oct 15, 2021
Power forward AJ Casey is off the board, as the Chicago native has reportedly committed to play basketball for the Miami Hurricanes.
Travis Branham of 247Sports reported he chose Miami over Gonzaga, Michigan, Memphis, Ohio State, DePaul and others.
Casey is among the top recruits in the 2022 class. He's rated as a 4-star prospect, the 12th-best power forward and the No. 68 overall player in the nation, per 247Sports' composite rankings.
In October 2019, NBC Sports Chicago noted that Casey came into his own as a high school sophomore when he transferred from Simeon to Tinley Park:
"More limited to an interior role with Simeon during his freshman season on a veteran team that didn't need to run consistent offense through him, Casey flourished in the open floor of the camp setting with the ball in his hands. Handling the ball and scoring, Casey looked comfortable in the post or facing up. Casey's overall versatility at forward shined through as his development on the perimeter will be fascinating to watch this season."
Casey transferred again before his junior season to Whitney Young.
"We have actually been looking to move and have been looking for a house in the city for a while," he told Joe Henricksen of the Chicago Sun-Times in September. "We found a house and started thinking about schools and what would be best for me."
Regardless of where Casey has been playing basketball in high school, the 6'8" star has put himself on the map by being a versatile scorer who continues to develop range with his shooting touch.
The Hurricanes will be more than happy to have Casey's skill set on their roster for the 2022-23 season. He's capable of being a dynamic offensive player for head coach Jim Larranaga.
Miami's Anthony Lawrence II (3) drives against Wake Forest's Ikenna Smart (35) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, March 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The ACC tournament kicked off on Tuesday with three games on the schedule: Miami vs. Wake Forest, Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh vs. Boston College.
Below, we'll break down Tuesday's matchups and take a look at Wednesday's contests. For an updated bracket, be sure to check out NCAA.com.
Tuesday Results
Pittsburgh def. Boston College, 80-70
Trey McGowens and Xavier Johnson sent Pittsburgh to the second round of the ACC tournament.
The pair were excellent for the Panthers (14-18) in their 80-70 win over Boston College on Tuesday. McGowens led all scorers with 26 points, while Johnson chipped in 23. That spoiled a solid performance from Boston College's Nik Popovich (21 points, nine rebounds, two blocks).
The Eagles (14-17) were done in by their ice-cold shooting from the perimeter, as they finished just 6-of-25 from three (24 percent).
Pittsburgh's chances of playing postseason basketball are still contingent on them winning the ACC tournament and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney. That's a monumental long shot, but the Panthers took the first step on Tuesday night nonetheless.
Notre Dame def. Georgia Tech, 78-71
John Mooney and Notre Dame are still alive.
The Fighting Irish (14-18) advanced to the second round of the ACC tournament on Tuesday, knocking off the Yellow Jackets, 78-71, behind Mooney's 20 points and 10 rebounds. Dane Goodwin (15 points, five rebounds) and Nate Laszewski (14 points) also played key roles for Notre Dame.
That trio spoiled an excellent performance from Moses Wright, who had a season-high 25 points to go along with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Notre Dame won this game on the boards (13 offensive rebounds) and with clinical three-point shooting, hitting on 8-of-14 threes (57.1 percent). Georgia Tech's inability to get to the line (2-of-7 from the charity stripe) didn't help their cause.
It's the end of the road for the Yellow Jackets (14-18), while Notre Dame still has an outside shot at March Madness if they somehow pull off a wild series of upsets and win the ACC tournament.
Miami def. Wake Forest, 79-71
The Miami Hurricanes (14-17) kept their incredibly slim NCAA tournament hopes alive Tuesday, defeating Wake Forest 79-71 in the first round of the ACC tournament.
Dejan Vasiljevic (21 points, six rebounds) and Anthony Lawrence II (20 points, 10 rebounds and three steals) were excellent for the Hurricanes, while Chris Lykes chipped in 13 points, five boards and four assists.
Freshman Jaylen Hoard (16 points, seven boards) and Brandon Childress (16 points, five rebounds, five assists) led the way for the Demon Deacons (11-20).
Wake Forest's turnover issues hurt them in this contest, as Miami scored 19 points off of Wake's 15 giveaways. Miami also held the advantage at the foul line, finishing 18-of-25 from the charity stripe compared to 10-of-16 for Wake.
Miami opened up a 12-point advantage halfway through the second half, though the Demon Deacons were able to trim the deficit to four with a minute remaining. That was as close as they would get, however.
For the Demon Deacons, Tuesday's loss ends their season. Miami is still alive, though, and could even guarantee themselves a berth in the NCAA tournament with a triumph at the ACC event. That's incredibly unlikely, given the talented teams they'd have to beat along the way, but it's nonetheless still a possibility.
