Jim Larranaga discusses elevation of Norchad Omier’s game on both ends

After Miami handled Duke 81-59 last week, head coach Jim Larranaga shared praise for how far Norchad Omier has come since joining the team. The Hurricanes forward joined the team after two seasons at Arkansas State, bringing a physical presence to the post despite being only 6’7″ and playing primarily inside the paint.

In the win against the Blue Devils, Omier posted a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double against two of the nation’s best young big men in Dereck Lively and Kyle Filipowski.

Jim Larranaga on Norchad Omier’s development

Although Omier has established himself as a paint presence, the first points of the game actually came off a three-point make — his first of the season and just the second of his college career.

Larranaga spoke with media members about how an Omier three-pointer became the first points of the game on Monday before highlighting how impressive his play has been this year.

“You know it’s funny,” laughed Larranaga while discussing Omier’s three-point shot. “I’ve talked to him since he got here. I said if you want to shoot a three, there are two things. Number one, before you ever shoot it you gotta believe it’s gonna go in. You’ve gotta have that kind of confidence. And the second is you gotta be sure it’s a good shot. Don’t take just any old three. And because they backed off of him, and he was so fired up… and he makes them in practice. No, he doesn’t make them every day, he doesn’t look for them every day. But when they backed off and gave him the look, he was very very focused, I’m sure very confident. And it got us off to a great start because his teammates were sitting off to the sideline saying ‘man that’s the first three Norchad’s made.’ Then all of a sudden he makes another one and they’re like ‘oh man he’s on fire.’

Larranaga continued by highlighting the impact his third-year sophomore has on games as an undersized big man — calling attention to the Duke duo he outplayed.

“You gotta understand what it’s like for a guy who’s 6’7” going against two seven-footers who are gonna be NBA first-round draft picks. It isn’t okay, seven feet but he doesn’t play that much. No, these guys are gonna get drafted whenever they turn pro… Dereck Lively is the preseason Rookie of the Year and Filipowski is probably gonna be the Rookie of the Year. So they’ve got two of the very best freshman and big guys in the league.

“Norchad at 6’7″, 245-pounds… he has to deal with that every night. And I know he did not have to deal with that when he was at Arkansas State for two years. So the elevation of his game, the advancement he has made offensively and defensively is tremendous. And to be honest, he’s just scratching the surface. He’s got such a high ceiling because when you have his kind of athletic ability the sky’s the limit.”