Basketball transfer Lynn Kidd is quickly establishing himself in the middle for the Miami Hurricanes and that can only mean good things

Twice before while recruiting Gainesville basketball product Lynn Kidd, Jim Larranaga called and called and called and was left empty-handed in the end as Kidd chose Clemson in his recruitment out of high school and then Virginia Tech out of the transfer portal a year later.

But when Kidd went back in the portal this spring in search of a final collegiate home where he could advance his game for pro scouts, Larranaga decided to make one more phone call.

The coach opened his contacts and scrolled down to where Kidd’s cell phone number remained in his address book. Larranaga hit call and Kidd answered immediately. A day later, Kidd committed to the Hurricanes and it didn’t take too many minutes of watching a recent team workout to understand just how massive of a pickup Kidd could be for the retooled Hurricanes, who will have 10 new faces on this year’s team.

Kidd stands a legit 6-11 and is a true inside presence that Miami has not had in recent times. He can post-up and make nifty moves with either hand. He can step back and hit short jumpers. He plays intense defense and is a force on the boards.

Kidd just might be Miami’s best player this season.

“He (Jim Larranaga) is a really good coach,” Kidd said about his decision to come to Miami. “It was one of my top schools both times and I felt it was the perfect situation. I’m back in my home state and I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me. I’m excited to be here.”

If Kidd could do it all over again, maybe he just comes to Miami in the first place. He shunned hometown Florida and went to Clemson because he liked the wide-open style of play in the ACC better than the SEC.

In his freshman year, he played in just seven games, totaling eight points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

Kidd then transferred to Virginia Tech, where he appeared in 10 games the next season, but was an insignificant contributor. He didn’t play more than six minutes in any contest.

In his second year at Tech, things got a little better. Kidd played in all 34 games, drawing five starts. He scored 171 points, which is just 5.03 points per game, but after scoring just 15 points in his previous two years combined it seemed like a really big move forward. He had 10 games of 10 or more points, including a career-high 14 points against NC State and recorded a career-high 10 rebounds vs. Delaware State in the season opener on Nov. 7. He also shot an impressive 66.4% (77-116) from the floor and registered 26 games where he shot at least 50%.

The combination of it all ratcheted up expectations for his senior season. Kidd started every game for the Hokies, averaging 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. That made hm the ACC leader in points per game improvement from the prior season (+8.2) and his 434 points on the season were more than double the 186 points he scored in the previous three seasons combined.

Kidd also led the ACC and ranked third nationally in field-goal percentage at 66.8% (177-265) and racked up five double-doubles on the season, had five games of 20 or more points, and recorded a career-high 15 rebounds twice on the season against Campbell and Florida State.

That is the player Miami is getting and it is extremely obvious as he practices with his new teammates. Kidd now has confidence to go with his game and that makes him potentially lethal on both ends of the floor.

“He was honest with me, honest with me from the jump,” Kidd said of Larranaga. “He told me what it is, what I need to do, how I need to improve. A lot of guys, they don’t tell me what I don’t want to hear. They just tell me things I want to hear to gas my head up. He (was honest) every time. I respect that, and that’s why I came.”

Miami is rebuilding from the ground up with only guard Nijel Pack, forward Matthew Cleveland and forward Paul Djobet back from last year’s team which lumbered through a 15-17 season. But Kidd has been impressed with the transfer group that Larranaga has put together to mix with four true freshman from traditional recruiting.

“We’re great, man. I’m impressed, honestly,” he said. “We’re really good, I think we’ll have a great season going forward.”

He knows it is unusual for a player to compete for three different schools during a single college career. another move was especially surprising with Kidd after the year he had last season for the Hokies.

“Just new opportunities, I guess,” Kidd said when asked to explain his decision to transfer. “I’m just trying to make the best decisions for me and my career. It’s been working out so far, so I’m going to keep following my gut and trusting myself moving forward.”

The process of selecting Miami was much simpler for him the third time around than the decisions he made coming out of high school or after a single year at Clemson.

“I understand a lot more about teams and how they play,” Kidd said. “When I was coming out of high school, you don’t understand the game as much. It’s kind of hard. You don’t really know what you’re looking for.

“Being a couple of years in college, I understand what I am looking for now, what I need. We have a way faster style of play here. I feel that fits my game more. I’m more a transition type of player. It’s more fun, more exciting. I feel like I made a good decision coming here. I see the ability to make tough shots. A lot of good players make really tough shots, Miami’s always known for that – fast break, pace of play. And that’s really important, something I want to be a part of. So I came.”

The humidity of Miami, particularly in the summer, has been an adjustment, but the way he sees it, that’s why there is a pool in the middle of campus.

Beyond that, Kidd is simply recognizing that he’s the older guy in the basketball program now and is trying to establish his presence on the team so that he then can be a leader.

“I try to tell them what I should have heard when I was younger, things I didn’t know or understand,” Kidd said. “I try to guide them (Miami’s younger players) the best I can. Older guys in the past did that for me. I try to return the favor to help them moving forward.”

Miami will be different with Kidd in the middle. But everybody is very hopeful that will mean that the Hurricanes are moving forward too.