CaneSport TV: Miami Hurricanes G Wooga Poplar says with Wong, Miller gone he has to be ready for bigger role, no excuses

Perhaps national experts aren’t taking much notice of Miami Hurricanes junior guard Wooga Poplar. After all, he wasn’t among the team’s top four scorers last year, averaging 8.4 points, and his rebounding (3.3 per game) and assist totals (1.5) won’t wow you.

But look beyond that stats and you see why Miami coach Jim Larranaga thinks Poplar is going to be a sure-fire NBA draft pick.

Poplar has perfected his pullup jumper, is as solid as you want from three-point range (37.5 percent makes last year) and his defense is off-the-charts good.

MIAMI COACH JIM LARRANAGA PREVIEWS SEASON

“(Poplar) is fantastic,” Larranaga said. “He’s got this year and one more, but I don’t know if we’re going to be able to hold onto him. He’s definitely an NBA prospect, we have a ton of NBA people at our practices. Wooga is a great competitor, has worked really hard to become a heck of a defensive player. I love it when he rebounds, because that adds another dimension like Bruce Brown was a great rebounder, was a guard. But Wooga is a phenomenal three-point shooter and may be the best pullup jump shooter in the country. His pullup jump shot is as good as any NBA player.”

So go ahead and pencil – no, pen – Poplar in as one of the key guys ready to step up with Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller gone. The other top returners are PG Nijel Pack (13.6 PPG) and big man Norchad Omier (13.1 PPG, 10.0 RPG), and the team also added forward Matthew Cleveland from FSU (13.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG).

“I like doing whatever I need to do for the team to get better or win – that’s what I’m going to do,” Poplar said. “If I need to be in that complementary role, I’ll be in that complementary role. … Isaiah and Jordan left, I have to step up and be in a bigger role. That’s the role I’ll take on now. I have to be ready for it, no excuses.”

A sign of Poplar’s potential scoring pop: He had 31 points in a preseason scrimmage loss to the Florida Gators.

What did he do to improve this offseason?

“The offseason working out three times a day to build on what I’ve been working on, try to get (better at what people) say I can’t do, can’t dribble and shoot off the dribble,” Poplar said. “I’ve had a pullup jumper, just you can’t see what you don’t show.

“(I was) working on everything I need to get better at.”

Poplar, listed at 6-5 and 197 pounds, arrived in the Class of 2021 as a four-star out of Philadelphia, Pa. As a freshman off the bench he averaged 2.3 points and 1.4 rebounds, then last season he started in 36 games.

“When I got here I didn’t know a lot of stuff,” Poplar said. “Just learning from fellow players, taking it day by day.”

Poplar says this year’s team isn’t different other than personnel, with the same level of potential.

“I don’t see it really different,” he said. “Just have to work on playing with each other.”

“I feel we can go farther than we did last year, honestly.”

Wooga Poplar

How does Poplar feel knowing it’s his turn to step up for this Miami program?

“It feels normal,” he said. “I’ve been doing it my whole life, basically. I’m just in the moment right now. We’ll see how it goes.”

Now the goal is to once again make the Final Four … and then get beyond that.

“New players, a new team, we are just getting together and trying to build on what we did last year,” Poplar said. “I feel we have some key pieces right now and just need to keep going. … We just need to get in that gym and work.

“I feel we can go farther than we did last year, honestly.”