Miami freshman guard Kyshawn George seizing opportunity with Louisville up next tonight: “It’s just me getting confidence in the team”

Growing up in Switzerland as a young child, playing collegiate basketball had long been a dream of Miami Hurricanes freshman guard Kyshawn George. As the son of former Div. I forward Deon George, who played at St. Francis (PA) from 1990–94, college basketball had always been on the mind of a young George, who became one of the top foreign prep recruits in the class of 2023 after attending Lycée Emiland Gauthey in France and playing for French club Élan Chalon.

After spending four years playing with Élan Chalon’s U21 and the club’s top team, George decided to leave France behind and chase his college basketball dreams, which landed him in Miami. 

“First of all, it’s always been a dream of mine to play NCAA basketball,” George said. “Since I was a kid watching March Madness games, I’ve always wanted to play in that atmosphere. When I got the opportunity, I was looking forward to it. Then it was me deciding what I wanted deep inside. Whether it was to stay in France or come play in America. I think it was the best situation for me in America in Miami. I just felt comfortable with the place, coaching staff, and players. I just felt comfortable with everyone, and it was a no-brainer.”

Coming off a career night in the Hurricanes 86-82 loss against Wake Forest where he scored a season-high 21 points while grabbing eight rebounds, George is finding his stride and making the most of his opportunity at hand with Miami starting guard Wooga Poplar sidelined with an injury.

His next opportunity to shine will be tonight at 7 p.m. at the Watsco Center when Miami faces off against Louisville.

In Miami’s last four games, George has gone over double digits in each of those matchups and is now averaging 7.1 points and 3 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the field. In the Hurricanes’ previous 10 contests, George eclipsed over 10 points just once in a blowout win over Long Island University, where he netted 13 points.

“I think it’s just me getting confidence in the team and the team getting confidence in me,” George said. “I know Coach L puts a lot of trust in his players, and I thank him for that. It’s just me being able to play my game, getting a little more playing time, and taking advantage of that. Giving effort every day on the court and trying to make the right play every time.”

Hurricanes head coach Jim Larrañaga spoke about George and how the Swiss native ended up in the orange and green.

“Very interestingly, a year ago, I got a call from Jonathan Givony, and he gave me a heads up that a player playing in France that was born and raised in Switzerland he had watched play and had some good potential,” Larrañaga said. “Even though he was not playing much for the team he was on, we might take a look at him if we were interested in a guard. We reached out to the young man and his dad, and it turns out Bill Courtney played against Kyshawn’s dad in college. As soon as we made contact with the young man and his dad, we hit it off right away.” 

While other teams, such as LSU and Illinois, wanted to get George in for a visit following the conclusion of their season last year, Larrañaga made it a priority to get George on campus as soon as possible, which happened to be on New Year’s Day following the Hurricanes’ matchup against Notre Dame last season.

With his busy schedule playing abroad for Élan Chalon and that team wanting to keep him in France, getting George to Miami was no easy task but something Larrañaga knew he had to do.

“He had a game every week, and he had practice every day he didn’t,” Larrañaga said. “So when he visited us it was over the New Year’s break. Because when I said to him, ‘When do you want to come?’ he told us he had games or practice. I said ‘Find me a weekend when you can come.’ We took the chance and brought him in, while the other schools put it off. The whole key for me was the other schools said we’d bring you in after the season was over. I said to him, `We can’t wait that long, and we want you here. If you’re going to wait until May, there are other guys that will become available that we will need to recruit. We won’t recruit them if you’re coming.’ He said to me in a WhatsApp conversation that he wanted to come.”

After initially watching tape on George, who was 6-foot-5 at the time, Larrañaga believed George had all the makings of a great guard who could play multiple positions for Miami.

“He was about a 6-5 shooting guard with some ball skills, and we thought he could play some point, and he was big enough to play the three,” Larrañaga added. “So we offered him a scholarship. We asked his pro team to watch him practice, and they said absolutely not; we’re trying to keep him. We invited him for a visit, and we were playing Notre Dame in South Bend on New Year’s Eve. Kyshawn and his mom and dad flew in, and we weren’t there. We checked him in a hotel long distance, and we got back late. We called him and said `We’ll see you tomorrow.’ We picked him up; there were no students around because the campus was closed, so we just drove him around campus, met with him, talked, showed him video, and told him what we thought his potential was. Even back then we didn’t know who was returning because of the transfer portal or who might go pro, but we thought he would fit very well with us.”

Now George stands at 6-foot-8.

“He went back and played pro in France, and he signed with us. He showed up in July, and he was 6-7,” Larrañaga said. “He was 6-5, 180, and now he was 6-7, 190. We put him in the weight program, and by the time the team photo was taken in October, he was 6-8 and 200 pounds. So from a player’s point of view and a coach’s point of view, he’s already done some things to help his game. He’s gotten taller, heavier, and stronger, and we haven’t even talked about basketball yet.”

While his physical growth off the court has been impressive, Larrañaga has also been extremely pleased with his development on the hardwood. Although everything did not come easy for George at first, his hard work and dedication to his craft has earned him a key role in this year’s Miami squad.

“When you get on the court, you see he’s an effortless shooter,” Larrañaga said. “He’s got great range and a beautiful touch, but the best part is that he’s really smart and knows how to play. He’s played with older guys for a long time and has played in Europe, where skill is really emphasized. He comes in as a freshman with a lot to learn because the game is so much faster. Now he’s progressed so well. He’s playing faster, stronger, with more confidence, and more aggressively. I’m still kicking him in the butt to play more aggressively. I had him in my office yesterday working on his dribbling. In my office. But he understood because he’s a very good student of the game, and he’s just going to get better and better.”

Recruiting stories like George’s are one of the many things that keep Larrañaga’s spark and love for college basketball alive and well. Especially when they turn out successful like George has in the early stages of his career in Miami.

“They’re fun because we have no idea if they’re any good,” Larrañaga said. “You watch guys on tape; you don’t know how good the competition is; you don’t know how tall he is; it says he’s 6-5 or 6-6; well, maybe he’s 6-3. We basically took a shot, and it worked out.”

Miami’s Norchad Omier talks Louisville matchup

Heading into Miami’s matchup against the Louisville Cardinals, Hurricanes forward Norchad Omier has played some of the best basketball of his career over the last five games. Over that stretch, Omier is averaging 22.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 67.7 percent from the field and 92 percent from the free throw line.

He hopes to keep that going against the Cardinals, who enter the contest the loser of three straight. Despite the recent skid, Omier is not taking Louisville lightly whatsoever.

“We just have to prepare like we prepare for any other game,” Omier said. “The ACC is a great league, and Louisville has been good over the years and could have a great game. We just have to come in focused and do what we do well and what we’ve been working on. Focus on Miami basketball and take care of the home court.”

The post Miami freshman guard Kyshawn George seizing opportunity with Louisville up next tonight: “It’s just me getting confidence in the team” appeared first on On3.