With the Miami Hurricanes football team marred by mediocrity, it seems everyone on campus wants a piece of the school's basketball team. Even the football players.
Cornerback Corn Elder and receiver D'Mauri Jones are reportedly in the process of joining the basketball team. They'll be practice squad players at first, and both will remain on the football team.
Elder, a 5'10" rising junior out of Tennessee, came to Miami with hopes of playing both sports. He played point guard in high school and helped lead his team to three state championships. In fact, he was ranked a three-star basketball recruit and received scholarship offers from several mid-major programs. But an early injury dashed his hopes of walking on to the basketball team.
Both Elder and Jones will likely help give the team depth during practice and won't see much, if any, time on the court this season.
"One of the keys to our success is game preparation,'' head coach Jim Larranaga told the Miami Herald. "Corn Elder and D'Mauri Jones can really help us in that category. They are two terrific young men and great athletes. We greatly appreciate Al Golden and his staff for allowing them to join us at this time.''
Neither player is officially on the team yet.
The Hurricanes are off to a 11-4 start and will travel to play Duke tomorrow.
The last time Miami's basketball and football teams shared talent, it paved the way for Jimmy Graham, originally a basketball player, to become one of the NFL's elite tight ends.
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