According to head coach Jai Lucas, Dante Allen is Miami’s sixth starter.
Though he’s come off the bench in Miami’s first two games, Allen leads the Hurricanes in assists (4.0 per game). He has averaged 5.5 points and just 1.0 turnover.
Allen will try to keep it going on Monday night, when the No. 14 Hurricanes (1-1) welcome North Florida (1-1) to Coral Gables, Fla.
“Dante has the ability to be a utility player,” Lucas said. “He gives us a different way of playing.”
A 6-foot-3 combo guard, Allen plays extremely fast, taking the ball to the bucket with a variety of spin moves. He also plays smart — after all, he is the son of Malik Allen, a former NBA player who is now a Miami Heat assistant coach.
“Dante could easily be a starter,” Lucas said. “He’s a guy we rely on.”
Indeed, Allen is Miami’s captain, which is quite an honor for a sophomore reserve.
Overall, though, Lucas is not happy with the way Miami is playing. After a 77-67 loss to No. 1 Florida to open the season, the Hurricanes played “bad” — according to Lucas — in an 83-57 home win over Wagner.
Lucas said he is still trying to find the right rotation to make Miami excel.
Point guard Acaden Lewis leads Miami in scoring (14.5 ppg), and five-star freshman Caleb Gaskins (7.5 ppg) has shown flashes of his immense talent. The other starters include reigning first-team All-ACC star Malik Reneau; Shelton Henderson, who attacks the rim relentlessly; and center Somto Cyril, who led the SEC in blocks last season while playing for Georgia.
In fact, it was Miami’s defense — including nine second-half steals — that clinched the win over Wagner on Friday.
“It’s the easiest way to score,” Lucas said of his team’s steals. “You usually get a layup or a dunk.”
Lucas said he wants his team to play with that same intensity at all times, and Reneau agrees.
“We have to play with more force,” Reneau said. “We have to find our purpose.”
Meanwhile, North Florida (1-1) has a tough travel task after it lost 114-63 to No. 22 UCLA on Friday night in Los Angeles.
The Ospreys’ top player is 6-foot-2 guard Kent Jackson, a preseason All-Atlantic Sun first-team selection. He is one of North Florida’s three returning starters and is averaging 13.0 points.
Mason Lee, who led the Ospreys in rebounds last season, and BJ Plummer are the other returning starters. Plummer has come off the bench so far this season and averaged 7.0 points.
Bobby Kennen, who went 7-25 overall and 5-13 in conference play in 2025-26, has returned for his second season as a head coach at any level.
Kennen’s key transfer was Ayuba Bryant Jr. from Temple. Bryant, a member of Belgium’s national team, has posted 9.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
So far, Bryant has fit the Ospreys well, and Kennen said he needs to continue to find players like him.
“As you build a team, there are two things that are important,” Kennen said. “One is identifying talent, and the second is finding out if they are going to be right for our culture. We have to make sure we have the right people in the building.”
–Field Level Media
