“There’s Only One Way to Play, You Gotta Give It Your All”

Luke Skaljac nearly gave me a heart attack twice Monday night. Frustration in the first half, excitement in the second. Apparently, basketball season is officially back.

Miami opened with an 86–77 road win at James Madison, turning a six-point halftime deficit into a nine-point victory. The shooting improved, the bench contributed and the RedHawks made almost every free throw they attempted. There was plenty to like, even with a defensive rebounding problem worth taking home.

Then Evan Ipsaro gave the postgame interview a line that fit the evening: “There’s only one way to play, you gotta give it your all!” He also said he felt great. After watching his activity on both ends, that was an encouraging way to finish the night.

Offense: The threes finally joined the party

Miami went 1-for-8 from three in the first half. That is a difficult way to introduce a team I spent the preseason getting excited about spreading the floor.

The second half looked considerably more familiar: 7-for-16 from deep and 51 points. Miami found enough outside shooting to complement an offense that finished with 46 points in the paint. The RedHawks didn’t need every jumper to fall, but making a few certainly improved my evening.

Skaljac finished with 19 points, five assists and three steals, including a 3-for-6 night from three and perfect 6-for-6 free-throw shooting. It wasn’t spotless, but the final line explains why I’m happy to keep living through the occasional frustrating stretch.

Ipsaro looked lively from his first basket and finished with 15 points, five assists, four steals and one turnover. His 4-for-13 shooting leaves room for improvement. His ability to contribute while those shots weren’t consistently falling was the more encouraging part.

And Stevie Elam made his minutes count: 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting, five rebounds, two steals and no turnovers. That is an excellent way to introduce yourself to a new fan base.

Defense: Finish the possession

My loudest complaint was the offensive rebounding Miami allowed. JMU grabbed 16 offensive boards, and one possession in my notes featured three of them. Getting the first miss is useful. Watching the opponent retrieve it repeatedly is significantly less enjoyable.

But the complete picture deserves some balance. Miami won the rebounding battle 44–39, collected 13 offensive rebounds itself and scored 20 second-chance points. This wasn’t a team getting pushed around everywhere. It was a team that still needs to finish more defensive possessions.

Justin Kirby gave me exactly the kind of effort I was excited to watch. On one sequence, he attacked the rim, missed and bounced straight back up to finish his own shot. The man appeared to have brought a pogo stick. He finished with nine points and nine rebounds, three on the offensive end.

Antwone Woolfolk supplied 10 rebounds with eight points, while Kyle Waltz added seven boards and two blocks off the bench. Those contributions mattered on a night when JMU made 14 threes.

The bench gave Miami something real

Elam led a 25-point bench contribution, but he wasn’t the only useful piece. Waltz scored six, Tyler Robbins added four points and three rebounds in 11 minutes, and freshman Alan Horton scored in his five-minute appearance.

Robbins getting minutes behind Woolfolk was one of my rotation notes. I also liked Horton’s first finish, using the rim to protect the ball from a block attempt. One game doesn’t settle everyone’s role, but it gave us something more useful than another preseason guess.

The verdict: A good road win with homework attached

Miami shot 16-for-17 at the line, with Skaljac and Ipsaro combining for 11-for-12. In a competitive road opener, those are points you cannot casually leave behind.

The RedHawks also answered a poor shooting half without letting it define the night. There are things to clean up, particularly the extra chances conceded, but winning while identifying those problems is a perfectly acceptable way to begin.

Someone in my group chat pulled up my 84–78 prediction next to the 86–77 final and told me I was “kinda sharp.” I appreciate him documenting this before the next prediction ruins my credibility.