OXFORD, Ohio — The Miami RedHawks are quickly becoming the darlings of Mid-Major college basketball. Miami boasting a 14-4 record (6-0 in MAC conference play) is by far the best start Head Coach Travis Steele has had with the RedHawks during his three years at the helm.
“I think you know every decision I've made the first two years has been about year three, we want to build this program back up to where it used to be. Miami's the all-time winningest program in the MAC, albeit it's been a few years, so I knew it was going to take a little bit of time to get in, get it turned around, but we really want to lay out the culture, you know, get the foundation right,” Steele said.
Culture is an aspect of team building that Steele continuously emphasizes, focusing on keeping consistency on his roster during the ever-changing landscape of NCAA athletics.
“Number one, we've used high school as our as our main source of recruitment. A lot of schools aren't doing that anymore, they're just going straight transfer portal. We want to try to form some continuity. I think that's really important. Secondly, we only take guys in the portal that we really know. We don't want to just go take somebody that's just averaging 15-16 points per game at a random school. That could mess up your culture very quickly,” Steele said.
Steele’s philosophy is proving to work. The RedHawks played five freshmen consistently last season. One of the team’s biggest success stories is the rise of Taft High School alum Eian Elmer, who is averaging 12.2 points per game.
The RedHawks rely on running the ball up the court and very high offensive efficiency. Miami is currently shooting 50.1% from the field (549-1096) and 39.8% from beyond the arc (193-485).
The team's top scorer is sophomore Kam Craft with 15.2 points per game, a player that Steele recruited while at Xavier, and who followed him to Miami.
Watch an interview with Steele below:
Miami’s goal for 2025 is simple.
“Get to the NCAA tournament and then advance,” Steele said.
The RedHawks travel to Akron to take on the Zips Saturday. Akron’s Head Coach, John Groce, is Travis Steele’s brother.
Tip-off between Miami and Akron is Saturday at 2 p.m.
