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Top players Safford and Mirambeaux confirmed to be out for Miami men’s basketball

<p>Morgan Safford (left) no longer attends Miami University. It’s not confirmed when Miami basketball expects Anderson Mirambeaux (right) to return.</p>

Morgan Safford (left) no longer attends Miami University. It’s not confirmed when Miami basketball expects Anderson Mirambeaux (right) to return.

On Monday at Miami basketball’s preseason media day, Miami University men’s basketball associate head coach Rob Summers confirmed that top players Morgan Safford and Anderson Mirambeaux are currently unavailable to the RedHawk team. 

Safford no longer attends Miami and is not listed in the student directory. Summers said he’s no longer with the program.

Mirambeaux is still a student at the university according to the directory, but Summers did not confirm when the RedHawks expect him back.

Safford and Mirambeaux were the second and third leading scorers for Miami last season. 

Safford averaged 15.4 points per game (ppg), 5.9 rebounds per game (rpg) and 2.4 assists per game (apg) while shooting 47% from the floor and nearly 80% from the foul line. Mirambeaux averaged 14.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.6 apg, shooting 54% from the floor and 77% from the foul line.

Safford was a team captain and won 12 “black jersey” awards, which honor the Player of the Week in practice for Miami. Head coach Travis Steele said last year that he’s never had a player win the award that many times in a season over his coaching career.

Miami’s leading scorer from last season, Mekhi Lairy (17.3 ppg), graduated. So the RedHawks now have to replace more than 45 points per game. 

With one of its best first-year recruiting classes in years coming to Oxford this year in addition to multiple accomplished transfers, RedHawk fans were optimistic about Miami men’s basketball in Steele’s second season. A top third finish in the Mid-American Conference seemed like a realistic possibility. 

Now, the RedHawks can count on just two of their top 10 scorers from 2022-23 being ready to start the season. The team will have to rely on first-years to play big minutes, especially down low. That’s rarely a recipe for success in any college sport.

The RedHawks open their season on Monday, Nov. 6 at the University of Evansville. The home opener is Saturday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. against Texas State University.

@jackschmelznger

schmelj2@miamioh.edu

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