Hosting Miami, Lions' top assistant Fisher to face mentor Larrañaga
Updated 3:15 p.m. to reflect official announcement with date and time.
The next piece of the scheduling puzzle is in place for Penn State's 2021-22 campaign, according to a Monday afternoon announcement, first reported by Jon Rothstein.
As part of the annual 14-game crossover series between the Big Ten and ACC, the Nittany Lions will host the Miami Hurricanes at the Bryce Jordan Center on Wednesday, Dec. 1.
The matchup between the Nittany Lions and Hurricanes has some immediate intrigue given Adam Fisher's coaching history at Miami. Penn State's top assistant under Micah Shrewsberry, Fisher spent six seasons coaching alongside veteran Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga.
Upon taking the job at Penn State, announced as Shrewsberry's first hire shortly after his announcement as the Nittany Lions' new head coach, Fisher emphasized the critical importance and influence Larrañaga made on his career.
"Coach L has meant everything," Fisher told BWI, recounting his ascent from a director of operations position into an assistant coaching slot with Miami. "He gave me a chance to become an assistant coach... He is one of the greatest coaches I've ever been around, but one of the greatest people, so I owe him everything."
In his time with Larrañaga, Fisher continued, he picked up many of the coaching philosophies and approaches that have come to shape his perspective toward the job.
"I really learned from him how to treat people. He just treats everybody, he is first class, no matter who it is. Your walk on, your star player, the bus driver and athletic director; he treats everybody the same with a great amount of respect. And I think that's something that I will always take, the way he interacted with everybody, and his ability to stay positive, through any situation," Fisher said.
Miami comes into the 2021-22 season having endured a down year, finishing 10-17 overall with an NCAA NET ranking of No. 153 for the season. The Hurricanes notched just a 4-15 mark against ACC opponents, winning twice in the conference tournament against Pitt in the first round and Clemson in the second before falling to Georgia Tech.
Miami's leading scorer, sophomore guard Isaiah Wong, announced for the NBA Draft in April but maintained his NCAA eligibility. He was not included in the list of NBA Combine invitees this summer after notching 17.1 points per game last season with the Hurricanes. Fellow guard Kameron McGusty (13.0 points per game), the Hurricanes' second-leading scorer last season, also declared for the draft but similarly maintained his eligibility. Neither has announced whether or not they will remain in the draft pool ahead of a July 7 deadline to choose to return to school or not.
Penn State's other set non conference matchups include Youngstown State in the home-opener at the BJC, plus St. Francis (Brooklyn), LSU, and either Wake Forest or Oregon State as part of a Thanksgiving weekend Emerald Coast Classic tournament to be held in Niceville, Fla.
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