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 | Position:
Head Coach
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| Experience:
Seven Seasons
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| Alma Mater:
Elon, 1988
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Frank Haith served as the head coach of the University of Miami men's basketball program for seven seasons, ushering the Hurricanes into the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004-05 and was at the helm through the 2010-11 season.
Taking over the program on April 12, 2004 -- in what then-Athletic Director Paul Dee referred to as "an important event in the evolution and history of Hurricane basketball" -- Haith helped bring Miami back into the national spotlight.
In seven seasons, Haith led the Hurricanes to five postseason appearances and earned more postseason wins than any other coach in Miami men's basketball history, while posting the second-highest winning percentage (.561) among UM coaches. Under Haith's guidance, the Hurricanes advanced past the first round of postseason play in back-to-back seasons (2007-08, 2008-09) and in each of their last four trips to the postseason.
In 2010-11, Haith led second-seeded Miami into the quarterfinal (elite eight) of the National Invitation Tournament after earning a pair of postseason home wins versus Florida Atlantic and Missouri State. The team played in a school-record 36 games, going 21-15 overall, including wins over Ole Miss, West Virginia, Boston College, Virginia and Maryland, while setting school records in three-point field goals made (283) and attempted (750). It marked the Hurricanes' third 20-win season in the last four years, with Haith leading Miami to three of its six 20-win seasons since the return of the program in 1985-86.
In addition, Haith led Miami to a still-active streak of 22-straight non-conference home wins and knocked off a ranked opponent 14 times.
Last season, a pair of Hurricanes were recognized for their efforts as junior Malcolm Grant earned All-ACC Third Team honors and sophomore Reggie Johnson picked up All-ACC honorable mention accolades - continuing Haith's streak of having a student-athlete named to an all-conference team in all seven seasons as league members.
Haith also continued to produce some of the best perimeter shooters in the ACC, as Grant finished the year leading the league in three-point percentage at 42.3 percent. His achievement marked the third-straight season, and the fourth time in the last five years, that Miami has had the league's most accurate three-point shooter.
Haith also helped Johnson make a name for himself as a prominent big man in the ACC, pulling down 13 double-doubles and registering 347 rebounds - the most for a Hurricane since Rick Barry recorded a school-record 475 in 1964-65.
In addition, he was one of 31 coaches from around the nation serving on the Regional Advisory Committee, per an invitation from the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
In 2009-10, Haith led the Hurricanes to a 15-1 start for just the second time in program history and the first since 1959-60, while finishing the non-conference schedule with a perfect 14-0 record. The Hurricanes were back into the Top 25 for the third consecutive season, ranked No. 23 on Jan. 11, following a thrilling 67-66 victory over Wake Forest. Haith then guided Miami into the ACC Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history.
Haith's reputation as a top recruiter and developer of talent was evident with the 2009 recruiting class ranked among the nation's Top 25 by both ESPN and Scout, as then-freshman Durand Scott became the first Hurricane to be selected to the ACC's All-Rookie Team. A program-best four-time ACC Rookie of the Week honoree, Scott was just the second freshman in school history to register 100 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in a single season, while his 104 assists was the most by a UM freshman in 15 years. Johnson (Second Team) joined Scott (First Team) on the ACC All-Tournament Team - becoming the first pair of Hurricanes to garner the accolades.
USA BASKETBALL
Over the summer of 2009, Haith expanded his coaching duties by serving as an assistant coach on Bo Ryan's staff for USA Basketball's World University Games men's basketball team. The team -- comprised of some of the top collegiate basketball players in the country -- practiced at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., in July before departing for the Games in Serbia where the team went 6-1 en route to a bronze medal.
ALL-ACADEMIC
In addition to all of the success Haith's teams have seen on the court at Miami, what could be considered his greatest asset to the program is his emphasis for achievement in the classroom. In his first six years, 20 of 21 players who exhausted eligibility have earned a degree from UM. Thomas -- who wrapped up his sixth season as a Hurricane in 2011 -- makes 21 Hurricanes under Haith to earn his degree, graduating in 2009. Two more `Canes - Grant and Julian Gamble - are on track to earn their diplomas in May 2011, while Thomas will add a master's degree.
Before wrapping up his collegiate career, Jack McClinton was a two-time ACC All-Academic Team selection, recipient of the 2008-09 Skip Prosser Award given to the ACC's top men's basketball scholar-athlete, recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award from the ACC for outstanding performance in both athletics and academics and was tapped into Iron Arrow -- the highest honor attainable at the University of Miami. With 10 All-ACC Men's Basketball Academic Team selections over the last six years, Miami trails only Duke over that span.
PLAY ON
After a thrilling run to the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Haith's Hurricanes opened the 2008-09 season ranked among the nation's Top 25 in both preseason polls for just the second time in UM history.
UM was No. 16 in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' Poll -- tying the highest preseason ranking in program history -- and No. 17 in the preseason Associated Press Poll -- marking the team's highest preseason ranking in that poll. Miami -- who was also picked to finish fourth in the ACC in a poll by media members -- was among four ACC teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 and was the highest ranked team in Florida in both preseason polls.
Playing the nation's sixth-toughest conference schedule while competing in the top-ranked Atlantic Coast Conference, the Hurricanes went on to win 13 of their first 16 games en route to a 19-13 finish, advancing to the second round of the NIT while appearing on network television a school-record 13 times. With an overall strength of schedule ranked 35th in the country, Miami played seven games versus ranked opponents -- with five games versus teams that were ranked No. 1 during the season, including four of the five teams that had been atop the polls in 2008-09 -- UConn, North Carolina (twice), Wake Forest and Duke.
The Hurricanes put together one of the biggest wins in program history on Feb. 4, knocking off the No. 6/7 Demon Deacons, 79-52, at home at the BankUnited Center. Miami's 27-point margin of victory is its largest ever over a ranked opponent and is also UM's largest margin of victory in ACC play. It marked the Hurricanes' second win over a Top 10 team under Haith.
Behind the sharpshooting prowess of McClinton -- a two-time First Team All-ACC selection and NBA draft pick, Haith's Hurricanes hit a then- school-record 251 three-pointers in 2008-09 -- including a school-record 101 from McClinton alone.
WE'RE GOING DANCING
Despite predictions that the Hurricanes would finish in the basement of the top-ranked ACC in 2007-08 after an injury-laden 2006-07 season, Haith led the Miami men's basketball program to one of its most successful campaigns in school history, culminating in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
With that NCAA Tournament appearance in 2008, Haith became the first coach in Miami history to take UM to the postseason in three of his first four seasons at the helm -- and has since become the only coach in program history to take the Hurricanes to the postseason in four of his first five seasons.
The team ran off 12-straight victories to open the season, including winning the inaugural Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic and knocked off Mississippi State on the road. The Hurricanes went on to win eight of their last 12 games, highlighted by an upset of No. 4 Duke at a packed BankUnited Center and a victory over St. Mary's (Calif.) in the NCAA Tournament, en route to Miami's 10th 20-win season. The Hurricanes' 23 wins tied for second-most in school history and were the most by a Miami squad since a school-record 24 wins in 2002, while their 14 home wins marked a program best.
Haith and his Hurricanes orchestrated a 10-game turnaround -- among the best in the nation, as Miami moved into the nation's Top 25 for the first time since 2002, reaching as high as No. 19 during the season.
The Hurricanes posted an ACC first in 2007-08 with their remarkable turnaround from a 12-20 mark in 2006-07 to their 23-11 finish in 2007-08 -- becoming the first ACC team in its 55 seasons to put together a 20-win campaign immediately following a 20-loss season. The Hurricanes finished a program-best fifth in the ACC after winning a school-record eight ACC games, and produced Miami's first First Team All-ACC selection in McClinton.
During 2008, Haith was recognized by CollegeInsider.com and the Prosser family as a finalist for the inaugural Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, which is presented annually to the Division I head coach who best represents the high standards of the coaching profession and wins with integrity.
"People ask me what I'll remember most about this season," said Haith. "Of course the Duke win was special, but I know that I will always remember that first NCAA Tournament win, and having the opportunity to get all of the guys on the floor. No one can ever take that away from them."
After leading the Hurricanes to one of the most successful campaigns in Miami's 59 years fielding a men's basketball program, Haith signed a new contract in April 2008, which was to have run through the 2012-13 season.
INTO THE ACC
Haith's numerous accomplishments at the helm of the Hurricane program include ushering Miami into the tradition-rich Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004, back-to-back postseason appearances in 2005 and 2006, an NCAA Tournament berth in 2008, 14 wins over nationally-ranked opponents, recording the school's first National Invitation Tournament win since 1963, earning the first NIT road win in school history and advancing past the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 for the first time since 2000.
Quickly establishing himself as one of the league's top coaches, Haith was also one of only four then-active ACC coaches to record 88 or more victories in their first five seasons at their respective ACC school.
Haith faced the daunting task of leading Miami into the ACC during his inaugural 2004-05 season, after taking over a UM program coming off back-to-back losing seasons, including the 2003-04 campaign in which Miami failed to qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament.
Picked to finish last in the conference in the preseason ACC media poll, Haith shocked critics while leading the Hurricanes to a 16-13 overall record, seven league victories, three wins over ranked opponents and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. Among those three wins over ranked opponents was a thrilling 72-65 win over Florida on its homecourt -- the first win for the Hurricanes in Gainesville in 41 years.
That year, he was honored as the National Association of Basketball Coaches District Coach of the Year, the first coach in UM history to win the award, and was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award.
In 2005-06, Haith built on the success of his first season as Miami posted an overall record of 18-16, marking the most victories for a UM team since the 2001-02 season, while also winning seven ACC games.
Miami also saw several program firsts under Haith during the 2005-06 campaign. In one of the more thrilling games of the year, Haith and the Hurricanes, coming off an upset over 12th-ranked Maryland, knocked off 20th-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill for the first time in school history.
Miami would later earn the program's first ACC Tournament victory with a win over Clemson before advancing to the postseason for the second-straight year with a berth into the 2006 NIT.
In the NIT, Haith guided Miami to wins over Oklahoma State and Creighton, marking just the second time in school history that a Hurricane team recorded consecutive postseason wins.
With the Hurricanes NIT appearance in 2006, Haith became just the second coach in Miami history to take UM to the postseason in his first two seasons.
In 2006-07, Haith and the Hurricanes defeated four ranked teams, marking just the second time in school history a UM team has downed four ranked opponents. It was even more impressive given that the Hurricanes fought through an injury-laden season in which eight players missed a total of 72 games.
SUCCESS BREEDS SUCCESS
Success, however, is something that has followed Haith everywhere he has coached. In his 15 seasons as an assistant at the collegiate level, he was a part of programs that won one NIT Championship, advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 three times, reached one Elite Eight and one Final Four.
Haith has recruited six McDonald's All-Americans including Rodney Rodgers (1990) to Wake Forest, Jerald Brown (1995) to Texas A&M and Brad Buckman (2002), LaMarcus Aldridge (2004), Daniel Gibson (2004) and Michael Williams (2004) to Texas.
Intent on preparing players for the next level, Haith has had more than a dozen former players go on to play or be drafted in the NBA, including Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers), Gibson (Cleveland Cavaliers), Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks), T.J. Ford (Indiana Pacers) and former `Canes Robert Hite (Miami Heat), Guillermo Diaz (Los Angeles Clippers), Jack McClinton (San Antonio Spurs) and Dwayne Collins (Phoenix Suns).
Prior to taking over at Miami, Haith spent three seasons at the University of Texas under head coach Rick Barnes, where he was promoted to Associate Head Coach in April 2003. In his three seasons in Austin, Haith helped guide Texas to its winningest three-year period in school history. During his tenure with the Longhorns, they recorded a 73-27 (.730) record while advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2002 and 2004 and the Final Four in 2003. The 2002-03 season marked UT's first appearance in the Final Four since 1947.
Texas was one of only five schools to reach the Sweet 16 from 2002-04, joining Connecticut, Duke, Kansas and Pittsburgh. Prior to Haith joining the Texas staff, the Longhorns had never made consecutive Sweet 16 appearances.
Haith, who was named Rivals.com Recruiter of the Year in 2004, was responsible for putting together the No. 1 recruiting class in the country in 2004, including commitments from McDonald's All-Americans Aldridge, Gibson and Williams.
While at Wake Forest, Haith was instrumental in helping lead the Demon Deacons to four consecutive postseason tournament appearances, including an NCAA Tournament berth in 2000-01. He also helped Wake secure one of the nation's Top 10 recruiting classes during the 1999-2000 campaign. The Deacons registered a 74-53 (.583) mark during Haith's four seasons and advanced to the postseason NIT's second round in both 1997-98 and 1998-99, before its youthful squad in 1999-2000 posted a 22-14 mark en route to capturing the postseason NIT championship.
Prior to joining the staff at Wake Forest, Haith served one year as the associate head coach at Texas A&M (1996-97). He spent one season (1995-96) as an assistant coach at Penn State, helping the Nittany Lions to a 21-7 record. Penn State was ranked as high as No. 9 in the national polls before placing second in the Big Ten Conference regular-season standings and earning the school's first NCAA Tournament bid in 31 years.
Haith worked three years (1992-93 to 1994-95) as an assistant coach at Texas A&M, and helped the Aggies secure back-to-back recruiting classes that were ranked in the Top 30 in the country during his final two seasons in College Station. In 1993-94, Texas A&M posted a 19-11 mark, finished second in the Southwest Conference regular-season standings and reached postseason play (NIT first round) for the first time in seven years.
He started his full-time coaching career by serving two years as an assistant at UNC Wilmington (1990-91 to 1991-92). He also worked as a graduate assistant coach at Wake Forest for one season (1989-90) during Dave Odom's first year in Winston-Salem.
FROM THE BEGINNING
Haith graduated from Elon College (N.C.) in 1988 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. A Dean's List student, he served as a student assistant coach for two years. Following graduation, Haith worked as a part-time member of the Elon coaching staff while teaching in the public schools at nearby Western Middle School. During his three-year association with the Elon coaching staff, the Fighting Christians (now called the Phoenix) enjoyed two 20-win seasons.
Born on November 3, 1965, Haith is a native of Queens, N.Y., but grew up and went to high school at Western Alamance in Burlington, N.C. He and his wife, Pam, have one son, Corey, and one daughter, Brianna. Together, the Haith family has spearheaded fundraising and renovation efforts for Morningside Park in Elon, N.C., in the neighborhood in which Haith grew up.
Year-by-Year Record
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YEAR
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SCHOOL
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W-L
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PCT.
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POSTSEASON
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2004-05
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Miami
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16-13
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.552
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NIT
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2005-06
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Miami
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18-16
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.529
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NIT Quarterfinals
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2006-07
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Miami
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12-20
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.375
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2007-08
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Miami
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23-11
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.676
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NCAA Second Round
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2008-09
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Miami
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19-13
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.594
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NIT Second Round
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2009-10
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Miami
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20-13
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.606
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2010-11
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Miami
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21-15
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.583
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NIT Quarterfinals
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Overall
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Seven Seasons
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129-101
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.561
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Coaching Experience
2004-2011 . . . . . . . . . Head Coach, University of Miami
2003-04 . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Head Coach, University of Texas
2001-03 . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Coach, University of Texas
1997-01 . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Coach, Wake Forest
1996-97 . . . . . . . . . . . Associate Head Coach, Texas A&M
1995-96 . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Coach, Penn State
1992-95 . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Coach, Texas A&M
1990-92 . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Coach, UNC-Wilmington
1989-90 . . . . . . . . . . . Grad. Assistant Coach, Wake Forest
1988-89 . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Coach, Elon College
1985-88 . . . . . . . . . . . Student Assistant, Elon College
Education
1988 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education, Elon College
Haith Accolades
**Coached Miami to 14 wins overranked opponents in seven seasons
**More postseason wins than anyother coach in Miami history
**2008 Skip Prosser Man of the YearAward Finalist
**2008 ACC Coach of the Year Runner-Up
**2008 Alamance County (N.C.)Distinguished Service in SportsAward
**2008 UM Alumni AssociationInside Out Award recipient
**2005 National Association ofBasketball Coaches District 6Coach of the Year -- First in Miami history
**2005 Naismith National Coach ofthe Year Award Finalist
**The first coach in Miami history totake four of his first five teams into the postseason
**Opened the 2008-09 season ranked among nation's Top 25 inboth polls for just the second time
**Second-most wins in a season by a Miami head coach (23) in 2008
**UM-record 14 home wins in 2008
**Led Miami to its first win at Kentucky in 2008
**Led Miami to a 72-65 win over Florida in 2004 -- UM's first win in Gainesville in 41 years
**Led Miami to its first win overNorth Carolina in Chapel Hill in2006
**In 2008, led the Hurricanes to theNCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 and into the
second round for the first timesince 2000
**In 2008, led Miami back into the Top 25 for the first time since 2002
**Guided Miami to back-to-back postseason appearances for thefirst time since 2002
**Graduated all 10 of his seniors inhis first three years and 21 players in first six years
**In 2006, led UM to both its first NITwin since 1963 and the program's first NIT road win ever
