Hours after losing Manu Lecomte, the Miami Hurricanes lost another guard Wednesday afternoon with the announcement that DeAndre Burnett is transferring from the program.
In an announcement, coach Jim Larrañaga confirmed that guard Manu Lecomte was also leaving Coral Gables.
SEE ALSO: Manu Lecomte will transfer from UM
Burnett, a Carol City native, leaves after his first season for the Hurricanes. The freshman averaged seven points per game in just 17.4 minutes and shot 36 percent from the field. He was part of a deep stable of UM guards.
The transfers of Burnett and Lecomte may be casualties of Davon Reed’s September knee injury. The Miami coaching staff expected young freshman James Palmer, 18, to redshirt this season. However, Reed’s injury pressed him into playing time this year and exhausted one year of eligibility.
Palmer’s first year of on-court action could have been the 2015 season. But he played this season, and it accelerated his development. At the season’s end, the Hurricanes featured seven guards (Angel Rodriguez, Sheldon McClellan, Davon Reed, Ja’Quan Newton, James Palmer, Manu Lecomte and Burnett) vying for three guard spots in the 2015 rotation. There was not enough playing time to go around.
Burnett proved vital to Miami’s hot start to the 2014 season, scoring 19 points against No. 24 Illinois in December and a career-high 21 against Green Bay.
As the season waned, Larrañaga tinkered with lineups each game, and Burnett’s playing time became sporadic and inconsistent.
In conference games against No. 15 North Carolina and No. 11 Notre Dame in the ACC tournament, Burnett hardly played. Miami needed these wins to make the NCAA tournament.
The freshman logged just five minutes but scored six points against North Carolina, and just 13 minutes against the Fighting Irish when he scored nine points.