WEDNESDAY’S GAME
Miami at Bowling Green, 7 p.m., 1450, 1230, 980, 101.3, 100.3
Time is running out on Vince Legarza’s basketball career. Nobody knows that better than him.
“It’s one of those things where I’m never going to have this chance again to play with a group of guys that I really care about,” said Legarza, a 6-foot-9, 265-pound center and Miami University’s lone senior. “Rec leagues and old-man leagues, that’s not the same as this.
“So I’m leaving it all out there. I’ve got a little bit left in the tank, and trust me, by the time the season’s over, it’s going to be on empty. So I’m really trying to live it up these last couple weeks and maybe get hot and get something magical going.”
It hasn’t been a great season for Legarza, a San Francisco native. He’s averaging 0.9 points and 1.1 rebounds per game for the 8-17 RedHawks.
But MU coach John Cooper said Legarza has earned more playing time, and he’s averaged 17 minutes, 3.3 points, 3.3 boards and 3.0 assists in the last three games.
“He can think. He can pass. He communicates. He understands what we’re trying to do. He’s respected by his teammates. So he does all the little things that you want,” Cooper said. “Is he the best athlete out on the floor? No, but I always talk about smart wins. He’s a high I.Q. basketball player.”
Legarza said he’s simply trying to add a spark off the bench to help the team win. Miami hasn’t had a winning record during his four years on the roster, going 47-73. The program’s last winning mark (17-13) came in 2008-09, his redshirt season.
The RedHawks will visit Bowling Green on Wednesday night, then return home to face Kent State on Saturday. That will be Senior Day at Millett Hall, and the team’s only senior will be honored before the 3 p.m. game.
It will be the first Senior Day recognition for Legarza, who didn’t get to enjoy such a day in high school.
“We had some guys get in trouble that we were seniors,” he recalled. “I was not one of them, but there was some political unrest at my high school, so they decided to cancel it. It was kind of frustrating, to be honest with you, because there were still three or four of us that weren’t suspended and put in four hard years and deserved to be honored.”
Mike and Kim Legarza will be in Oxford on Saturday. Their son wants the day to be special for them.
“Senior Day is more for them than it is for me,” Legarza said. “It’s for them to see the appreciation people have for what we’ve gone through the last five years and to see me play. I don’t really need any big shebang for me. I get it, so I’m happy that I get to spend some time with them.”
About the Author