Ernest Udeh Jr., a senior center for the Miami Hurricanes, has found his way back to Florida after previous stints at Kansas and TCU. As the Hurricanes prepare to finish their regular season against Louisville at the Watsco Center, Udeh reflected on his journey and what it means to play close to home.
Miami currently holds a 24-6 overall record and is ranked No. 22 in the AP Top 25. The team will enter the ACC Tournament as the No. 3 seed.
Head coach Jai Lucas, who was hired last March, emphasized recruiting top talent from Florida and keeping them in-state. This approach resonates with Udeh, who said he values playing near family and friends alongside fellow transfers Tre Donaldson, Jordyn Kee, and Malik Reneau—all Florida natives.
“I feel like Florida basketball culture is better than anybody really. I don’t care if I’m being biased,” Udeh said. “Basketball is something that you really can never take away from us and it’s grown. Granted, we have a great football culture in this state, but at the end of the day, I feel like basketball is just up there with it.”
Reneau and Donaldson are leading scorers for Miami this season, averaging 19.1 and 16.6 points per game respectively. Udeh leads in rebounds with an average of 9.5 per game while also contributing 7.1 points.
Udeh spoke about how team chemistry developed quickly over the summer due to shared backgrounds among Florida players: “I just think in the summer, the summer really helped us a lot. [Those of] us from Florida understand how the culture is down here, so it was already easy for us and we knew each other beforehand…The squad you’re with currently, we all have one goal in mind and that’s to be playing in April…just us building that chemistry and that culture really was kind of easy.”
He also highlighted what makes this group stand out: “We understand what it takes to win…you can tell this is a team that understands how to make winning plays…we know how to play the game of basketball well at a high level…for us, it’ll be mental.”
On working under Coach Lucas during his first year at Miami, Udeh noted: “It’s really everything that I expected…with him, it was everything I expected…He wasn’t going to sugarcoat anything. He was going to give it to me straight. And again, that’s the kind of coach that I want to play for.”
Describing Lucas’ coaching style further: “It’s authentic for sure. It’s no fluff…he’s not going to make anything sound a specific way…he wants the best for all of us.”
Returning home has been meaningful for Udeh: “Peaceful. Mentally peaceful…just being able to play basketball at the highest, highest level at home…it’s something I wish every hooper is able to experience…everything almost feels like second nature.”
Udeh traced his passion for basketball back to childhood influences—especially LeBron James—and said he realized his potential during middle school while playing AAU ball.
When asked about what he enjoys most now as a player: “Playing for others, honestly…I find the most joy when I see others succeed…those are really the plays that give me the most joy…ultimately, I find joy in that.”
He cited LeBron James as an inspiration along with NBA centers Deandre Ayton and DeAndre Jordan; he also studies Bam Adebayo’s evolution as a player.
Outside basketball, Udeh enjoys music—especially playing drums—a skill developed through singing in church choirs growing up.
Looking ahead toward postseason goals: “Mind you, I’m never one to pay attention to the outside noise at all…Obviously…I’ve heard multiple times from different [people], this expert or that that we’re not a tournament team…There’s nothing you can’t say for us to not achieve what we want to achieve…Us not reaching what we want to achieve will literally be [because of] us…For us to simply achieve what we want to achieve, we have to lock in mentally…”
The Hurricanes conclude their regular season Saturday before entering ACC Tournament play next week.
