Six Seniors Pursuing Nine Degrees, One Title

(From left) Precious Ayah, Elijah McNamara, Mekhi Lairy, Jack Owens, Dalonte Brown, James Beck and Isaiah Coleman-Lands

Six Seniors Pursuing Nine Degrees, One Title

3/3/2022 1:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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The Miami men’s basketball team will honor six seniors before Friday night’s game. All are on track to earn degrees from Miami University; three have already done so. In fact, one student-athlete will earn three degrees himself! More than just great students, however, this group has made an impact on the court and re-written the program’s record book. Now the RedHawks are trying to wrap up a berth in the conference tournament with a win in Friday’s home regular-season finale to extend their season and head to Cleveland in search of one more huge accomplishment: a MAC championship.

Precious Ayah is looking forward to graduating this spring and receiving a degree from Miami University.

To be clear, it's not his first Miami degree. That would be the bachelor's in psychology he earned in the spring of 2020.

Oh, and it's not his second. That's the master's in business administration Ayah picked up in the spring of 2021.

No, the sixth-year RedHawk and native of Nigeria is closing in on his third degree, another master's in sport leadership and management.

"He's been here longer than I have," men's basketball head coach Jack Owens said with a laugh. "I think that speaks of what Miami means to him, and his dedication to Miami."

Ayah is hardly alone in his academic accomplishments, however. The RedHawks will honor six senior student-athletes Friday night before the regular-season finale against Eastern Michigan: Ayah, James Beck, Dalonte Brown, Isaiah Coleman-Lands, Mekhi Lairy and Elijah McNamara. All six are on track to receive a degree from Miami. In fact, half of them have already done so.

Coleman-Lands finished his bachelor's in strategic communications and public administration in the spring of 2021. He's currently working on a master's in sport leadership and administration. Brown is the most recent graduate on the roster; he earned a bachelor's in family studies this past December.

"Being a first-generation graduate, it means a lot to me and my family," Brown said. "It just shows it can be done, no matter your background or circumstances.

"When I got here, I wasn't even looking that far, but now that I have my degree, I understand the importance of it and the impact it will have on my life."

While some members of the team's 2022 senior class have been on campus for four years, others have been part of the program for longer periods of time (such as the fifth- and sixth-year graduates listed above) or shorter ones (Beck transferred in from Oakland in 2019). Still, Ayah said they share a bond and brotherhood that shows up in their focus both on and off the court.

"A lot of us have been here for quite a while," Ayah said. "Staying past four years, our dedication to the game is something that you can see is extraordinary…but [our grade-point average] can attest to being dedicated to academics as well." Miami was recognized with the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award in July for a 3.04 GPA during the 2020-21 school year.

"They've done it on both ends," said Owens. "You're talking about six guys who have laid the foundation of what we want to do on and off the court as a program."

The RedHawk seniors have certainly made an impact on the hardwood as well, and, as a result, the Miami basketball record book won't ever be the same. The class features a pair of 1,000-point scorers (Brown and Lairy), with Brown topping the 1,500-point mark and set to move into the top five scorers in program history Friday night.

Brown already ranks fifth all-time in rebounds and has shattered the school marks for games played and games started. He will also leave Miami in the top five for three-pointers made in a career; that is, if he can hold off Coleman-Lands, who is sitting at sixth on the list and just three long-distance shots behind him.

Lairy is on track to set school records for single-season and career free throw shooting, converting on more than 90% of his attempts at the foul line this year. McNamara is closing in on the top 10 list for all-time blocked shots, as is Ayah. Ayah also leads the conference in field goal percentage this season, hitting 67.5% of his shots (which would be good for the second-best single-season mark in school history).

Elijah McNamara vs. Ohio — *Elijah McNamara*

In all, Ayah, Beck, Brown, Coleman-Lands, Lairy and McNamara have combined to play in 655 career games, making 281 starts and logging 12,517 minutes while scoring 4,593 points as RedHawks.

"I am so proud of this group of young men," said Director of Athletics, David Sayler. "The standard they have set through their dedication, commitment and passion both on the court and in the classroom is truly something to celebrate.

"I wish them all the best going forward and have no doubt they will all be successful in whatever they do in their careers as Miami University and Miami Basketball have prepared them well!"

The RedHawks' seniors have led Miami to some exciting wins and memorable moments over the past few seasons —who can forget Lairy's game-winning putback at Georgia Tech or Brown's overtime buzzer-beater versus Northern Illinois?— but they're hoping their most significant victories are still in front of them.

Mekhi Lairy vs. Georgia Tech — *Mekhi Lairy*

Miami can sew up a spot in the Mid-American Conference tournament with a win Friday night at home against Eastern Michigan. A trip to Cleveland for the eight-team, single-elimination event would give the RedHawks an opportunity to keep chasing a MAC title and the team's first trip to March Madness since 2007. For a program with the mission of 'Graduating Champions', Friday's game against the Eagles is a crucial step on the journey to the postseason.

For Ayah, who chose to take advantage of his extra year of eligibility in 2021-22 after the COVID pandemic wreaked havoc on the past two seasons, he hopes a win over the Eagles can be a springboard to a storybook ending to his career this March. "I feel like we left so much on the table last year. With our potential, we were just at the beginning of what we were trying to accomplish," he said.

"We feel like we're playing our best basketball towards this time; we've got everybody almost 100%…We have our target of making it to the NCAA [tournament], so I feel like we're right where we need to be.

"It's a big game… and it's the last time we're ever going to play in front of our home fans."

Dalonte Brown vs. Stetson — *Dalonte Brown*

Brown knows the game against Eastern Michigan marks the end of an era for his class at Millett Hall and he is looking forward to a special night. "Miami helped me become the man I am today," he said. "I'm sure there will be a lot of people on Friday thanking me for being a part of this program, but I want to thank Miami for the support they have given me, because without them, this wasn't even possible.

"Friday is my last time playing at Miami and I would love to send this class and these fans out with a bang."

Regardless of the 'win-and-you're-in' stakes, Owens hopes fans come out Friday specifically to honor a special group that has left its mark on the program and university. Pregame Senior Night ceremonies are slated to start at approximately 6:40 p.m.

"They deserve it," Owens said simply. "This group of guys has stuck together, and given us a chance to do what we're doing now. We know we've got to win the conference tournament to get to the NCAA tournament.

"Hopefully we can send them out on a high note on Friday with Senior Night and get to Cleveland."

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