Archdeacon: ‘I was just feeling it’ — Miami’s Craft explodes for 40 points in monumental win over Toledo

Miami guard Kam Craft paid a lot of dues over the years – all for the belief of something special coming in the future – and Tuesday night at Millett Hall those dreams became net-snapping reality in one of the most memorable games in recent Miami University basketball history.

“Kam Craft was en fuego!” RedHawks coach Travis Steele said afterward. “Like a video game. He was shooting like Steph Curry!”

Craft, the 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore gunslinger, scored 40 points in a 92-80 victory over Toledo, a team that had beaten Miami 22 games in a row. He made nine three pointers in 14 attempts.

That’s tied for the third best long-range shooting performance in Miami history. The other player with nine treys in a game was Michael Bramos, who lit up the Dayton Flyers in a November game at Millett Hall in 2007.

Craft also co-owns the top three-point effort in school history. He got 10 treys versus Division III Bethany in December this season. That mark was set back in 2000 when Jason Stewart hit 10 versus Marshal.

Interestingly, Craft came into the game as the second leading scorer on the RedHawks team behind Pete Suder, an equally stellar transfer – from Bellarmine – who was averaging 14.4 points a game to his 13.8.

The outburst against Toledo – coupled with Suder’s five points as helped feed Craft with a seven-assist night – flip-flopped Miami’s scoring leaders.

Craft is now tops at 14.9 ppg.

Suder though has had his own highlight-reel performance this season. He scored 42 points against Air Force in early December.

The RedHawks are the only team I Division I basketball this season to have two different players score 40 or more points in a game.

The last time Miami had such a one-two punch was 67 years ago – back in the 1957-58 season – when Wayne Embry (40) and John Powell (43) both lit up the scoreboard. Their Miami team went 18-9 and won a game in the NCAA Tournament.

This current Miami team has the makings for something memorable, as well.

The RedHawks are 19-5 and 10-1 in Mid-American Conference play. They have won 12 straight games at Millett – the program record is 13 in a season – with their only homecourt loss coming in the opener against Wright State.

“We are changing the culture here,” Craft said afterward.

That statement had gotten a definitive exclamation point behind it with the dominant victory over Toledo, a team that Steele called “the gold standard” in the MAC the past four seasons.

The Rockets have won the league’s regular season title four years straight.

And the RedHawks always were one of their victims. They had not beaten Toledo since February 11, 2011.

“Miami hadn’t beaten Toledo in 22 games – we knew that – and we just came in with a chip on our shoulders,” said Craft. “We were going to change that.”

‘We hit it off right away’

Craft’s parents were both college basketball players.

Mark, his dad played at VMI, where he also was a baseball player who was drafted by the Oakland A’s.

His mom, Kama, played at Concord University in West Virginia.

“Ever since I was 4 or 5 years old, my dad had me working on shooting drills,” Craft said. “Every day after school he had me putting up shots in the gym. It wasn’t always fun; I can tell you that. There were times I didn’t want to do it.

“He was tough. He stayed on me because he saw I had something special and I’m here today because of him. He made me the shooter I am today.”

At Buffalo Grove High School in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Craft scored 1,694 points in his first three years of basketball. That made him the Bison’s second leading all-time scorer, and it seemed certain he would own the mark by the time his senior season was over.

But instead he opted to skip the traditions of senior year – homecoming, prom, marching with your class at graduation – to move to Atlanta and enroll in The Skill Factory, an elite basketball training school, to further hone his game.

He already had committed to play at Xavier – then coached by Steele – but he decided to sharpen himself against some of the best competition he could find.

“It was a tough decision,” he said. “I enjoyed being a normal high school student.”

He became part of a program with players from all over the world and said they played an international schedule – in Mexico City, France and Spain: “It was a great experience.”

He hoped Xavier would be the same, but by the time he got there Steele had been fired and had landed at Miami.

With Sean Miller coaching the Musketeers, Craft played in 15 games as a freshman, attempted 17 treys and made six. A knee injury ended his season prematurely. He underwent surgery and missed the following season as a medical redshirt.

By then a new crop of guards had joined the team and crowded the depth chart ahead of him.

He entered transfer portal, but said he seriously looked at just one school.

He felt a bond with Steele, who had recruited him out of high school, and that sense of connection was mutual.

“I knew he’d be dynamic, man,” Steele said. “He’s a scorer. He’s fearless. He’s got swagger. He’s got belief.

“Most of all, he loves ball! Loves it. I love a guy who loves ball. I love ball. We hit it off right away.”

‘We have nine guys who could start’

Along with Craft and Suder – who played 63 games and averaged 10.3 points in two seasons at Bellarmine - Steele signed Antwone Woolfolk, a 6-foot-9 junior transfer who played two seasons at Rutgers and mostly came off the bench.

The past two seasons Steele has added a fleet of talented young players and there were times Tuesday night when Miami had only freshmen and sophomores on the court and yet, they still pulled away from the Rockets.

Toledo never led and trailed by 23 with just 9:35 left.

“We have nine guys who could start,” Steele said. “How many other teams, not just in the MAC, but in college basketball have nine?

“There is no drop off when we go to the bench.

“Our depth, our pace, our transition, was elite. (Toledo) couldn’t keep up with us. They got really tired, and we can just keep subbing, bringing guys in and out and staying fresh.”

While Miami got gritty play from Suder and sophomore guard Evan Ipsaro, who had 14 points off the bench, the night belonged to Craft.

After he made his fifth three pointer (in six attempts) at the 6:54 mark of the first half, he flashed three fingers and started to laugh.

“When you see shots falling like that you get into a flow state,” he said. “I’m just out there finding ways to get open and my teammates are hitting me. I was just feeling it.”

His only miscue was a momentary burst of over-enthusiasm. After his sixth three of the half, he said something to a Rockets player and was whistled for a technical foul.

“What was that about?” he was asked later in private.

“I was just talking trash,” he shrugged.

“What did you say?”

He shook his head and grinned: “I can’t repeat it.”

“Off the record, what got you teed up?”

He started laughing: “Nope, I’m not saying.”

After giving up so much along the way in his career, Kam Craft wasn’t giving up any more on this memorable night.