In case anyone has missed it, something special has been brewing in South Florida.

The University of Miami men's basketball team-for years the laughingstock of both the city and the school-has stormed onto the national scene.

In four short seasons, the Hurricanes have gone from being one of the sorriest excuses for a basketball team in the country-going 0-18 in Big East play in 1993-to jumping into the Associated Press top 25 for the first time since 1960. And now that Miami has secured a No.2 seed in the East bracket of the NCAA Tournament, you can consider the comeback complete.

The road back was anything but easy, however.

The University of Miami basketball program reached the height of its popularity and success in the 1960s under the leadership of future NBA great and Hall-of-Famer Rick Barry. But soon after Barry's departure, sagging attendance and declining interest led the university to abolish the program in 1971.

Not until 1985 would there be college hoops for the Hurricanes. And the return of basketball was not met with great enthusiasm as detractors claimed that Miami, a notorious football town, could never support a college basketball team.

And for a while it seemed as if they were right.

Miami simply couldn't compete on the national level. While Hurricane baseball and football were competing for, and winning, national championships, basketball struggled to reach .500, and the lack of fans at games had people questioning whether it was worth having a team at all.

Furthermore, the lack of a decent on-campus arena, a fanatical crowd or a basketball tradition eliminated Miami's chances of landing top-notch recruits.

In spring 1990, however, Miami made the first step in its college basketball turn-around by hiring Leonard Hamilton, then coach at Oklahoma State. Hamilton had rebuilt the Cowboy program to respectable levels, and had also assisted on some of the great Kentucky teams in the 1970's.

What lay ahead was the unenviable task of building a program from scratch. But with an incredible work ethic and an unmatched interest for each individual athlete, Hamilton began to lure some solid talent to Miami.

The Hurricane still struggled to compete-especially after joining the basketball rich Big East conference-continually finishing under .500. They were still thirsting for a bona fide star to take a chance and join the team.

Then, in 1994, Hamilton and the Hurricanes found the answer to its prayers-local high school star Tim James.

Upon graduating from Miami's North-western High School, the 6'7 James was one of the most sought after athletes in the nation. He was a First Team All-State selection in Florida, as well as a "Parade Magazine" Third Team All-American, finishing as the school's all-time leader in points (2,358), rebounds (1170) and blocked shots (714).

James' exploits were not limited to the basketball court, however. This super talent also earned First Team All-State honors in track with a high jump performance of 6'10 his senior year. James also jumped a state record 7'2 during his junior year.