Miami basketball: Steele looks back on historic season during speech in Kettering

"You had to do your work before the portal opened," Miami RedHawks coach Travis Steele said, "and you had to be super organized. You had to have all your Zoom calls scheduled and visits as well. You had to be really planned out.

" Steele talked to Cox First Media about what a typical day during portal season was like for his coaches. The conversation took place Monday, April 13, after he spoke to the Dayton Agonis Club at the Presidential Banquet Center in Kettering. At that point, Steele told members of the club his staff was almost done with recruiting the portal this season.

The coaches had secured one commitment from {span}University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee transfer Stevie Elam{/span} and received another the next day from Ball State transfer Preston Copeland. For weeks leading up to the official opening date of portal season, the coaches heard names of players planning to enter the portal, watched film on those players and analyzed the data related to those players. Steele said the coaches would look at the options and ask, "Do we have a connection of some sort to his family or his coaches or somebody in the circle?

" At the same time, the coaches were trying to figure out who was staying with the RedHawks for the 2026-27 season. "You've got to figure out who's in and who's out and what do you need," Steele said, "because I think retention is at a premium, and then it happens quickly. Honestly, you're working 20- or 21-hour days during those couple of weeks.