Nijel Pack on move to UM, NIL deal, recent scoring surge as Canes host Duke on Monday

Nijel Pack, a humble, soft-spoken guard, arrived on the University of Miami campus from Kansas State late last spring with an impressive resume, big shoes to fill and the burden of high expectations after his $800,000 Name, Image and Likeness deal was made public and splashed in headlines all over the country.

As the 23rd-ranked Hurricanes prepare to face Duke at home on ESPN’s Big Monday, Pack spoke to the Herald about his transition to Miami, how publicity of his NIL deal made him uncomfortable, and what it felt like to make five three-pointers over a five-minute span in the recent win over Virginia Tech.

Pack was among the most coveted players in the transfer portal last April having built a reputation as a lethal three-point shooter. He averaged 17.4 points and made All-Big 12 as a sophomore, connected on at least one three-point shot in a school-record 34 consecutive games and twice made eight three-pointers in a game.

Hurricanes fans were abuzz when he chose UM over Purdue and Ohio State, figuring he would be the perfect replacement for Charlie Moore, who helped lead the Canes to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight last March.

It took Pack longer than expected to get acclimated, but he has hit his stride the past few weeks, just in time for the most critical part of the season.

Videos of Pack’s 17-point, five-minute barrage against Virginia Tech went viral last week. He followed that up with a 20-point performance and four free throws in the final minute in a road win against ACC-leading Clemson on Saturday.

Asked if he had ever seen anything like Pack’s burst against the Hokies, teammate Harlond Beverly smiled and said: “I have seen it by Steph Curry and Damian Lillard. Never in person. So just to see him going like that was incredible. It helps us going forward as well, knowing he can go from 0 to 17 in a quick stretch like that.”

UM coach Jim Larranaga knew Pack was capable of such heroics, which is why he and his staff pursued him.

“A game like Nijel had is something he’s had in the past where he feels the electricity in the crowd, the support of his teammates and coaches and it puts him in what is affectionately known as The Zone,” Larranaga said. “He was in The Zone the other day. His focus was clear, his mindset was free. For good shooting you have to free up your mind. You can’t worry about a miss or a make. You’ve got to really stay in the present, and he really did that.”

Pack said he finally feels free on the court again. It was not easy coming into a new team amid all the talk of his lucrative NIL deal, details of which UM booster John Ruiz had posted on social media.

On April 23 at 3:25 p.m., Ruiz, the CEO of LifeWallet, posted on his Twitter account: “BREAKING NEWS: @LifeWallet is proud to announce @NijelPack24 has officially committed to UM as a basketball player. The biggest LifeWallet deal to date, two years $800,000.00 total at $400,000.00 per year plus a car. Congratulations!!!”

Pack, an Indianapolis native who never sought attention, found himself in the spotlight.

“That was the first big thing like that to happen in my life, people were shocked seeing that, one of the first NIL deals whose numbers were exposed,” Pack said. “There are obviously people in college sports making more than me, but people just don’t know.”

Pack leaned on his parents, Robin and David, who run a financial consulting firm.

“It helped having people around me to help me look on the bright side,” he said. “My dream is to make it to the NBA. When you make it to the NBA, everyone’s going to know how much money you make and have certain expectations of you. This is like a mini preparation for the next level.”

Although Pack is a good student who carried a 3.8 GPA in high school and 3.2 at Kansas State and is known for making wise decisions, he said he feels blessed having parents who can help him manage his money.

“My parents are helping me be smart with the decisions I make financially, not letting me go and just be a kid,” he said. “At the age of 21 you can really be financially dumb. I’m so glad to have them in my corner, to help me with budgets, balances, what I should be spending money on, saving and investing in. Especially in Miami, it’s really easy to get off track. You can easily go through money in Miami. It’s good preparation for what’s to come in life.”

The NIL money and warm weather certainly were incentives to move to Miami, but Pack said he chose UM because of its track record with transfer point guards. Shane Larkin, Angel Rodriguez and Moore led the Hurricanes deep into the NCAA Tournament and all were transfers.

Last March, after Kansas State and coach Bruce Weber parted ways, Pack entered his name into the NBA Draft. League scouts and executives told him that at his size, 6 feet and 180 pounds, he needed more development as a point guard because NBA shooting guards are bigger than him.

He reached out to Miami and had a good conversation with Moore during his campus visit.

“All the point guards who had transferred here did well, and I knew I could learn a lot from Coach L and the other coaches here,” he said.

The transition from shooting guard to point guard has taken time.

“Nijel is similar to Charlie in his ability to shoot long-range shots, but Charlie was certainly more of a point-guard distributor,” Larranaga said. “Charlie was like Tom Brady. He’s got the ball in his hands, making all these good plays. He could create, distribute, shoot, score. He had so many weapons in his arsenal.

“Whereas Nijel is more of a specialist, a guy who can make shots. He relies very heavily on other guys finding him because his best shots are from an assist. ‘Someone throws it to me when I’m open, all I’ve got to do is catch it and make it.’ When our guys are finding Nijel, he’s at his best.”

Larranaga went so far as to put Pack’s name in the same sentence as Curry’s.

“Nijel’s shooting is about as good as you can get,” he said. “Is it Steph Curry? Probably. He can shoot from that deep and that effortless, but he doesn’t have Steph Curry’s size.”

Which is why, Pack said, he will continue to work to diversify his game and develop his point-guard skills.

“Point guard is my natural position, I just love to shoot,” he said. “When my teammates find me, and I see one of two shots go down, it gets my rhythm going and it makes for a pretty fun night.”

Miami fans are hoping for another fun night Monday against Duke, and many to come through March.