There seems to be a contradiction in what Miami head basketball coach Jim Larranaga said this past Thursday to the media and what Chris Lykes is saying through media reports.

Larranaga said that the point guard, who is 22nd on the Hurricanes all-time scoring list with 1,256 points, is going to the NBA. Lykes said he is joining the transfer portal.

In this case, we will believe the player.

This is what the 5’7, 160-pound Lykes said on social media Saturday night:

“To begin, I want to start off by saying how grateful I am of the University of Miami for allowing me to chase my dreams. It was always a dream of mine to follow in the footsteps of campus legends like the Shane Larkin and Angel Rodriguez. I felt I could have the same impact on the game that they had and Coach L, along with his staff believed in me the entire way. It took my confidence to the next level. It’s unfortunate that a number of seasons for me have been hindered with injuries and I wish I could’ve done more, but life teaches us to live in the moment and be grateful for everything we do have. I can’t focus on the things I don’t want because the universe only understands your desires and where you place your energy.

“It was a tough year for me mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually…but I’m still standing and I’m proud of myself for that. After talking with my family and a few trustworthy people, the best decision for me is to return to college for another year and PROVE myself again. With that being said I will be entering the transfer portal hoping for a fresh start. #HoH out…THANK YOU MIAMI”

The Hurricanes could have used Lykes this season. The team went 10-17, could have won several close games, but depth was a problem with so many players being injured. The 22-year-old from Gonzaga High School in Washington, D.C., was hampered by injuries that kept him off the court.

CHRIS LYKES BIO (COURTESY MIAMI ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS)

POSITION

GuardHEIGHT

5-7WEIGHT

160 lbs.CLASS

SeniorHOMETOWN

Mitchellville, Md.HIGH SCHOOL

Gonzaga College HS (D.C.)

As a Senior (2020-21): Preseason First Team All-ACC

As a Junior (2019-20): All-ACC Honorable Mention … Air Force Reserve Basketball HOF Invitational Game MVP (12/17) … Preseason Second Team All-ACC
Played in 26 games, missing five due to injury, and started 24, including each of the first 18 … Averaged 15.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 30.0 minutes per game … Led the Hurricanes in points, assists and steals per game, as well as made field goals (140), made free throws (70) and free-throw attempts (86) … Placed second in minutes per game and made 3-pointers (51) … Finished fourth in the ACC in free-throw percentage (81.4), ninth in field-goal percentage (43.2), No. 10 in scoring and No. 12 3-pointers per game (1.96) … In ACC-only action, placed fourth in free-throw clip (84.3), ninth in scoring (15.6) and No. 14 in 3-pointers (1.93) … Placed No. 17 nationally in scoring among individuals under 6-foot, including third of high-major players … Fourth Hurricane to earn preseason All-ACC honors … Notched the eighth-best single-season free-throw clip in program history … Tied for the fifth-most made 3-pointers (six) by a Hurricane ever in an ACC game … Ascended to No. 24 on Miami’s all-time scoring list (1,225) … Finished the season in the top 10 of nine ACC-only career leaderboards and the top five of six of them, including third in made free throws (159) and fourth in both points (735) and made field goals (241) … Tied for the most (28) and third-most (27) points in a game by a Hurricane on the season, as well as notched the most steals in a contest (five) and tied for both the most assists (six) and made 3-pointers (six) … Recorded the only two instances (11 and 10) of a Miami player hitting double-digit made field goals, plus tied for second in made free throws (eight) and made free throws without a miss (eight) … Scored in double figures 21 times, notching 15-plus on 14 occasions and 20-plus in six outings, the latter two both team highs … Notched five-plus assists in three appearances and 30-plus minutes 13 times, with 40-plus twice … Paced Miami in scoring a team-best 13 times … Opened the season with an 18-point, five-assist showing against fifth-ranked Louisville (11/5) … Scored 15 points versus Florida Atlantic (11/8) … Tallied 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting against Florida (11/22) in the Charleston Classic … Dropped a season-best 28 points in the win at Illinois (12/2), adding four steals and finishing 11-of-17 from the floor to set a career high in makes … Recorded 17 points to go along with a season-high six assists and career-best five steals against Temple (12/17) at the Barclays Center, hitting the game-winning free throws with 4.4 seconds left … Posted 16 points and four rebounds against Coppin State (12/21) … Registered 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 41 minutes in the overtime victory at Clemson (12/31) … Put up 18 points and four rebounds in 38 minutes at No. 13/11 Louisville (1/7), finishing 8-of-8 at the stripe … Totaled 20 points and four boards at NC State (1/15), as well as hit all seven of his free throws … Notched 24 points and a career-high two blocks in a career-best 42 minutes against ninth-ranked Florida State (1/18), tallying a 9-of-18 mark from the floor and a 6-of-10 ledger from long range, tying his career high in made 3-pointers … After playing in the first 82 affairs of his career, missed Miami’s contests at North Carolina (1/25), against Virginia Tech (1/28), at Pittsburgh (2/2) and against NC State (2/5) due to a groin injury sustained versus the Seminoles, snapping a 52-game streak of starts … Scored 16 points against Boston College (2/12) … Amassed 23 points in the triple-overtime triumph at Virginia Tech (2/19) … Posted 14 points and a season-high five boards at Georgia Tech (2/29) … Scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting against No. 22 Virginia (3/4), but missed the final 12 minutes after getting elbowed in the face … Did not play against Syracuse (3/7) due to face injuries … Recorded 21 points and went 5-of-11 from 3-point range versus Clemson (3/11) in the ACC Tournament.

As a Sophomore (2018-19): All-ACC Academic Team
Played and started in all 32 games … Ranked ninth in ACC in overall scoring (16.2) and eighth in league play (15.9) … was fifth in conference in free-throw shooting in ACC play at 80.8 percent (63-78) … Racked up 10 games of 20 or more points, including six in conference action … Scored in double figures in all but five games and 16 or more points in 20 games … Upped his scoring average by 6.6 ppg (9.6 to 16.2), which was third highest among ACC players … Played at least 30 minutes in 26 of 32 games … Ranked No. 14 in ACC in minutes per game (33.8) and No. 16 in league-only action (34.8) … Ranked fifth in ACC in free-throw shooting in conference games (63-78, 80.8 percent) … First Miami player to record three straight 20-point efforts since Shane Larkin in March 2013 … Scored 20 or more points in each of the first three games this season, becoming first UM player since Joe Wylie in 1989 to do so … Scored 22 points and also played then-career-best 39 minutes in season opener against Lehigh (11/9) … Averaged 17.7 ppg in three games at Wooden Legacy … Scored career-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting in ACC opener against NC State (1/3) … Scored 25 points against Wake Forest (1/12), including 14-of-14 from free-throw line which is second-best FT performance in program history (Jack McClinton, 16-16 vs. NC State, March 7, 2009) … Recorded 27 points in career-high 41 minutes at North Carolina (2/9), including 19 points in second half and overtime … Scored 21 points in win over Clemson (2/13) … Scored 26 points and hit career-high six 3-pointers at Wake Forest (2/26) … Had streak of 21 straight made free throws snapped against Florida State (1/27) … Scored 16 points and dished out career-high nine assists at Virginia Tech (3/8) … Totaled 19 points and hit 3-pointers against Virginia Tech in ACC Tournament (3/13).

As a Freshman (2017-18): All-ACC Academic Team … ACC Rookie of the Week (1/8)
Played in all 32 games, with 10 starts … Averaged 9.6 points and 2.3 assists per game … Shot 72 percent (59-82) from free-throw line … Averaged 11.9 points per game in ACC play (second on team) … Scored in double figures in 12 ACC games, including eight of last 10 in regular season … Averaged team-high 12.8 points per game in the 12 games after Bruce Brown Jr.’s injury … Averaged 12.1 ppg in his 10 starts … Hit at least one 3-pointer in 26 of 32 games, including two or more in 17 contests … Hit a 3-pointer and played 18 minutes in college debut against Gardner-Webb (11/10) … Scored 13 points and dished out four assists in win over Florida A&M (11/16) … Scored 10 points and added three steals in win at No. 12 Minnesota (11/29) … Recorded 10 points (2-3 3FG) in ACC opener at Pittsburgh (12/30) … Scored eight points and handed out five assists at Georgia Tech (1/3) … Recorded 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes in win over Florida State (1/7) … Named ACC Rookie of Week on Jan. 8 after GT/FSU performances … Scored 13 points (3-5 3FG) at Clemson (1/13) … Made first college start at NC State (1/21) … Started and played season-high 33 minutes against Pittsburgh, scoring 13 points and dishing out five assists (1/31) … Scored 16 points at Boston College (2/10) … Scored career-high 19 points (17 in second half) against Virginia (2/13) … Scored 15 points, including 11 in the game’s final four minutes, in comeback win over Boston College (2/24) … Recorded team-high 18 points, including four 3-pointers, in victory at UNC (2/27) … Scored 15 points and dished out season-high seven assists against Virginia Tech (3/3); hit go-ahead free throw with three seconds remaining.

High School: Member of the 2017 Jordan Brand Classic Regional Team … Ranked No. 45 in the ESPN Top 100, No. 12 at his position and first in Maryland … 2017 All-Met Player of the Year … 2017 DC State Athletic Association MVP… 2016 Washington, D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year … 2017 American Family Insurance third team ALL-USA Boys Basketball Team … 2017 Max Preps All-American, fifth team … Two-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Player of the Year … As a senior, set school’s career scoring record with 2,266 points … Won 2017 Triple Crown of WCAC Championship, DC State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Championship and Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament … Also won Gonzaga D.C. Classic and took third at Les Schwab Invitational (Ore.) … Eagles finished No. 1 in D.C. area, according to The Washington Post final rankings … Averaged 17.6 points, 4.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds while leading Gonzaga to a 32-5 overall and 15-3 region record … As a junior, averaged 22.0 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals. Knocked down 47.3 percent of shots from three and hit 74.9 percent at the line … Led Eagles (24-10) to the semifinals in both the WCAC and DCSAA … As a sophomore won the WCAC Championship … Played AAU ball for Team Takeover on the EYBL circuit.

Personal: Born July 22, 1998, in Mitchellville, Md. … Parents are Marvin and Vanessa Lykes … Sport administration major with a marketing minor … Has donated his time as a youth basketball instructor, as well as volunteering both at his church and the National Foundation for Cancer Research as a peer tutor … Committed to Miami over offers from Georgetown, Notre Dame, Stanford and Villanova.