How Miguel Arnold’s journey took him from Puerto Rico to Augusta University hero
By Katron Hugee | Sports writer
The score was 76-74 in favor of Queens University over Augusta University with 8.3 seconds left on the clock in the championship of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional championship game on March 15.
After a tough layup from the Royals’ Kenny Dye, the Jaguars called timeout with potentially 8.3 seconds left in their season—just 8.3 seconds left from suffering the same fate as the 2018-2019 Jaguars who fell in the Sweet Sixteen to the exact same program. But AU was also just 8.3 seconds away from punching their ticket to Elite Eight for the first time since 2010.
“We ran a play called ‘chop’ that we stole from Kansas a long time ago,” AU Coach Dip Metress said. “They scored, and we immediately called timeout because I had him (pointing to his left) off the floor. Let’s get this one back on the floor.”
The “him” Metress was referring to in the postgame press conference was one Miguel Arnold, the university’s all-time leading 3-point shooter.
Following the timeout, the play would lead to a dribble hand-off from Tyree Myers to Arnold, who would take one dribble to his left, rise up and hit the shot heard round the CSRA.
Pandemonium would ensue in Christenberry Fieldhouse as AU students rushed the court in celebration after Dye missed a desperation shot from near midcourt.
Arnold's clutch 3-pointer would indeed punch the Jaguars’ ticket to Evansville, Ind., and the NCAA Division II quarterfinals. Arnold’s bucket gave the Jaguars their first Elite Eight berth in 12 years and avenged their loss at Queens three years prior.
“That’s the biggest shot I hit in my life.” Arnold said. “It was a magical moment, and I wish I could relive that moment 100 times again.”
This moment was the culmination of what has been an amazing postseason run for Arnold. Starting in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament, Arnold scored 22 points in the quarterfinals followed by 18 in the semifinals and another 22 in the PBC championship game hitting at least 4 3-pointers in all three games on 50 percent shooting.
Then, in the NCAA Division II regional tourney, Arnold opened with 22 points on 5-of-11 shooting from behind the arc against Belmont Abbey. He followed that up with 16 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting against UNC Pembroke and finally 14 points in the NCAA Regional championship game with Queens. Arnold only hit two 3-pointers in the championship, but the second one was the biggest of Arnold’s career.
“I work hard enough and it's paying off,” Arnold said about his playoff performance. “It's playoff time and I knew what I needed to do, I needed to come here and be aggressive. It’s been great and I just hope I keep playing well, my teammates trust me and I trust them and they’re counting on me and I’m counting on them.”
This moment for Miguel Arnold is a long way from where it all started. For Arnold, it started as a youth growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“I used to play football first; I didn’t play basketball until I was 12 years old.” said Arnold, an integrated studies and criminal justice double major. “I was playing at a random tournament and this guy asked me if I wanted to play basketball, so I did.”
Arnold would get a scholarship to play basketball at a private school in Puerto Rico. From there, scouts would take notice of Arnold and recruit him to play basketball at South Miami High School in Miami, Fla.
“From Puerto Rico, I came with 11 of my friends to play (in Miami), and only two of us stayed because none of us knew English,” he said.
The 5-foot-10 Arnold played high school basketball in Miami for a few years before graduating in 2017. While in Miami, he started picking up the English language.
“It didn’t take me long,” Arnold said. “I needed it to survive (in Miami), I honestly didn’t think I was going to learn (English), but I surprised myself.”
Arnold also was living with the Jimenez family in Miami. This family was one of the reasons he was able to survive and thrive in Florida.
“I gotta give a shout-out to my man Omar Jimenez,” Arnold said. “He was the one that took me in when he had no reason to and he took care of me like I was his own son. I cannot thank him enough and he’s the reason why I’m here today.”
In his junior year in high school, Arnold would end up participating in a tournament in Lithonia, Ga., where he would catch the eye of Metress. That next year, Metress would invite Miguel to a visit of Augusta University.
“As soon as I got here (AU), it felt like home,” he said. “I didn’t take any more visits to any other schools, and as soon as I got here, I committed here.”
After redshirting his freshman year, Arnold would start 28 games in his official Jaguars’ debut season. As a freshman, he would lead the team in 3-pointers with 101 and be named the PBC Co-Freshman of the Year. After a PBC regular season championship and PBC tournament championship, the season would end in the Sweet 16 against Queens in Charlotte, N.C.
Then, in his sophomore year, Arnold once again led the team in 3-pointers with 79, hitting eight 3-pointers in one game against Young Harris. He helped the team reach another NCAA Southeast Regional tournament before the season was suspended due to COVID-19.
“It’s crazy, when I was in high school I didn’t shoot threes,” he said. “I only shot mid-range but when I got here (AU) my game changed. (Coach) Dip put me positions to succeed, and I was in the gym all the time.”
After the 2020-21 season was derailed by COVID-19, in which Arnold only played two games due to a reading of an inflamed heart on an MRI after he contracted the virus (the same thing that sidetracked teammate Troy Cracknell), the Miami guard returned to the gym back in May of 2021.
And Arnold came back on a mission to make up for lost time.
The team, including the postseason, has a program-best 31-3 record, including a perfect 20-0 at home. Arnold is once again leading the team in 3-pointers made with 110 and has hit big landmarks, including 1,000 career points at AU and becoming the Jaguar’s all-time leading 3-point shooter with 290. The old record was 282 by Gary Boodnikoff.
“Last season was terrible for us,” Arnold said, “but we all made a promise that we were going to come and do our best with the full team. We kept our promise, and this season has been magical.”
The Jaguars’ stellar season earned AU the No. 1 seed and regional host. It also allowed for Christenberry Fieldhouse, packed with the Jaguar faithful, to witness one of the biggest shots in the program’s history.
“It was a great experience,” Arnold said of the game winner. “My phone was crazy. I had to turn off notifications because there were so many texts. I’m happy that God blessed me that way and that’s what makes me happy that I can make my family proud. That’s what it's all about.”
Arnold and the Jaguars now look forward as their magical season continues in Indiana.
“We get to play in the Elite Eight and compete for a national championship,” he said. “We know it's a big stage but we’re not treating this any differently. It’s been working all season so we’re not changing anything, we’re going to go hoop and play some basketball.”
AU faces No. 6 Chico State on Tuesday, March 22. The game tips off at 9:30 p.m. at the Ford Center in Evansville. The winner will face the No. 2 Indiana (Pa.) v. No. 7 Hillsdale winner on Thursday, March 24.
Contact Katron Hugee at khugee@augusta.edu.
Miguel Arnold (5) elevates for a jumper against Kenny Dye of Queens in the Southeast Regional championship game at Christenberry Fieldhouse. (photo by Madison Keel) At the top of the page, Arnold drives for a layup past the Royals’ Quan McCluney as teammate Ja’Queze Kirby watches. (photo by Chris Rickerson)
