Miami Hurricanes freshman guard Shane Larkin had just returned from basketball practice for Tuesday's game against No. 3 North Carolina when he turned on the TV in his hotel room for a family update.
The news was good: Shane's dad had just become a baseball Hall of Famer. Barry Larkin was elected in balloting announced Monday.
''I did a little dance in the room, because he finally got what he deserved,'' Shane Larkin said in a phone interview from Chapel Hill, N.C. ''I know it's a big relief for him. It's something he has been waiting on.''
The former Cincinnati Reds shortstop was chosen in his third year of eligibility. The past two years, Shane was home with his dad in Orlando, Fla., when the voting results were disclosed.
''Every year they've been at the house in the backyard with a TV camera, and as soon as it's announced, they've showed his face,'' Shane said. ''This year his expression was what we were looking for.''
Shane said he's never been to Cooperstown but will definitely attend the ceremony for his dad's induction.
Shane, who was around the Reds a lot as a kid when his dad still played, chose basketball over baseball in grade school. He became a prep star in Orlando, committed to DePaul in 2010 and transferred to Miami before this season.
The 5-foot-11 Larkin is averaging 8.2 points and 24 minutes a game for the Hurricanes, who are 0-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference but optimistic about their chances of upsetting the Tar Heels.
''If we can get that,'' Shane said, ''that would be a big, big week for the Larkins.''
