On Thursday morning, Michelle Kaufman of The Miami Herald reported that Miami Hurricanes Males’s Basketball Head Coach Jim Larrañaga was going to step down. The announcement might come as early as at present.
A legendary coach with greater than 40 years on the bench, Larrañaga got here to Miami and helped increase the profile and efficiency of this system to previously-unseen heights.
Larrañaga turned a extensively identified coach when he led the George Mason, a Colonial Athletic Convention workforce, to the Last 4. George Mason’s run was the factor of March Insanity Cinderella goals, and featured wins over #6 Michigan State, #3 North Carolina, #7 Wichita State, and #1 UConn, earlier than shedding to #3 Florida within the Nationwide Semifinals.
Larrañaga stayed at George Mason for one more 5 years following that dream NCAA Event run, earlier than taking the Miami job in 2011. In his 14 years at Miami, Larrañaga continued to do what he’d executed all through his profession: recruit, develop, and win.
Miami routinely overperformed their preseason media predictions with Larrañaga on the bench. The Canes received the ACC Common Season in 2013 and 2023, and added the ACC Event Championship in 2013 as properly. For his efforts in 2013, Larrañaga was named AP Nationwide Coach of the Yr.
The 2013 Canes — led by Shane Larkin, Kenny Kadji, and Durand Scott — made it to the Candy 16 earlier than shedding to Marquette.
The 2022 Canes — led by Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller, and Kam McGusty — made it to the Elite 8 earlier than shedding to eventual Nationwide Champion Kansas.
Larrañaga and the Canes recaptured the George Mason Magic in 2024, making it to the Last 4 for the primary time in College Historical past, earlier than shedding to eventual Nationwide Champion UConn. Guard Isaiah Wong was ACC Participant of the Yr, and the important thing participant pushing Miami to those heights.
Together with his sturdy roots within the Northeast, Miami recruited that space extraordinarily properly beneath Larrañaga. Gamers like Isaiah Wong, Lonnie Walker IV, Jalil Bethea — each of whom set the file for highest ranked recruit to ever signal with Miami Basketball — and others shaped the muse for robust, well-coached groups that have been a thorn within the aspect of conventional ACC bluebloods.
In the long run, nevertheless, issues went awry for Larrañaga and the Canes. After shedding the ultimate 10 video games within the 2023 season, Miami has been one of many worst groups within the nation in 2024. The Canes have stumbled to a 4-8 file and have seemed dangerous doing it. 4-18 of their final 22 video games is dangerous for anybody, however for a coach with the bona fides of Larrañaga, it’s sufficient to name it a profession.
Coach L is a legend, and his time at Miami raised this system to heights beforehand unseen. Thanks for all the pieces, Coach! It’s been a wild trip.