Jim Larranaga led the Miami Hurricanes to the men’s Final Four in 2023, yet less than a year and a half later, the 75-year-old is leaving his post as head coach.
Michell Kaufman of the Miami Herald was the first to report the news, which may seem a bit shocking on the surface, but the move makes sense when looking at the Canes’ recent form.
Miami began this season 3-0, but currently finds itself sitting at just 4-8 on the year with notable home losses to Mount St. Mary’s and Charleston Southern. A 4-8 mark leading into conference play in an always competitive ACC is an uphill battle, and one the administration in South Florida clearly didn’t see Larranaga being able to withstand.
While this season has gotten off to a slow start, the downfall officially began on Jan. 30 when the Hurricanes lost 60-38 at Virginia. Miami had eight games left on the slate at that point and lost all eight before losing in the opening round of the conference tournament to Boston College.
Losses paint a clear picture and serve as a legitimate reason for Miami to turn the page. The bigger picture revolves around the new era of NIL in college athletics. Larranaga is just the latest veteran coach to step aside with the new era of college sports taking on new levels.
Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jay Wright, Tony Bennett and Jim Boeheim recently stepped away from college hoops amid the always-changing landscape.
The Hurricanes had just one player still on the roster from their Final Four run two seasons ago after eight bolted from the program through the transfer portal.
Larranaga will leave Miami as the winningest coach in program history and with 40 years of coaching under his belt after starting his career as an assistant at Davidson in 1971.
