After news broke that Jim Larranaga was stepping down as Miami head coach, ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips shared a heartfelt message for the longtime Canes coach.
"Jim Larranaga is a tremendous man who has left a mark as not only the most accomplished coach in Miami basketball history, but as one of the premier coaches in ACC history," the ACC Commissioner said in a statement.
"His coaching record speaks for itself with over 700 career wins, but he always has led his program with the utmost integrity and class."
The 75-year-old Larranaga resigned on Thursday, effective immediately, leaving the Hurricanes with a 4-8 overall record, the worst overall record among 18 teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Associate head coach Bill Courtney, one of Larranaga's closest friends for the past three decades, will take over for the rest of the season.
Larranaga concludes a 14-year tenure as Miami’s head coach with a 274-174 record, including six NCAA Tournament appearances, two regular season conference titles, and an ACC Tournament Championship. He led Miami to the Final Four in 2023 and George Mason to the Final Four in 2006.
His departure also marks the end of a 41-year college head-coaching career, during which he compiled a 744-505 overall record at Miami, American International, George Mason and Bowling Green.
According to the university's press release, a national search will,
"Commence for the next leader of Hurricanes men's basketball as part of its continued commitment to competing at the highest level in all of its programs."
Jim Larranaga’s decision to resign
Jim Larranaga revealed he decided to step down after Saturday's 78-74 overtime loss to Maryland Mount St. Mary's at home. Despite efforts from university officials to sway him, his decision remained firm.
"I'm exhausted," Larranaga said. "I've tried every which way to keep this going."
Larranaga joins coaches like Virginia's Tony Bennett and Villanova's Jay Wright, who have stepped away in recent years citing challenges in the evolving landscape of college sports. In particular, the name, image and likeness (NIL) era.
Despite developing the playstyles of Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller, and Kyshawn George, who were eventually drafted into the NBA, the team's issues later became evident. Eight Miami players, all reportedly happy at the program, entered the transfer portal following the Hurricanes' Final Four appearance in 2023.
In a news conference, Larranaga shared the difficulties of navigating the current system in college basketball.
"At this point, after 53 years, I just didn't feel that I could successfully navigate this whole new world that I was dealing with because my conversations were ridiculous, with an agent saying to me, 'Well, you can get involved (with a prospective player) if you're willing to go to $1.1 million,' and that would be the norm," he said.
Jim Larranaga led Miami to the Elite Eight and Final Four in the 2022 and 2023 NCAA Tournaments. However, after ending the 2023-24 season with a 10-game losing streak, he began the 2024-25 season with a 4-8 record.
Miami aims to regroup ahead of its next game, a road matchup against Boston College on New Year's Day.
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