This is what UM coach Jim Larranaga said about his contract extension through 2025-26
NEW YORK, N.Y. – University of Miami basketball coach Jim Larrañaga was in a particularly good mood Wednesday afternoon as he sat in a Manhattan hotel, overlooking the city he grew up in.
On the eve of his resurgent team playing in the ACC tournament quarterfinal, the university announced that Larranaga had agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2025-26 season.
Larranaga, 72, is the winningest coach in program history.
He told the Herald that he has loved his 11 years at UM, was determined to get the program back to winning after a three-year dip and the extension was the result of long conversations he had with new UM athletic director Dan Radakovich, UM president Julio Frenk and members of the Board of Trustees.
“In recruiting, one of the most consistent questions I get is `Are you going to be here, or are you going to retire?’’’ Larranaga said. “My answer was always `I love Miami. I’m going to be here as long as the university wants me.’ When I met with Dan and explained where I stood and how we were getting these questions, he was very comfortable in addressing the uncertainty of how long I would be here.”
Larranaga said the stability of the program is critical going forward as he and his staff try to restock the team with new talent with many seniors leaving.
“Now, I can tell those recruits and their families, `If you come here as a freshman, I will be here for the next four years,” Larranaga said. “They want to know that I will be there to take care of their sons.”
Radakovich said in a statement: “I am excited to have Jim continue to lead our men’s basketball program. He is an outstanding ambassador on and off the court for Miami and for the game of college basketball. We look forward to many more seasons of success with Jim at the helm.”
A 38-year coaching veteran, Larrañaga ranks No. 34 all-time among Division I coaches, including No. 10 among active coaches, in victories with a 692-473 record. He is a 222-139 in 11 years at Miami and has led the Hurricanes to seven 20-win seasons, two Sweet 16s and a sweep of the 2013 ACC titles.
He has won two ACC Coach of the Year awards, two USBWA IV Coach of the Years and one NABC All-District II Coach of the Year distinction. In 2013, he won Naismith, Associated Press, Henry Iba USBWA and Rupp National Coach of the Year recognitions after guiding the Hurricanes to a 29-7 (15-3 ACC) record and the best season in school history.
Larranaga said he and his wife, Liz, feel they found a true home in Coral Gables, and he is eager to continue coaching as peers have either retired or are retiring, such as Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.
“The major factor in me wanting to keep coaching is I am very competitive, and it hurt very, very deeply that we did not have winning seasons these past three years,” Larranaga said. The team was plagued with a rash of injuries that often left Larranaga with just six or seven healthy scholarship players.
Also, there was an FBI probe into recruiting that UM was tangentially mentioned in, but nothing came of it and the school’s name was redacted from the indictment. Although UM was cleared and the school gave Larranaga a coaching extension at the time to show its support, it hurt two recruiting cycles.
Finally, things turned around this season. The Hurricanes went 22-9 (14-6 ACC) and finished fourth in the conference standings after being picked No. 12 in the ACC preseason poll.
In addition to his teams’ on-court success, Larrañaga’s program has posted a perfect Graduate Success Rate (GSR) each of the past four years. All 28 departing undergraduate seniors who have played for the Hurricanes during the Bronx, N.Y., native’s tenure have earned a Miami degree.
“I’d like to thank President Frenk and Vice President and Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich for their belief and trust in me,” Larranaga said. “I’m honored and humbled by the University of Miami’s amazing continued support of me, my players and my staff. This extension is truly about all of us associated with the program and what we have accomplished together.”