OT: Jim Larranaga Retiring

[gsmooth]

This is not a real surprise. Larranaga is 75 years old and I'm sure the rigors of coaching basketball in the ACC wore him down. Sure, the NIL game is disruptive, but he was one of the original disrupters. A really good coach, but his recent record indicated that it was time to go as he wasn't going to do a rebuild.

I am sure the rigors wore him down, but what really wore him down was his constant losing and the fact his team and his coaching performance were not cutting it anymore. Miami this year has lost 8 of their last 9 games and have a 4-8 record. And if you look at their schedule this year, it's not like they played a bunch of juggernauts, quite the opposite actually.

Miami was 15-7 at one point last year and were thought to be a team with a Sweet 16 ceiling at that point. They proceeded to end their season 15-17 by losing 10 straight. Do the math. Ever since being 15-7, they are 4-18 since. Sure he added Matthew Cleveland and Kyshawn George, but that wasn't enough to compensate for the departures of Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller. But going 4-18 going back to last year shows he didn't have it anymore, which is why the Miami admin and others probably pushed him out.

 

[yungdowork]

Not to derail this thread from Larranaga too much, but this Boston Globe article (alternate access) shows how brutal it can be to be at a school that doesn't want you. The portal is protecting a lot of kids from situations just like this.

"Several other former players told the Globe that [UMass field hockey coach] either did not fulfill her scholarship recruiting offers or encouraged them to leave and give up their aid after they joined the team."

"...athletic directors across the country have received complaints about both male and female coaches allegedly breaking verbal promises or trying to 'run off' scholarship athletes they no longer wanted."

"Peck verbally accepted Weinberg’s offer of a 30 percent athletic scholarship for four years... However, the night before Peck signed her national letter-of-intent, Weinberg asked her to restructure her scholarship..."

 

[AllHusky]

I just don’t think the current landscape pushes players and coaches to make choices based on coaching and developing people to be the best they can be. Which is not good to the overall game of American basketball if players are making decisions for the best payday and coaches are making decisions based on what can help them win as fast as possible.

A bunch of short cutting very important processes. To me it’s not as much about winners and losses of who is adopting to this toxic environment the best.

Feels like Hurley and staff making an effort to maintain the integrity of the developmental system they have developed. We have a ways to go before we can really drill down on what the rapidly changing environment hath wrought on College Basketball and Basketball in general.

 

[Improviser]

Kind of lame to quit during the season unless health reasons...which doesn't appear to be the case.

Why prolong the pain? Why leave with an abysmal full season record?

Coaching is stressful and coaching into the 70's has to be even more so.

Had a good run.

 

[Deleted at users request]

And all of that is irrelevant to everything I just said. If you don't see the difference between Steph Curry and Cam Spencer then this is a not a conversation worth having

If a 56th pick in the NBA draft is your example of why this system is good then I don’t think you’re making a good point.

Love what Cam did here, but him and his story is only relevant to UConn fans. Not to the overall game of basketball.

 

[Deleted at users request]

Counterpoint, getting Cam Spencer from Loyola all the way to UConn was great for the game of basketball. But agreed, probably a net negative on the whole.

Don’t think anyone outside of UConn fans care. If he never becomes an impact NBA player then yeah, it didn’t really matter to the overall game of basketball outside of us being able to win a championship with him.

People probably care more about a CJ McCollum upsetting Duke at Leheigh and becoming a lottery pick.

 

[superjohn]

If a 56th pick in the NBA draft is your example of why this system is good then I don’t think you’re making a good point.

Love what Cam did here, but him and his story is only relevant to UConn fans. Not to the overall game of basketball.

Cam was certainly a story outside of just UConn basketball.

 

[JellyBean]

Elite 8 and Final Four in back to back seasons, last year's team had got off to a pretty good start and then the wheels came off, not sure what happened there.

Heck of a run. I hate to see a good coach step down, but they know when it is time.

 

[traitor71]

NIL and the transfer portal have exploded, even from where they were a few years ago. So now you are recruiting all year long, in the film room and on the court all the time, constantly having to manage your kids because of what is an unlimited free agency situation, etc. This seems far more difficult than it used to be, and it is no surprise that an older coach can wear out and just cash in the chips. It just seems like it would take a lot more energy to do the job now, and it was already insanely hard.

 

[Scoe]

I see a lot of excuses for coaches who step down in season or right before the season. Look at Jim Mora who has an unbelievably stacked deck against him and he's handled it with class building a culture. Sure he's going to lose guys to the portal every year, but he is gonna get guys here too so it all goes full circle so long as you can coach and build a culture.

I find it hilarious to see Nick Saban cry about NIL seeing his world closing in where he cant monopolize the system and he quits as a result, granted he is in his 70s and had a nice offer from ESPN.

 

[Scoe]

If a 56th pick in the NBA draft is your example of why this system is good then I don’t think you’re making a good point.

Love what Cam did here, but him and his story is only relevant to UConn fans. Not to the overall game of basketball.

Wrong

 

[navery12]

If a 56th pick in the NBA draft is your example of why this system is good then I don’t think you’re making a good point.

Love what Cam did here, but him and his story is only relevant to UConn fans. Not to the overall game of basketball.

That was my example because we're on a UConn basketball board and I know you don't watch any college basketball outside of UConn. If it makes you feel better I can switch that player to be Dalton Knecht from Tennessee as my example

 

[HCCForever]

I see a lot of excuses for coaches who step down in season or right before the season. Look at Jim Mora who has an unbelievably stacked deck against him and he's handled it with class building a culture. Sure he's going to lose guys to the portal every year, but he is gonna get guys here too so it all goes full circle so long as you can coach and build a culture.

I find it hilarious to see Nick Saban cry about NIL seeing his world closing in where he cant monopolize the system and he quits as a result, granted he is in his 70s and had a nice offer from ESPN.

Fortunately, Jim Mora is experienced in this type of recruiting from NFL days. In addition, he has a positive outlook and is more youthful than other coaches in his age range and below. As many have stated, UConn is lucky to have Coach Mora.

 

[gtcam]

Older people in general, not just college basketball coaches, are more rigid in their ways and less willing to change.

Yeah - take a cell phone away from anyone under the age of 60 and watch the tears fall and the filth come out of their mouths.

 

[gtcam]

Call me crazy, but I'd be reluctant to get involved with someone investigated by the FBI and given the harshest penalty that the NCAA has for coaches.

Yet someone like Sean Miller still sits on the sidelines and sweats like a pig.

 

[Ports21]

I’m considering his late career resurgence the past few years. 2012-2013 was over a decade ago and his second season at the high major level.

No doubt those two teams that went to the elite 8 and final four were his most accomplished and also the most recent. But he was very consistent at Miami. It's not easy to do there, I know people are saying, "Oh well it's all NIL", and you can certainly credit him being a little ahead of the game when it came to that, but he had them consistently in the tourney almost every year. He'll go down as the best coach in school history. And to inform you of how out of touch that admin is, he had to practically beg for the job and he had to send them his wikipedia! They didn't know who he was!

The only other coach who comes near him in Miami history was Leonard Hamilton, who bolted for the NBA.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

No doubt those two teams that went to the elite 8 and final four were his most accomplished and also the most recent. But he was very consistent at Miami. It's not easy to do there, I know people are saying, "Oh well it's all NIL", and you can certainly credit him being a little ahead of the game when it came to that, but he had them consistently in the tourney almost every year. He'll go down as the best coach in school history. And to inform you of how out of touch that admin is, he had to practically beg for the job and he had to send them his wikipedia! They didn't know who he was!

The only other coach who comes near him in Miami history was Leonard Hamilton, who bolted for the NBA.

Ehh, between winning the conference in 12-13 and the E8 team in 21-22, his average conference finish was just under 7th, he made it to the tournament 3 times in those 8 seasons, and made it past the first round once.

I agree it’s a not the easiest job at a school that really doesn’t care about basketball that much, but it just rings hollow to hear him complain about NIL/portal when he was probably the poster child for its effectiveness the last few years.

 

[Deleted at users request]

The one and done era was fun because you got to watch the future of the sport for a year in school with the KDs, Rose, Wall’s, etc.

People don’t care as much to watch mid major talent live their dream of playing at a high major for a year before fighting for rotation time in the NBA.

This is just hurting basketball in so many ways.

 

[Horatio]

Coach had a great run. Congrats

 

[Waquoit]

The one and done era was fun because you got to watch the future of the sport for a year in school with the KDs, Rose, Wall’s, etc.

I hated the one-and-done era. It was iso ball not team ball. I hate that brand of basketball. Team ball is so much more enjoyable, it's a team sport.

 

[navery12]

The blue bloods haven’t went to a final four since this system has gotten going.

Not to mention literally 2 years ago we had a Final Four of Duke, UNC, Kansas, Villanova

 

[superjohn]

Who are these top programs benefiting? The blue bloods haven’t went to a final four since this system has gotten going.

There have been no true stars in the sport in years too. A Jimmer, Steph, McDermott, Adam Morrison, etc. were way better for cbb than Kenecht. I’m not sure how todays product is better than the consistent stars we used to get and watch.

These players never needed to go to high majors to show that they can play. That’s the special thing about the tournament. If you’re great, it’ll show.

A blue blood won back to back in 2023 and 2024. 2022 the final 4 was Kansas, UNC, Duke, Nova. There's star players every year in college basketball, this year has a bunch of stars and some people think Flagg is the best prospect since Lebron.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

The lack of structure around the NIL and transfer portal is taking away a lot of great coaches.

He had absolutely no problem with it when John Ruiz was throwing cash around.

 

[Scoe]

So Larranaga has benefited off NIL and the portal and now it's the reason he has stepped down? You can't have it both ways.

 

[Scoe]

Older people in general, not just college basketball coaches, are more rigid in their ways and less willing to change.

Yeah - take a cell phone away from anyone under the age of 60 and watch the tears fall and the filth come out of their mouths.

Things you own end up owning you. It's only after we have lost everything that we're free to do anything.

 

[ctchamps]

For those of us with a modicum of detailed understanding how things have played out at Miami while Larranaga was coach his statement as to why he's stepping down is hypocritical. But most fans have little or no knowledge of events, hate the NIL and thus accept his statement.

His alternative was to state he was given the option of retiring or getting fired. That entities within the power base of Miami were dumping him. It would have been honest but would have been detrimental to all parties directly involved. Furthermore it would have destroyed any goodwill he has with entities at that program. It was prudent of him to maintain those relationships. I don't blame him at all for taking the direction he took.

This process at Miami is so much better than what happened at UConn between KO and our power brokers. This righteous indignation towards Larranaga's hypocrisy is ludicrous in light of how this forum reacted to events during that period of our history.

 

[ctchamps]

Older people in general, not just college basketball coaches, are more rigid in their ways and less willing to change.

Yeah - take a cell phone away from anyone under the age of 60 and watch the tears fall and the filth come out of their mouths.

This negative stereotyping around age is a problem in this forum. Thankfully there isn't any overt behavior like this regarding gender, race, nationality or religion.

And to be fair I'm constantly pointing out to my "senior" friends how wrong it is to negatively stereotype the younger generation.

 

[Deleted at users request]

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Not to mention literally 2 years ago we had a Final Four of Duke, UNC, Kansas, Villanova

Of course I’m talking about the non-UConn teams.

That happened before NIL and the transfer portal were in full swing. Those weren’t transfer heavy teams I believe. Hence that being one with Jay Wright and Coach K still around.

 

[AllHusky]

I see a lot of excuses for coaches who step down in season or right before the season. Look at Jim Mora who has an unbelievably stacked deck against him and he's handled it with class building a culture. Sure he's going to lose guys to the portal every year, but he is gonna get guys here too so it all goes full circle so long as you can coach and build a culture.

I find it hilarious to see Nick Saban cry about NIL seeing his world closing in where he cant monopolize the system and he quits as a result, granted he is in his 70s and had a nice offer from ESPN.

I don't believe Alabama is as well resourced as you might expect. Close friend coaches there, and says their alumni base in general not very well heeled. Maybe Saban saw the writing on the wall with regards to Bama not being competitive enough in the NIL market.

 

[superjohn]

Of course I’m talking about the non-UConn teams.

That happened before NIL and the transfer portal were in full swing. Those weren’t transfer heavy teams I believe. Hence that being one with Jay Wright and Coach K still around.

Conveniently leaving out UConn who went back to back in the most dominant fashion ever is really bizarre. Remy Martin had 14 points in the national championship game and Brady Manek had 13/13 and 4 blocks in the national championship game. He was awesome for UNC all season.