Jim Larranaga is Miami-bound

The Jim Larranaga rumors started gaining steam on Thursday and within a day of George Mason University granting their head coach permission to talk to University of Miami official, the Hurricanes had a new leader on the hardwood.

Larranaga spent the past fourteen seasons at George Mason and went 273-164 with the Patriots. This season his squad went 27-7 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Ohio State.

The Larranaga hire comes a week after UM named Shawn Eichorst its new athletic director – a story that barely made ripples with the local news. Conversely, there’s been national talk about ‘Larranaga to Miami’ and as expected, with many out there not understanding or agreeing with the move.

Some have trivialized the move, stating it all about money, pointing out that Larranaga earned between $525,000 and $700,000 annually at George Mason and will bring home more than $1,000,000 a year at “The U” – making for a hefty pay raise for both he and his staff.

Larranaga and his Patriots reached the Final Four in 2006 and when the long-time George Mason coach turned down a handful of offers soon thereafter, it was assumed he was staying put for the long haul.

Then half a decade later, Miami came calling.

Timing is everything. Always has been, always will be. Just look at the State of The U these past several months. On the gridiron, Randy Shannon lost four of his final six games, which earned him a pink slip. A search was conducted and Al Golden was hired by then-athletic director Kirby Hocutt.

In a matter of weeks, Hocutt left Coral Gables for Texas Tech, in a move that wasn’t as overnight as it appeared. (Long-time Red Raiders AD Gerald Myers stepped down last fall, so Hocutt might’ve been eyeing the west-Texas opening for a while.)

Had Hocutt left sooner, would Miami have wound up with Golden? Had Golden not put together a 9-4 and 8-4 back-to-back seasons, would anyone have been looking to lure the up and coming coach out of Philadelphia? Furthermore, had Shannon not been fired, would Golden have been available – or would he have wound up at his alma mater, Penn State, when Joe Paterno finally retires (or passes away during a halftime speech)?

The Larranaga hire wouldn’t have been possible had the University of Missouri not come after Frank Haith weeks back and had Haith not been on the hot seat (with a new incoming AD to impress), would he have even left for Columbia? A multi-year contract and guaranteed money was too much to turn down considering the 2011 season at ‘The U’ could’ve left him jobless if the Canes didn’t turn things around.

George Mason’s Cinderella-type season came when Larranaga was 56 years old and after making such a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, one can understand the loyalty to stick around his beloved program, but at 61 years old, again, timing is everything. (As was the news of George Mason president Alan Merten stepping down weeks back. Did Larranaga want to deal with ‘new blood’ at this stage of the game?)

Some see Larranaga’s age as a negative, but in an era where up and coming coaches are job hopping their way to the next better payday, Miami can rest assured that their new coach is will arguably ride out his final coaching days in Coral Gables – and after fourteen years at George Mason, the question isn’t ‘why’ but ‘why not’?

Larranaga is from The Bronx and much like Coach Golden, isn’t one to shy from promoting his team, building his brand and winning over fans.

As mentioned in this blog time and time again, for Miami to succeed without the athletic department budgets seen in place like Gainesville, Columbus or Austin, it will take some thinking outside the box and unique personalities to go ‘next level’. It’s the exact way Howard Schnellenberger put UM football on the map in the late 1970s and it’s something both Golden and Larranaga will do as they build their programs in the present day.

A native New Yorker will have no problem adapting to the Miami lifestyle or over the top and sometimes abrasive fan base. Beyond that, the Miami program is a good fit for a successful coach with a proven style. UM is a niche school, Larranaga is a niche coach and he’ll now get a crack at big time ACC basketball – something any solid coach in the game would welcome.

Jim Calhoun, head coach of the national champion UCONN Huskies won this year’s title game as a 68-year old. Legendary Duke leader Mike Krzyzewski was 63 years of age when winning another ring last season and North Carolina’s Roy Williams was 59 years ripe when his Tar Heels won the 2009 title.

Another veteran this past season; San Diego State’s Steve Fisher , who recently turned 66 years old and led his Aztecs to a 34-3 season, eventually bounced from the Sweet Sixteen by Calhoun’s Huskies — so one last time, let’s can all that age talk as several coaches younger than Larranaga have brought home the hardware in recent years and achieved great success in the latter stages of their careers.

This is a great hire for the University of Miami and a great opportunity for Jim Larranaga. Timing is truly everything, as are kindred spirits – which is what both UM and Coach Larranaga are.

The pay increase was obviously a motivating factor, but there was more to this move than just dollars and cents. Larranaga could’ve earned a solid payday after George Mason’s Final Four run, but decided to stay put. This is a combination of right time, right place and right fit, as well.

A great hire for ‘The U’ and fans can finally rejoice as Hurricanes basketball just took a huge step on the road to relevancy.

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