And suddenly it was over.

The wikipedia entry doesn’t even feel real. “James Joseph Larrañaga^[1] (/ˌlɛərəˈneɪɡə/ LAIR-ə-NAY-gə; born October 2, 1949) is a former college basketball coach and was most recently the head coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team from 2011 to 2024 when he stepped down.”

The words punch you in the gut. “Former college basketball coach.”

While the program had gone off the rails (4-18 in the last 22 games) and it felt like the end was near, the suddenness of it was still jarring.

We all expected a retirement announcement, a victory lap, and for the man that elevated Miami basketball to a level previously unimagined to get his flowers. Instead, the game against Mt. Saint Mary’s, the crushing overtime loss, was his last.

Gone in a flash.

The man who had never taken no for an answer, who had built a Miami program in the face of doubters, and had time and again reinvented himself and his style of play, was “exhausted” and with no path forward. At 75 years old, it was jarring to see Larrañaga discussing his “failures” given that his resume is Hall of Fame worthy.

Larrañaga always had a path forward, a new way to play, a new idea. The 2013 ACC Championship team played big and physical, pounding opponents into submission. 10 years later, he went to the Final Four on the back of small ball. And yet here he was, out of ideas, left to waxing poetically about a bygone era when he could focus on teaching. This modern era was something he was unable and unwilling to adapt to.

Greatness Redefined

When Jim Larrañaga arrived at Miami, he found a program with a relatively new on campus arena in a basketball power conference and not much else.

Conventional wisdom was that Miami could not compete in the ACC. And there was logic behind that wisdom. Previous head coach Frank Haith was 43-69 in ACC Play at Miami, with one NCAA Tournament Appearance and one 8-8 conference record in 7 years. That record got him job security! Not only did the Miami Athletic Department think that record was reasonable given the school’s standing, but Missouri hired him based on that performance.

Larrañaga talked today about how he always dreamed of coaching in the ACC, and Miami afforded him that opportunity. But he did so much more than coach in it. He defined it. 

When he came into the ACC, the notion of Miami basketball as an ACC contender was a joke. It turns out the joke was on everyone else. In his wake, Larrañaga leaves 2 ACC Regular Season Titles, 1 ACC Tournament Title, 6 NCAA Tournament Appearances, 4 Sweet 16 Appearances, 2 Elite Eight Appearances, and a Final Four Appearance in a little over 13 seasons. The numbers are so astounding that they sound made up.

The court should be named after him (and Coach Katie Meier) one day. The photo of them taken together 2 short years ago as they headed off to Sweet 16 games (which both would win) seems like from a different timeline.

Image Courtesy of the Miami Herald

And yet that is our reality. Larrañaga leaves behind a legacy of program building and winning. He has raised the expectations to such levels that it will be nearly impossible for any future coach to reach the standard he has set here.

Miami is not supposed to be able to beat Duke and North Carolina. But Larrañaga did that, repeatedly. About the time Kenny Kadji was dunking a ball thrown off the backboard by Shane Larkin in a 2013 home game against Duke we knew something had changed. 

The program was never the same, the bar permanently raised. It was no fluke. There were the ups and downs that all programs experience. But the one thing that was consistent is that no one wanted to play against a Jim Larrañaga team.

That was due to his love of coaching. Not just of being a coach, but the mechanics of coaching. He loved to teach, and he was so unbelievably good at it that even his “bad” teams were tough to play. We saw that last year when in the face of an unending losing streak the Canes battled the ACC’s top team, North Carolina, to the last play, twice.

With Larrañaga, there was always a chance. Miami basketball went from something to kill time between football seasons to must watch TV.

Imperfect, But Fitting End

Jim Larrañaga took Miami basketball from the outhouse to the penthouse. And it did with a smile on his face, the lovable winner. He did it amongst the backdrop of an ever-changing college basketball landscape.

There is never a perfect ending. Life isn’t a fairy tale.

If there was a time machine, we’d go back to that night in Houston when the Canes’ Final Four run ended and Larrañaga would retire on top. But we can’t go back, and in the end this retiremen was quintessential Larrañaga.

He left on his own terms. And did so after serious thought and reflection. He did so to avoid a messy ending. True to himself and his values.

Larrañaga selflessly stepped aside, choosing the University of Miami, the community he had grown, and the program he had built over himself. 

He came up just short of the ultimate goal, a National Championship, believing such a feat is possible at the university, but that he was not the one to accomplish it.

This is an ending, but it is so much more than that. It’s a bittersweet day.

Jim Larrañaga will be missed. But sometimes you really don’t take time to reflect on what and who is important. And if nothing else, Larrañaga’s retirement will allow the space to do just that, to honor the man who has honored us with his presence. He’ll be remembered more for his impact off the court than his wins on the court. He built a community around the basketball program that will outlive us all.

Larrañaga talked today about how coaching at Miami was a dream for him. A life goal. And he should be congratulated for accomplishing that dream.

But I have to correct one thing. It was so much more than just his dream. It was a dream for everyone.

By accomplishing his dream, Coach Larrañaga allowed all of us to dream. And I will always be grateful for that. 

Today, Jim Larrañaga became the former Miami basketball coach. But he’ll forever be our Coach L.

Vishnu Parasuraman is a show host and writer for @FiveReasonsSports. He covers the Miami Hurricanes Football for @SixthRingCanes Miami Hurricanes Basketball for @buckets_canes , and Miami Hurricanes Baseball for @CanesOnDeck as part of the @5ReasonsCanes Network. You can follow him on twitter @vrp2003

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander plus Jalen Williams took over on offense, and Isaiah Hartenstein was the most dominant big man on the floor, leading the Thunder to a dub at Kaseya Center.

In the first quarter, the Heat’s long-range bombs were missing, save for two, but Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo carried the offense with fastbreak scores and half-court paint attacks. The Thunder raised the intensity by 60° on defense, forcing three host turnovers that stalled the offense midway through the period. Butler twisted his left ankle, got checked out, but didn’t return because he was also bothered by an illness. The Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman reported that he asked trainer Armando Rivas for something before rolling his ankle.

For the Thunder, SGA made two jumpers on the dribble at long and mid-range, plus made a second-chance layup on his miss. His co-star, Williams, added a 3-pointer and ripped through the middle for a layup. The rest of the Thunder were still rolling, making six of 11 baskets.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat was down 25-30

Next, Nikola Jović was summoned, contributing seven points. Herro broke into the heart of OKC’s defense for two layups. And Terry Rozier blew past Williams for a scoop and nailed a 3-pointer.

Defensively, the crew made a stand, holding the visitors to 38% shooting in the second quarter. They also stayed in the 2-3 zone longer than usual, likely because of Butler’s absence.

At halftime, the Heat was down 47-50. They had 26 paint points, eight on the break, four on second chances, eight off turnovers and 21 from the bench. 

The Thunder had 20 paint points, six on the break, five via second chances, 12 off turnovers and 13 from the bench. 

Then Jaime Jaquez started the second half in Butler’s place. He accidentally elbowed Adebayo above the left eye while hunting for a defensive rebound. Adebayo left momentarily to get seven stitches and returned with four minutes left. He finished the period with a putback dunk. 

The Heat briefly took the lead on actions from Herro, Dru Smith and Haywood Highsmith. But the Thunder recovered it quickly as Williams dribbled to the elbow for a jumper, scored on the break and SGA made a quick 3-pointer after pickpocketing Dru Smith.  Coach Erik Spoelstra called a stoppage, but the zone and man coverage were no match for SGA, pulling up on the dribble from long and mid-range. He tore up the Heat for 13 points on five of 12 baskets in the period. 

The fourth quarter started with the Heat down 70-81. Williams burned the Heat with two more shots from mid-range, two up close and one from deep. And Hartenstein added six points and six rebounds. 

The Heat’s response- nine of 20 baskets from Adebayo, Herro, Smith and Duncan Robinson wasn’t enough to lift the squad out of the deficit. 

The Heat lost 97-104. They had 46 paint points, 10 on the break, 12 via second chances, 15 off turnovers and 36 from the bench. 

Herro had 28 points on 11 of 24 shots, with 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Adebayo had 17 points on seven of 11 attempts, with 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and six turnovers.

And Dru Smith had 13 points on 83.3% shooting, with four assists, two steals, one block and three turnovers. 

The Thunder totaled 40 paint points, 13 on the break, 11 via second chances, 27 off turnovers and 17 from the bench. 

After the game, Spoelstra said SGA is a great player and that “you’re not going to hold a guy like that to 25 points, but you have to scramble around, hopefully keep their team average down. We did that for the most part but weren’t able to put points on the board.”

Observations:

1. Adebayo’s turnovers were caused by bad passes, getting stripped by SGA and traveling. The Heat had 18 in total. This was the third game with at least that many but the first loss.

2. Herro had double-digit rebounds for the second time this season. His other 10-rebound game was in the Heat’s win versus the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 24.

3. The Thunder were 21-1 when taking a lead into the fourth quarter and are now 22-1. They were on the second night of a back-to-back, having beat the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

4. The Heat’s attack saw a ferocious set defense for 82.9% of the time.

5. Adebayo’s double-double moves him past Alonzo Mourning for second-most in Heat history with 206. Rony Seikaly is still first with 221.

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The Heat overcame a 16-point-first-half deficit to defeat the Raptors, winning four in a row for the first time this season. The defense cranked up in the second half, plus Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo took over. 

To start, the hungry Raptors scored 20 points in the lane in the first quarter on fastbreak strikes and screen roll attacks in the half-court. Jakob Poeltl and Gradey Dick caused most of the destruction inside. 

Yet, the Heat countered with seven straight points from Herro at long and close range. Jimmy Butler also made two trips to the line, and Duncan Robinson scored six points on layups.

But the defense in the second frame was still chewed up, even when deploying the zone. A 14-2 Toronto run forced coach Erik Spoelstra to call a stoppage as his team was down 16 points. At that moment, the Heat had menmotum, as Pat Riley calls the opposite of momentum. 

Then the Heatles had a 14-2 run, supplied by Herro, Adebayo, Nikola Jović and Terry Rozier to force a Toronto timeout. After that stoppage, Dru Smith connected with Butler for soft alley-oop through contact, and Jović sprinkled in a trey and made a layup. 

At halftime, the Heat was up 58-51. The team had 28 paint points, three on the break, three via second chances, eight off turnovers and 23 from the bench.

The Raptors had 36 paint points, 14 on the break, three on extra tries, 13 off turnovers and 29 from the bench. 

Out of intermission, the defense shut down RJ Barrett by promptly bothering his close-range shots. On the other side, Herro crossed up Kelly Olynyk from at the top, dribbling down for a layup and drained two deep shots (one was a four-point play). On top of that, Kevin Love put up six points and Butler tallied two shots.  At the end of the period, the Heat led 89-76.

Subsequently, Adebayo cracked open the fourth quarter making two floaters, a wing triple and a layup for nine straight points. He added four more before the period ended, and Jaime Jaquez scored multiple field goals, too. 

On defense, the Heat prevented a comeback effort by intercepting the ball twice, poking it free once and holding Dick plus Barrett to two of 11 treys. 

The Heat won 114-104. Additionally, the team had 52 paint points, five on the break, 15 via second chances, 14 off turnovers and 42 from the bench.

Herro had 23 points on nine of 13 shots, with four rebounds, four assists and two turnovers. 

Adebayo had 21 points on 47.1% shooting, with 16 rebounds, five assists, one block and one turnover. 

The Raptors had 56 paint points, 19 on the break, 10 on extra tries, 23 off turnovers and 50 from the bench. 

Observations:

1. Dru Smith played 34 minutes, making it his third straight game with at least 25. He was a pest, bothering the ball on the dribble and after the catch. He is emerging into one of the Heat’s top perimeter disruptors.

At the postgame presser, Spoelstra said about Smith, “When you can find guys who do winning things over and over and over, that’s kind of a superpower in this league.”

2. The Heat held the Raptors to 18 of 33 shots at the rim, which is 11.1 percentage points below the league average (65.6).

3. Jović got his first minutes since the Heat’s win versus the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 24. He was perfect on three shots in the first half, hitting two 3-pointers and dribbling on the baseline for a layup.  In the second half, he made an alley-oop layup through contact. 

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The Heatles beat down the Purple and Mold in their most lopsided win of the season.  Bam Adebayo outdueled Anthony Davis. And Tyler Herro went on another rampage.

The Heat’s protections forced four turnovers and blew up three attempts by AD in the lane.  But the ancient LeBron James got anything he wanted, such as attacking the paint in the half-court and on the break.

On the other side, Adebayo looked like his old self, breaking into the lane for a powerful jam and swishing a mid-range pick-and-pop jumper. Additionally, Haywood Highsmith poured in two treys, and the team outran the Lakers’ transition defense for nine digits.

Through 12 minutes, the Heat logged its highest-scoring first quarter of the season with 34 points and conceded 26.

Then James spun away from the nail while covered by Terry Rozier and slammed a one-handed jam before Adebayo could come to help. He added two extra baskets before halftime, and the rest of the Lakers put up seven of 17 shots. But the hosts responded with 14 of 20 field goals, mostly from Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.

At halftime, the Heat were ahead 69-52. The team had 30 paint points, 15 on the break, 11 via second chances, 11 off turnovers and 13 from the bench.

The Lakers had 30 paint points, 14 on the break, seven via second chances, 16 off turnovers and nine from the bench.

Next, the Lakers’ offense was shut down to 39% shooting.

For the Heat, Herro crushed the Lakers with seven of eight 3-pointers. Butler scored in the open court and on a baseline cut. And the rest of the team made five of 12 baskets, giving the crew a 33-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter was a formality. James played three inconsequential minutes to add to his stats.

The Heat won 134-93. The team had 52 paint points, 24 on the break, 18 via second chances, 18 off turnovers and 51 from the bench.

Herro logged 31 points on 11 of 19 attempts, with five rebounds, four assists, one steal and four giveaways.

Butler put up 17 points on 66.7% shooting, with nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block and one turnover.

And Adebayo had 14 points on six of eight attempts, with 10 rebounds, seven assists, one steal, one block and two turnovers.

The Lakers had 56 paint points, 22 on the break, 15 via second chances, 22 off turnovers and 28 from the bench.

Observations: 

1. Before the game, coach Erik Spoelstra said James could play until he’s age 50. In a smaller capacity, of course James could, but it’s unlikely his ego will settle for him being the third weapon out of the holster.

 2. Haywood Highsmith had 14 points on five of seven shots. He was one of the team’s top players in the first half, hitting four catch-and-shoot treys and intercepting one of James’ passes.

3. The Heat totaled 42 assists, a new season high. The previous best was 33 helpings, set on Oct. 26 against the Charlotte Hornets (W) and Nov. 8 versus the Denver Nuggets (L).

4. Lakers coach JJ Redick said he and his team were embarrassed at the post-game presser. “It’s not a game where I thought we had the right fight, the right professionalism.”

5. James was pissed in the locker room after the game. He said, “If you don’t wanna come to compete, that’s other issues.”

The Heat failed in their comeback against the Raptors in Toronto, going 1-1 in the home and away miniseries and falling back to a .500 record (9-9).

Tyler Herro’s first-quarter flurry couldn’t save the Heat from being pushed to the edge of Jurassic Park in a double-digit deficit early. He had 13 points on three trays and a drive through the middle. But the defense was suspect, not guarding the arc well and losing the sniper and driver in transition. It was so bad that coach Erik Spoelstra yelled to close the lane from RJ Barrett in the open court, but nothing happened as he made a layup.

The second quarter started with the Heat down 24-34. The Heat tied up the game on a 14 to 2 run on nine straight points from Terry Rozier at the arc and line, plus actions from Pelle Larson and Bam Adebayo. They momentarily held the lead.

On the other side, center Jakob Poeltl made a putback, set up his teammate for a cut through the middle, and drew a foul on Adebayo. On top of that, the screen rolls exposed the corners.

At halftime, the Heat was down 60-65. The crew had 24 paint points, seven on the break, eight via second chances, 13 off turnovers and 27 from the bench.

The Raptors had 34 paint points, seven on the break, 11 on spare tries, three off turnovers and seven from the bench.

Then Butler muscled his way into the lane for two layups, scored in transition, and made two freebies. And Robinson connected on two treys.

But the Raptors countered with 14 of 24 field goals at close, mid and long-range to go up 11 points at the end of the period. Barrett maneuvered into the lane like a cobra cornering its prey. Scottie Barnes dished out two more dimes plus made a pull-up jumper over Haywood Highsmith at the nail. And Chris Boucher added six points.

Subsequently, the transition defense was hosed and the four turnovers the Heat’s offense committed didn’t help.

As the crew was down double digits within the last four minutes, Rozier ignited. He canned a step-back triple and dribbled through the middle for a layup. Butler scored in the open court through contact. Then Barrett and Herro traded 3-pointers, but the ladder needed to make one more to tie and failed.

The Heat lost 116-119. They had 46 paint points, 18 on the break, 16 via second chances, 22 off turnovers and 40 from the bench.

Herro had 31 points on nine of 16 attempts, with four rebounds, three assists, two steals and one turnover.

Butler had 17 points on six of nine attempts, with five rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Adebayo logged 13 points on 38.4% shooting, with 20 rebounds, seven assists, one steal and five turnovers.

The Raptors put up 68 paint points, 11 on the break, 13 via second chances, 18 off turnovers and 23 from the bench.

Barrett had 37 points on 75% accuracy, with seven rebounds, five assists, one block and four turnovers.

Barnes put up 23 points on nine of 17 attempts, with 10 rebounds, nine assists and four giveaways.

And Poeltl logged 17 digits on six of 12 looks, with 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block and one turnover.

After the game, Spoelstra said, “In this league, you get what you deserve.”

Observations:

1. Barnes cut up the Heat with his playmaking in transition and the half court. Four of his feeds were to Barrett, two to Boucher, one to Poeltl, Davion Mitchell and Jamison Battle.

2. Adebayo and Butler didn’t provide enough on offense. Butler was walking with a limp at the end of the fourth quarter. After the game, he said he’s not sure if he’ll be able to play versus the Celtics on Monday.

3. The defense was obliterated. The Heat conceded 20 points more than they allow for the season in the square (48). They got caught ball-watching, and we’re not good enough at defending the dribble.

4. Rozier continues to be productive off the bench, but one of his shots in the fourth quarter, a triple in transition when the Heat had the numbers, failed, and it was a dumb attempt.

5. Robinson missed all five shots in the fourth quarter. Two of three 3-point attempts were pressured and one was an open miss.

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