Legendary Larrañaga

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