End of an era: Exhausted Larranaga knew it was time to walk away

There were tears in the end, but not from Jim Larranaga.

The now former Miami Head basketball coach walked into the ballroom adjacent to the Miami basketball arena Thursday and formally announced the abrupt end to his coaching career.

It was his own decision that he made with his family over the holidays after a second season in a row has gone astray. The Hurricanes are 4-8 this season, and the 75-year-old Larranaga decided it was time to call it a career. His representatives negotiated a financial settlement with the University and Thursday’s press conference was scheduled for 1:30 pm.

Miami associate head coach Bill Courtney will be the Hurricanes interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

Larranaga is the winningest coach in Miami basketball history. He has been with the program since the 2011-12 season and reached the NCAA Tournament six times, making the Elite 8 in 2022 and Final 4 in 2023.

Miami started out the 2024-25 season with three straight wins, before losing seven games in a row. That stretch included losses to Drake, Charleston Southern and VCU. Larranaga and Miami did bounce back to beat Presbyterian on Dec. 15, before falling to Mount St. Mary’s in overtime on Dec. 21.

It was after that loss that Larranaga decided it was time to walk away. He informed the University of his decision Sunday.

In his thirteen-plus seasons in Coral Gables, Larrañaga led the Hurricanes to six NCAA Tournament appearances, including their first Final Four (2023), first Elite Eight (2022), first ACC Tournament title (2013), first two ACC regular season crowns (2013, 2023) and four Sweet 16 appearances.

“After more than fifty years in college coaching, it is simply time,” said Larrañaga. “There is never a great moment to step away, but I owe it to our student-athletes, our staff and the University of Miami to make this move now when my heart is simply no longer in the game and I owe it to Liz, Jay, Jon, and my grandchildren to be a greater part of their lives. The University needs a new leader of the program, one who is both adept at and embracing of the new world of intercollegiate athletics. It has been the honor of a lifetime to be a part of the Hurricane Family and to represent this world-class institution. Most importantly, I have been so blessed to have coached the hundreds of young men who chose to wear the UM jersey and who have gone on to flourish in their respective journeys. I will always be a Cane.”

Larrañaga amassed a 274-174 overall record as Miami’s head coach, including 126-116 in ACC play. He currently ranks No. 6 on the NCAA’s list of winningest active DI coaches and is the only coach in NCAA history to win 100-plus conference games at three Division I schools (Miami, George Mason and Bowling Green). He has been named the Associated Press, Naismith, USBWA and Henry Iba National Coach of the Year, twice was both the ACC and USBWA District IV Coach of the Year and was the 2013 NABC District 2 Coach of the Year. ar. In 2023, Larrañaga was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame & Museum.

“It is hard to fully articulate just what Jim Larrañaga has meant to the University of Miami,” said UM President Joe Echevarria. “His contributions go well beyond the wins, the championships and the Final Four run in 2023. He has elevated our athletics program and increased the visibility of our institution by championing our educational mission. Perhaps most importantly, he has recruited tremendous young men to Coral Gables who earned their degrees and who impacted the community, and we are grateful for his service. As a University, we will honor his legacy by continuing to invest in our men’s basketball program and by pursuing a new leader of our program who will take us to unprecedented heights. With a world-class institution, incredible fans and a commitment to championships, I am confident in what comes next.”  

Larrañaga arrived at Miami after an historic fourteen-year run at George Mason University, where he led the Patriots to five NCAA Tournament appearances (1999, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2011), including an unprecedented run to the 2006 Final Four that captured the nation’s attention, as the Patriots defeated Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and UConn along the way. Following that run, Larrañaga was selected the 2006 Clair Bee National Coach of the Year. Larrañaga built the Patriots’ program into a perennial contender in the Colonial Athletic Association, winning more games than any other coach in program and conference history (273) en route to three conference titles (1999, 2001, 2008). As the head coach at Bowling Green for 11 seasons, Larrañaga amassed 170 victories, second all-time in Falcons’ history. His first head coaching stint was at American International, taking over a team that had suffered through five consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival, and turning AIC into a winning program in his first year, compiling a 28-25 mark over two seasons. 

“Jim has been a great asset to our Department of Athletics and a great partner to me and to my predecessors,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich. “I know that he did not reach this decision lightly or without great reflection. We are so grateful for his many contributions to Miami Athletics over the years and for being such an outstanding ambassador for the University of Miami. 

“Bill Courtney has been by Jim’s side during some of our most successful seasons and plays a significant role in our program, both on the court and off. “Elevating Bill to Interim Head Coach for the remainder of this season was an easy decision and will ensure a smooth transition for our student-athletes as we resume ACC play. I am confident that Bill and the rest of our coaching staff will rise to the occasion and lead us in the right direction.”

Courtney is in his sixth season at Miami, including his third as associate head coach, and plays an integral role in coaching, scouting, recruiting and player development. He has over a quarter-century of college coaching experience, as an assistant coach at DePaul (2017-19), as Head Coach at Cornell (2010-16), as an assistant at Virginia Tech (2009-10), Virginia (2006-09), Providence (2005-06), George Mason (1997-2005), Bowling Green (1996-97), and American (1995-96). 

Courtney earned First Team All-Patriot League accolades during his junior and senior seasons as a captain at Bucknell University, from which he graduated in 1992 and named to the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. He competed professionally for the Philadelphia Spirit of the United States Basketball League (USBL) and for the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA Summer League team in 1992 before spending two years playing professional basketball in Hong Kong. He also played in the Philippines for one season.