Legendary college basketball coach Jim Larranaga is expected to announce his retirement on Thursday afternoon, effective immediately. It appears as though the University of Miami pushed him out amid a disastrous start to the 2024 season.
This is the new reality in the era of Name, Image and Likeness, where teams that spend big money to assemble a roster are expected to win immediately. Anything less will not do.
Larranaga, 75, led the Hurricanes to their first-ever Elite Eight just three years ago. He followed it up with the school’s first-ever appearance in the Final Four one year later on the heels of an ACC Championship. There was a palpable buzz surrounding the program in Coral Gables, which was largely funded by billionaire booster John Ruiz. It was landing some of the top transfers in the nation and winning.
However, momentum completely fell off of a cliff in 2023. Miami went 15-17 and finished 14th in the ACC. Larranaga got a pass. Things happen.
In an effort to get back to relevance, the Hurricanes rebuilt their roster through the transfer portal. Nijel Pack is back for another year on a monster NIL deal. Lynn Kidd was a big addition in the post.
And yet, Miami sits at 4-8 through its first 12 games. Jim Larranaga has tried multiple different lineups to try to get a spark. Nothing worked.
An overtime loss to Mount St. Mary’s on Saturday ultimately proved to be the proverbial nail in the coffin, or so it appears. The Miami Herald first reported on Thursday that Larranaga is expected to resign. It marks the end of an esteemed coaching career that is perhaps most famous for George Mason’s Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2006.
It is unclear as to how the university plans to proceed but it just goes to show that losing will not be tolerated when a school has spent a small fortune to assemble what it believes is a competitive roster. Jim Larranaga is a casualty of the NIL era. If a team pays for talented transfers, the coach has to deliver.