The Miami basketball team has had a very disappointing 2024-25 season so far, as the Hurricanes have struggled to find their footing amid a 4-8 start. Now, their whole world has been rocked. Head coach Jim Larranaga is stepping down as head coach, according to Michelle Kaufman of The Miami Herald.
“BREAKING NEWS: UM basketball coach Jim Larranaga to step down, two years after historic Final Four run. Announcement expected as early as today,” Kaufman reported on X, formerly Twitter.
Larranaga has become one of the most prominent figures in college basketball over the last 40 years when he has been coaching, and he has made stops at Bowling Green, George Mason and Miami during that time. He is most well-known as the architect of one of the greatest Cinderella runs in the history of the NCAA Tournament when he led George Mason to the Final Four in 2006. The Patriots' upset of No. 1-seeded UConn in the 2006 Elite Eight still lives on as one of the greatest upsets ever.
Larranaga made five NCAA Tournament appearances in 14 seasons at George Mason before leaving for Miami, where is currently in his 14th season. His tenure with the Hurricanes got off to a great start, as Miami won both the ACC regular season title and the ACC Tournament in Larranaga's second season there in 2012-13 before it was eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen.
Larranaga consistently had Miami in NCAA Tournament contention over the course of his tenure, but he seemed to find the right blend of players over the last few seasons. In 2021-22, Miami made a surprising run to the Elite Eight as a No. 10 seed in the bracket before bowing out to eventual National Champion Kansas.
The following season, the Hurricanes won the ACC regular season once again under Larranaga and then made a run to the Final Four as a No. 5 seed, where they lost to another eventual champion in UConn.
Miami has struggled last season and at the start of this one after losing a majority of that core from those accomplished units. Larranaga's squad finished 15-17 last season and is just 4-8 this year after a home loss to Mount St. Mary's in overtime.
For his career, Larranaga will finish with a 744-507 record and is one of the winningest coaches of this era. Miami will now begin its search for a new man to lead the program for the first time in over a decade. In the meantime, former Cornell head coach and current Miami assistant Bill Courtney will be promoted to interim head coach, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.