Has Jim Larranaga retired? Taking a closer look at Miami Basketball coach’s career

Miami v Texas
Jim Larranaga might retire after another season with the Miami Hurricanes (Image via Getty Images)

Jim Larranaga has achieved historic success with the Miami Hurricanes in the 2022-23 season. For the first time in school history, the Hurricanes have reached the Final Four.

After entering the NCAA Tournament as the fifth seed, Miami exceeded expectations, advancing all the way to the Final Four. They've defeated several tough opponents en route to this, including No. 1 Houston.

Larranaga, 73, has not retired yet. According to several reports, the Hurricanes coach has no interest in retiring and will likely stay with Miami's basketball team for at least one more season.


Jim Larranaga has no interest in retiring after historic success with the Miami Hurricanes

Larranaga is one of the most experienced basketball coaches in the world. He's been a coach since 1971 and has led several different teams. The 2023 March Madness was the second time the 73-year-old coach has made the Final Four.

His coaching career began at Davidson in 1971, where he was an assistant head coach. Five years later, Larranaga got his first head coaching job with the American International Yellow Jackets, going 28-25 in two years.

Larranaga has made it to the Final Four twice (Image via Getty Images)
Larranaga has made it to the Final Four twice (Image via Getty Images)

After two years with the Yellow Jackets, Jim Larranaga became an assistant head coach again. This time, he was with Virginia and was with the team during two Final Four appearances in 1981 and 1984.

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Larranaga's success with Virginia earned him a head coaching job at Bowling Green State University. He spent 11 seasons with the Falcons, going 169-145 and winning the regular season championship in the 1996-97 season.

Jim Larranaga joined Miami in 2011 (Image via Getty Images)
Jim Larranaga joined Miami in 2011 (Image via Getty Images)

After his tenure with the Falcons, Jim Larranaga became head coach of George Mason. This was another long tenure as the coach spent 14 years with the Patriots, making the NCAA Tournament four times.

In the 2005-06 season, Larranaga participated in his first Final Four appearance. The George Mason Patriots entered the tournament as the 11th seed, yet their run was so impressive that they knocked out No. 3 North Carolina in the second round and No. 1 UConn in the Elite Eight.

The Patriots lost their Final Four matchup against No. 3 Florida.

The Hurricanes have a fantastic head coach (Image via Getty Images)
The Hurricanes have a fantastic head coach (Image via Getty Images)

The legendary coach has been with the Miami Hurricanes since 2011. The team has made six NCAA Tournament appearances since then, including the Final Four run in the 2022-23 season.

It appears that Jim Larranaga will stay with the Hurricanes after the 2022-23 season. He has no intention of retiring, which he recently revealed in an interview with ESPN.

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"I have no intentions of [retiring]," Larranaga said, before he was asked how long he could stay with the team. "I take it one year at a time. How I'm feeling and what I expect of myself is to represent the university and the basketball program in a first-class manner."

Considering how great the Hurricanes have been lately, keeping Jim Larranaga as the head coach is definitely the right move. Their season ended with a loss to UConn, but they could come back stronger next year and make a deeper run.

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