After going into the weekend unranked, head coach Jim Larranga and the Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball team began the week ranked #15 in the polls after big wins against formerly ranked #22 Butler and #16 Utah en route to winning the Puerto Rico Tip-off Tournament over the weekend.
After a surprise season that saw them capture their first ACC title in 2012, Hurricanes basketball has become the shining star of the University of Miami athletics.
Since his hiring in 2011, Jim Larranga has the Hurricanes moving in position to join conference heavyweights Duke, North Carolina, and Syracuse. He has brought the Hurricanes to a level of respectability in the basketball juggernaut that is the ACC, highlighted by winning the ACC regular season and tournament championship during the 2012-2013 season, an appearance in the NIT finals last year and an undefeated start to the season (5-0)
Larranga has Miami winning the recruiting battle as well. Local star and five-star power forward Dewan Huell committed to Miami last week, adding to an already stacked 2016 recruiting class that includes four-star shooting guard and center Bruce Brown and Rodney Miller. If Larranga can continue to bring in big time recruits such as Huell, as well as keeping the local talent in South Florida, Miami could see its first Final Four appearance in the coming years.
The Miami basketball program has created a blueprint for success that would greatly benefit the football team if duplicated.
When hiring coach Larranga, the administration at Miami were sure to hire a competent coach who was a proven winner during his 13 years at George Mason, reaching the Final Four in 2006. Jim Larranga himself has adopted the “State of Miami” strategy of Howard Schellenberger by keeping local talent in state, evident by the signing of Huell.
The administration has gotten it right with the hiring of Larranga and the results are visible on the court and in the polls. The process that went into hiring Larranga should be the same for the next Miami football coach.
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