Miami basketball Head Coach Jim Larranaga’s son Jay has followed him into coaching. Jay is an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. The younger Larranaga has interviewed for several NBA Head Coach jobs this spring.
Jay played for his father at Bowling Green. After He graduated in 1997, Jim left for George Mason where he spent 14 years with the Patriots. Larranaga led them to an improbable Final Four berth before taking over the Miami basketball program.
Like Jon RIcht, the son of his counterpart Head Coach Mark Richt with the Miami football program, Jay spent time with his father’s team. Unlike Jon, Jay played for his father but did not coach with him. Jon is currently the Quarterbacks Coach for the Miami football team.
Unlike Jay and his brother Jon who played for Jim at George Mason, Jon Richt never played for his father. Jon Richt played collegiately at Mars Hill College in North Carolina. He also spent time on the Clemson football roster during his father’s tenure at Georgia.
Jay’s Senior season in 1996-97, the Falcons finished 22-10 overall, 13-5 in the Mid-American Conference to win the regular season championship. The Falcons were upset in the semi-finals of the MAC tournament by fourth-seeded Eastern Michigan. Ironically Miami (OH) who shared the regular season title earned the NCAA bid.
While Jon Richt played his college football elsewhere and eventually joined his father’s coaching staff, Jay took the opposite path. After 12 years as a professional basketball player, primarily in Europe Jay retired to forge his own career as a basketball coach.
His first coaching job came as the Player-Coach of the Irish National team at 33 years old. Jay became a coach at the end of his playing career, just like his father. He was eligible for the Irish team due to his grandfather being born there.
Jim took a job as an assistant at Davidson under legendary Head Coach Terry Holland. This was despite Jim being a sixth-round draft pick with the Detroit Pistons following his collegiate career at Providence. Jim spent five seasons on Holland’s staff at Davidson.