Miami Hurricanes have connections and similarities to NCAA finalists

The Miami Hurricanes have connections and similarities to Monday night’s participants in the NCAA Championship game Texas Tech and Virginia.

Miami Hurricanes head basketball coach Jim Larranaga was an assistant at Virginia for seven years under former Cavaliers head coach, athletic director and head of the NCAA Tournament committee Terry Holland. Larranaga was on Holland’s staff when Virginia reached the program’s first final four in 1981 with Ralph Sampson.

Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard spent ten seasons as an assistant coach at Texas Tech under Bob and Pat Knight. Beard attended high school in The Woodlands, Texas outside of Houston and is a graduate of the University of Texas. Like Miami is for Hurricanes football coach Manny Diaz, Texas is home for Beard.

Beard was hired at Texas Tech 19 days after accepting the head coaching job at UNLV following a season as the head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock. Diaz spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Miami and returned home 18 days after accepting the head coaching job at Temple. They both returned home for dream jobs.

Both Beard and Diaz replaced iconic coaches, but not at the schools that created their status. Tubby Smith left Texas Tech to become the head coach at Memphis and is currently at his alma mater High Point. Diaz replaced Mark Richt who retired from his alma mater, Miami in December.

Texas Tech and Miami are also linked by Red Raiders Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt. Hocutt was the Miami Hurricanes Athletic Director from 2008-11. Hocutt left for Texas Tech on March 3, 2011 and Larranaga was hired at Miami on April 22, 2011, missing each other by less than two months.