Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald confirmed with multiple sources that Miami head coach Jim Larranaga will step down immediately. Miami is off until January 1 when they resume ACC play at Boston College. Miami is 4-8 this season after losing their final 10 games in 2023-24 to finish 15-17.
Larranaga concludes his Miami career with a 274-174 record in 13 plus seasons. Assistant coach Bill Courtney who was the head coach at Cornell from 2010 through 2016 will be the interim head coach. Miami won the ACC in 2013 and 2023 under Larranaga. The Hurricanes achieved many firsts during the Larranaga era.
The 2013 ACC title was the first in Miami history. Miami advanced to an NCAA Regional Final for the first time in school history in 2022 and topped that with their only Final Four appearance in 2023. With four of the top six players returning in 2023-24, there was a lot of optimism with Miami picked third in the ACC.
After a 15-7 start, Miami lost its final 10 games in 2023-24. Starters Bensley Joseph, Wooga Poplar and Norchad Omier transferred. Freshman Kyshawn George became an NBA first-round pick by the Washington Wizards. The attempt to rebuild the roster for the 2024-25 season failed miserably.
🏀🚨BREAKING NEWS: UM basketball coach Jim Larranaga to step down, two years after historic Final Four run. Announcement expected as early as today.https://t.co/ATdHl2hAUQ@HeraldSports @MiamiHerald @CanesHoops #GoCanes #ACC
— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) December 26, 2024
Larranaga leaves Miami as the winningest coach in program history. Miami made six of its 12 NCAA Tournament appearances under Larranaga. Larranaga was the National Coach of the Year in 2013 and twice earned ACC Coach of the Year. Miami will likely miss the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven years.
Larranaga is the latest ACC head coach to retire. Roy Williams retired from North Carolina following the 2021 season, Mike Krzyzewski from Duke in 2022, Jim Boeheim and Mike Brey (they were forced out) and Tony Bennett in October shortly before the season began. Athletic Director Dan Radakovich will have a lot of time to search for Larranaga's replacement.