Jim Larranaga To Join the Miami Hurricanes, But Can He Improve Them Like He Did George Mason?

Eventually, you have to leave for greener pastures.

Jim Larranaga, the man who once famously led George Mason to the Final Four, will be named the new head man at the University of Miami, according to Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com

While coaches at schools like George Mason don’t have an impressive pedigree, Larranaga is one of the few exceptions.

Per Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald:

Larranaga has taken the Patriots to five NCAA Tournaments in 14 years, and is the all-time winning coach at George Mason and in the Colonial Athletic Association. In 2006, his 11th-seeded team knocked off Michigan State, North Carolina and UConn to reach the Final Four, and then lost to eventual champion University of Florida.

The Patriots went 25-5 this season (best in school history) and won a school-record 16 games in a row. They lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Ohio State.

That’s nothing to sneeze at, and Larranaga is a great recruiter. If he can get the type of talent that can get to a Final Four at George Mason, there’s no reason he can’t continue to get top talent with the Hurricanes, a much more attractive destination for college students than his previous job.

He’s going to have this team playing tough, physical defense that will shut down opposing offenses in the ACC and keep the Hurricanes in games.

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It’s not going to be an easy rebuild for Larranaga, so fans in Miami need to have some patience, but he will turn the program around. He will get the Canes to the NCAA Tournament and he may even get them to be a Cinderella at some point.

Don’t expect him to turn this program into a dynasty, but there’s no reason that he can’t get them into the tournament on a regular basis and win a couple of games.

That’s a lot more than the Hurricanes and their fans are used to.

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