Miami men’s basketball head coach Jim Larranaga announced he would be stepping down from his position on Thursday.
The 75-year-old held a news conference to explain his reasoning behind his sudden departure.
“I loved the game and I loved the university that much,” he told reporters. “But I’m exhausted.”
Larranaga spent the previous 13 seasons coaching the Hurricanes after rising to national prominence by leading George Mason to the Final Four in 2006.
He cited the new era of the transfer portal and athletes being paid for their name, image and likeness (NIL) as being a major hindrance to how he could best do his job.
Miami reached the Final Four in 2023 but Thursday Larranaga revealed how “shocked” he was that eight players wanted to transfer out after such a successful run.
“I’ve tried every which way to keep this going,” he continued. “But the opportunity to make money somewhere else created a situation that, you have to begin to ask yourself as as coach, ‘what is this all about?’ The answer is that it’s become professional.”
Larranaga is the second high-profile head coach to decide to leave his respective program this season. Virginia’s Tony Bennett retired in October over similar reasons, expressing his concern for the state of the sport in his exit news conference.
Losing both, especially from a basketball prominent conference like the ACC, is an indication the old guard of college basketball is having to make a tough choice.
They either have to evolve to the level of professionalism the game has reached or leave and make room for newcomers ready to embrace the change.
The 2024-25 season will be a litmus test for those still engaged in the sport, likely to filter out those who cannot handle the business atmosphere that has developed.
