University of Miami males’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga goes for win No. 700 on Nov. 19, 2022 in opposition to his alma mater, Providence College.
After a half century in teaching, 39 as a head coach, milestones don’t get Jim Larrañaga too labored up. Not even when he has an opportunity to get his 700th win in opposition to his alma mater.
The Hurricanes play Providence on Saturday within the opening spherical of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut, and Larrañaga, a 1971 Providence graduate, mentioned his solely focus is his group bettering its report to 4-0.
“People talk about milestones,” Larrañaga mentioned. “I’ve been at this a long time. I enjoy the coaching. If I get to my 700th win, I’m hoping it will be this season. I hope I don’t have to coach another year to get to it. I’m assuming I’ll get there at some point but beating Providence anytime is an accomplishment and quite honestly, this not about me. It’s about our team being highly challenged against a team that made the Sweet 16.”
If Larrañaga, 73, reaches the milestone, he’ll turn out to be the thirty fourth Division I males’s coach with 700 wins and the ninth lively coach on the record.
His UM gamers are decided to get their beloved coach the win.
“It’s an honor to be part of Coach L’s historic run,” mentioned Miami guard Bensley Joseph. “He’s a legendary coach. He’s been doing this for a while, has seen a lot and to be one of his players is a blessing. I see him like a teacher, a preacher and I love learning from him. He loves the game. He loves us players. He wants us to be great at life and on the court.”
Guard Isaiah Wong added: “It’s an honor to be one of the players helping him get to 700.”
The Hurricanes are coming off a 26-win season and Elite Eight run. Although the group misplaced a number of veteran leaders, this yr’s squad is undefeated, and all three wins have been by double digits.
Providence can be 3-0 and can pose essentially the most tough problem the Canes have confronted to this point. The Friars will even have the house court docket benefit, because the Providence campus is an hour drive from the match venue.
Larrañaga has nice reminiscences of his days as a Friar. He was captain as a senior in 1970-71, graduated with an Economics diploma and was the varsity’s fifth all-time main scorer with 1,258 factors.
When UM’s media relations director knowledgeable Larrañaga that he had a triple double in opposition to VCU in 1969 with 20 factors, 12 rebounds and 15 assists, he requested for proof to indicate his grandchildren, whom he mentioned “laugh hysterically” after they see images of him enjoying briefly shorts with a belt buckle.
“My grandkids think there were no good players back then,” he mentioned, smiling.
