Larranaga Leave GMU for Miami

[Dr. FLK]

Is Miami basketball a better job? The money certainly is better, but I can see this job rendering him irrelevant on the basketball landscape. Couldn't he have gotten a better job than this?

LINK

[Palmoripken]

Just saw this on facebook. Truly the end of an era. I've been fortunate through my job as a sports reporter for Broadside to meet Coach L a few times. I guess he wanted a new challenge perhaps.

[PrivateO]

Wow, this is really surprising. I thought he was going to be a "lifer" at GMU after not jumping ship after 2006. I feel like he could have gotten a better job than Miami.

[Dr. FLK]

Wow, this is really surprising. I thought he was going to be a "lifer" at GMU after not jumping ship after 2006. I feel like he could have gotten a better job than Miami.

So do I. But, money + Miami is a pretty attractive thing too for a guy currently at GMU. I hope he does well there.

[O's are Legends]

I’m absolutely disgusted right now.

[Frobby]

I’m absolutely disgusted right now.

Why? Doesn't he have the right to take a new job that he thinks will be better for him and his family that his old one? Were you disgusted when he left Bowling Green to come to GMU?

[Dr. FLK]

Why? Doesn't he have the right to take a new job that he thinks will be better for him and his family that his old one? Were you disgusted when he left Bowling Green to come to GMU?

No, but he's a GMU fan I'm assuming. Larranaga basically left GMU over the money, and not necessarily for a better basketball program. GMU wouldn't pony up money like Shaka got recently, so Larranaga left. I can certainly see being disgusted if you're a GMU fan.

[backwardsk]

Yesterday was a sad day for Patriots fans. Larranaga was not only a great coach, but he also built a program that got fans into the stadium and was a great ambassador for the school. Of course he has a right to leave, but why?

I talked about this a lot yesterday with buddies and co-workers. Larranaga is 61, I believe. Ho much longer does he want to coach? Five years, ten years? If he wants to coach for a long time, he should have stayed at GMU. As far as college basketball jobs go, I'd argue that he has one of the safest in the country. If he is unsuccessful at Miami, he could potentially lose his job after 3 or 4 seasons. Then you have a 65 year old coach who just failed at an ACC school. How attractive could he be then? In that scenario, the money difference isn't as great. Also, he would have had the opportunity to stay at Mason as long as he wanted and then turn over the program to his son when he retired. Now if he's looking to coach just another 5 or 6 years, taking the Miami makes sense because the pay difference. In his decision making process, I'm sure he considered how he'd feel in retirement if he passed up the opportunity to coach in the ACC (although I still have a tough time considering Miami an ACC school ). Also, keep in mind, that the president of the university is retiring. They've been known to have a great working relationship. Maybe the change there brought some uncertainty to Coach L that played a factor in his decision.

The bad thing is that he's leaving a good returning team next season. Also, this can't help with current recruits. They've already had one guy (prior to this decision) to transfer this offseason.

Good luck to you, Jim Larranaga. I hope you find happiness and success in Miami. Wear sunscreen and always know you have a seat at Brion's Grille.

[Sports Guy]

Of course its the right decision.

Bottom line is he can and will get better talent at Miami than he can get at GMU.

GMU has done some good things but overall, it doesn't have the conference, money(both for him and the program) or facilities Miami has.

Miami could be a very solid program.

[Dr. FLK]

Of course its the right decision.

Bottom line is he can and will get better talent at Miami than he can get at GMU.

GMU has done some good things but overall, it doesn't have the conference, money(both for him and the program) or facilities Miami has.

Miami could be a very solid program.

You don't think he could have landed a better job than this? It's arguably the worst job in the ACC. He'll be able to land better recruits than at GMU, but I'd bet his outlook on consistently making the tournament just got worse.

[Sports Guy]

You don't think he could have landed a better job than this? It's arguably the worst job in the ACC. He'll be able to land better recruits than at GMU, but I'd bet his outlook on consistently making the tournament just got worse.

If he could have, he would have.

He isn't a spring chicken. Only so many programs are going to go after a guy who is likely to retire in the next 3-7 years.

[Tony-OH]

Where would you want to live when you are 61-years old? Northern Virginia or Miami? Sometimes people really don't look at the location in these decisions.

[Hallas]

Where would you want to live when you are 61-years old? Northern Virginia or Miami? Sometimes people really don't look at the location in these decisions.

I think that depends on if I'm married, and how much I love my wife if I am.

[Palmoripken]

Where would you want to live when you are 61-years old? Northern Virginia or Miami? Sometimes people really don't look at the location in these decisions.

I was thinking that too actually. I mean I enjoy going to school here and all but give me Miami in the winter months.

[CSB Jack]

You don't think he could have landed a better job than this? It's arguably the worst job in the ACC. He'll be able to land better recruits than at GMU, but I'd bet his outlook on consistently making the tournament just got worse.

Some would rather have the worst job in the ACC than the best job in the CAA. Larranaga did not phrase it that way, but he did cite the opportunity to coach in the ACC as one of the factors in his decision. Couple that with the fact that the GMU president is retiring and Larranaga reportedly has a strained relationship with the AD and all of it adds up to the right time for him to make a move if he ever was.

And I'd argue that the NC State job looks worse at the moment than the Miami job. At least the Miami AD wasn't complaining about the hiring process at his introductory press conference.