Legendary head coach Jim Larranaga has stepped down from his position at Miami with immediate effect, claiming he’s “exhausted” and unhappy with the current state of college basketball.
The Hurricanes have started the season 4-8, but it’s believed that his decision is not based on poor performances and instead due to the impact of NIL (name, image, and likeness) and the introduction of the transfer portal. On July 1, 2021, college players were able to start earning money from NIL, and it’s led to a major change in recruiting, transferring, and general attitude towards the game.
Larranaga has been coaching since 1971, but one of his greatest achievements was leading No. 11 seed George Mason to the Final Four of March Madness in 2006. Larranaga also led Miami to the Final Four in 2023, but the 75-year-old may have called time on his coaching career.
“Im exhausted,” Larranaga said during his press conference. When citing his recent run in March Madness with the Hurricanes, he added: “What shocked me beyond belief, was after we made the Final Four, eight of my players said they were gonna leave.”
Larranaga also confirmed that none of the players who wanted to leave were unhappy at Miami or against his coaching methods, but wanted to seek opportunities elsewhere. “The opportunity to make money somewhere else created a situation that you had to ask yourself as a coach: What is this about?” Larranaga added. “The answer is that its become professional.”
The rule change is beneficial for athletes as it allows them to make money before making the jump to professional competition. For top athletes in their respective sports, millions can be earned before entering the draft and relationships are already present with brands.
Cooper Flagg, one of the projected top picks ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, is rumored to be worth $3.3 million following deals with Pepsi and Gatorade. It’s led to a major adaptation process for long-time coaches as money has influenced the game dramatically.
Larranaga also shared that he shared a phone call with an agent who demanded $1.1 million in NIL payments. Due to this, he feels unable to continue his role. “I just didnt feel like I could successfully navigate this whole new world that I was dealing with because my conversations were ridiculous,” Larranaga said.
Reaching the NBA remains the primary goal for most college basketball athletes, but the introduction of NIL payments has altered the path many take to get there. Rather than aiming for an NBA contract to start earning, several top athletes are already financially stable when leaving college.
In college football, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has been heavily linked with an NFL role but so far has rejected approaches. It’s thought that Sanders prefers to work with collegiate athletes due to the raw hunger and desire, but that may change as more money enters college sports.
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