Larranaga, Turgeon met in 2006 Sweet 16 As a coach moving from a successful mid-major program to one in a BCS conference where football is king, Mark Turgeon can identify with Jim Larranaga. Turgeon did it five years ago, leaving Wichita State for Texas A&M. Larranaga’s shift came last April, from George Mason to Miami. Neither is looking back.
“Every time I talk to him he just seems so happy,” Turgeon said. “He’s already got a contract extension. How good is that? They’re obviously really happy with him.”
Turgeon was referring to the three-year bump Larranaga received on top of the five-year contract he signed when he was hired. The former 14-year head coach at George Mason will be age 70 when the extension expires.
| Up next | ||||
| Maryland at Miami | ||||
| When » | Wednesday, 8 p.m. | |||
| Where » | BankUnited Center, | Coral Gables, Fla. | ||
| TV » | MY20 | |||
It was a goodwill gesture from Miami, which was embroiled in an athletic booster controversy in August. Revelations of impermissible benefits blindsided Larranaga and new football coach Al Golden, who also received an extension.
“Whenever something like that occurs, there’s a question of commitment. How committed is the coaching staff to the university,” Larranaga told the Miami Herald. “The university is totally committed to Al and his staff, and they showed that in the way of extending his contract. This is similar in nature.”
Wednesday night when Maryland (13-7, 3-3) plays at Miami (12-7, 3-3), Turgeon and Larranaga find themselves on common turf as first-year ACC coaches tied for sixth place in the league. Their seasons have paralleled for other reasons.
“They’re getting healthy too. They had guys hurt,” Turgeon said. “They’re starting to hit their stride, kinda like we’re getting better. They’re a much deeper team now, very talented.”
The last time Turgeon faced Larranaga was in their mid-major heyday, in the Sweet 16 of the 2006 NCAA tournament at Verizon Center, where George Mason beat Wichita State 63-55 on its way to the Final Four. An ESPN Bracketbuster win the previous month by George Mason at Wichita State helped pave the way for the Patriots’ at-large selection.
“Jim put them in positions to be successful,” Turgeon said. “Offensively they’re not really complicated. But he gets the ball at the right time to the right spot, to the right person. Just good coaching.”
After an offseason full of tumult, Larranaga has tried to establish his program by mimicking his success at George Mason. Larranaga has stressed recruiting locally and has worked hard to reach the community from its grassroots, targeting children.
“He’s said a lot of times, there’s a lot of similarities coming to George Mason and coming to Miami. The blueprint is the same,” assistant coach Eric Konkol said. “We’re doing camps and clinics and fall leagues, trying to get kids in the community to see our players as role models.”
Basketball is a tough sell at a school known more for its football. The Hurricanes traditionally rank last in attendance in the ACC and have yet to draw a crowd this season to approach last year’s average of 4,763.
“He has a chance to really establish something there the next few years if he does what he normally does as far as recruiting and coaching,” Turgeon said.
