Miami head men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga stunned many Thursday by announcing his immediate retirement. But his condemnation of the transfer portal and NIL that have dramatically changed college sports was all too predictable.
Larrañaga, 75, spent 13 seasons at Miami and is the winningest coach in school history. Miami announced associate head coach Bill Courtney will lead the Hurricanes the rest of this season.
At his press conference, Larrañaga said he still loves the game, but he decried the fact college sports have become “professional.” He first realized the huge impact the NIL and transfer portal have had on the sport in 2023, after he guided the Hurricanes to the Final Four.
“I’m exhausted,” Larrañaga said. “I’ve tried every which way to keep this going. And I know I’m going to be asked a lot of questions and I want to answer them before I’m even asked. What shocked me, beyond belief, was after we made it to the Final Four just 18 months ago, the first time I met with the players, eight of them decided they were going to put their name in the [transfer] portal and leave.”
Larrañaga said he talked with the players, who all said they loved it in Miami … but they had better offers elsewhere.
“The opportunity to make money someplace else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself as a coach what is this all about,” Larrañaga said. “And the answer is, it’s become professional.”
Jim Larrañaga explaining why he’s stepping away from UM basketball program. Makes it clear he loves Miami and the school, but the new landscape of college basketball with the portal has become too much:
“I’m exhausted.”
(🎥 @MiamiHurricanes) pic.twitter.com/QAAXho5F1r
— Will Manso (@WillManso) December 26, 2024
Larrañaga becomes just the latest high-profile coach to call out what they see as the negative impacts of the transfer portal and NIL on college sports. In men’s college basketball alone, Virginia’s Tony Bennett, who retired in October, and Villanova’s Jay Wright, who retired in 2022, both cited changes in the sport with influencing their decision. On the football side, Nick Saban’s decision to leave Alabama after the 2023 season was influenced in part by those changes.
Few would argue the old system, in which athletes were not fairly compensated for their talents and efforts, was better. However, most agree better guidelines need to be in place. And many who feel that way question the NCAA’s ability to get that done.
Still, there are plenty who find these takes from coaches tiring. One might be The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, who did not seem to feel too much sympathy for Larrañaga’s “I’m exhausted” comment.
Every parent woke up today saying the same thing. https://t.co/RUlduqt2C4
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 26, 2024
