ATLANTA (AP) — Jim Larranaga made his mark as a basketball coach years ago at places like Bowling Green and George Mason. This season, with his Miami Hurricanes enjoying unprecedented success, Larranaga showed he has impressive footwork.
Minutes after he was introduced Thursday as The Associated Press' coach of the year, the 63-year-old, two-time hip replacement patient was asked about his postgame Ali shuffle after the Hurricanes' 63-59 victory over Illinois in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
"When we left Coral Gables for the NCAA tournament I told the players I was going to have more fun than any other coach and I wanted them to have more fun than any other team," Larranaga said. "It doesn't mean be silly and goof off. It means enjoy each other's company, when we practice be excited about being there, have some enthusiasm, be very, very positive."
Larranaga admitted that he plans a lot of the things he does with his team but what happened after the Illinois game was off the cuff.
"During the hard fought game at almost every timeout in the second half I said we're in a fight and I need fighters. I told them we needed to fight to get every rebound, every loose ball, every basket, every inch of the floor," he recounted. "I kept repeating that and after we won, as I was walking into the locker room to address them, I thought I have to congratulate them on how well they fought and the first name I thought of was Muhammad Ali.
