Coach Jim Larranaga headlines UM Sports Hall of Fame 2023 induction class Thursday
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The accolades keep piling up for University of Miami men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga. On Thursday night, a month after his team’s historic Final Four run, he will be inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame as the headliner of the 2023 class.
The ceremony, fittingly, will be held at the Watsco Center, on the arena floor where the Hurricanes men’s and women’s basketball teams delighted crowds all season. The court will be covered with carpet and honorees will receive their awards on a glitzy stage that will also be used Saturday night for the inaugural Billboard Latin Women in Music Gala, where Shakira will be honored.
A crowd of 450-500 people is expected for the 53rd UM Sports Hall of Fame ceremony.
Larranaga, 73, led his team to its deepest NCAA Tournament run in program history this year, following an Elite Eight run in 2022 and a pair of Sweet 16s in 2013 and 2016. He has won more games (255) than any men’s coach in UM history and has won 725 games in his 37 years as a head coach.
This was Larranaga’s 12th season at Miami. The former Providence College star spent 11 years coaching at Bowling Green before leaving for George Mason University in 1997.
He became nationally known with the Patriots after leading mid-major George Mason to the Final Four in 2006. The Patriots were a No. 11 seed and upset Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and UConn to reach the Final Four. At the time, George Mason was only the second No. 11 seed to make the Final Four.
Larranaga took the UM job in 2011 and led the Canes to their first ACC championship in his second season and went on to the Sweet 16 for only the fourth time in program history. He won the Henry Iba Award, AP College Coach of the Year and Naismith College Coach of the Year awards in 2013. He is a nominee for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
The other UM Sports Hall of Fame inductees are:
▪ Kevin Brown (Baseball 1998-2001): Ranks fourth all-time with 48 home runs and is tied for seventh with 187 career runs batted in. A two-time national champion in 1999 and 2001.
▪ Lela Cannon (Golf coach 1984-2010): Coached at UM for 27 seasons and led the Canes to the NCAA tournament 17 times. Won 1984 national title in her first season. Coached 11 All-Americans and seven Academic All-Americans.
▪ David Gil (Baseball 1997-2000): Pitcher ranks 10th all time in career victories at UM with 31. In the 1999 championship season, posted a 12-0 record with a 3.19 earned run average and was named the Division I Independent Pitcher of the Year.
▪ Aaron Moser (Track and Field 1996-2000): Three-time Big East Conference decathlon champion (1998, 1999, 2000) and a two-time Big East heptathlon champion (1999, 2000). All-American in 2000 in the decathlon. Also lettered three years in football.
▪ Doris Glenn Easterly-Richards (Diving 1994-1998): Four-time All-American in the 1-meter springboard and two-time All-American in the 3-meter springboard. Finished second at the 1997 NCAA Championships in the 1-meter and 3-meter and won Big East titles in both the 1-meter and 3-meter.
▪ Riquna “Bay Bay” Williams (Basketball 2008-2012): Two-time first-team All-ACC in 2011 and 2012 and third-team AP All-American as a senior. Her 2,148 career points ranks fifth all time at Miami, and her 17.2 points per game average ranks eighth. Holds school career records for three-point field goals made (272), field-goal attempts, and three-point attempts. Recently won the WNBA title with the Las Vegas Aces.
▪ Willie Smith (Football 1984-1985): Consensus first-team All-American tight end. Had 114 catches for 1,544 yards and six touchdowns in two seasons with the Canes. His 66 receptions in 1984 set a then-school record for single-season receptions in a season, a mark that lasted 26 years.
▪ Todd Sievers (Football 1998, 2000-2002): Two-time All-Big East selection at kicker and a 2001 first-team All-American (CNNSI.com). Helped UM to 2001 national title. He is fourth in career points scored (310) at Miami.
▪ Vinny Scavo (Assistant athletic director/athletic training 1983-1987, 2008-present): Started as head baseball trainer for legendary coach Ron Fraser from 1983 to 1987, including the 1985 national championship. Also has worked for the Marlins.
Tickets for the event start at $200 and will be available until 2 p.m. Thursday at UMSportsHallofFame.com
