Miami's Jim Larranaga Announces Men's Basketball Staff
April 28, 2011
CORAL GABLES, FLA. – University of Miami head men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga has announced that Eric Konkol, Michael Huger and Chris Caputo have joined his Hurricanes staff as assistant coaches. All three assistants worked with Larranaga at George Mason.
“I’m delighted that my three sidekicks from the last few years will be joining us at the University of Miami,” said Larranaga. “Chris Caputo has been with me for nine years, Eric Konkol for seven and Coach Huger for four. They each bring a unique set of skills to our program.
“We have been a team with great chemistry, a coaching staff with great chemistry – and we will build that kind of team chemistry with our team players here at Miami as well.”
Konkol enters his eighth season as a member of Larranaga’s staff, previously working with him at Mason from 2002-03 through 2004-05 and 2007-08 through last season. In the interim, he spent two years coaching high school basketball in Minnesota and had a short stint on the coaching staff at North Dakota State. Konkol previously worked on Buzz Peterson’s staff as a student assistant at Tulsa in 2000-01 and as a graduate administrative assistant at Tennessee in 2001-02.
Since rejoining Larranaga’s staff, he helped guide the Patriots to four-straight postseason appearances – including NCAA berths in 2008 and 2011.
A native of Amherst, Wis., Konkol is a 2000 graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire and played three seasons of basketball for the Division III program – advancing to the national championship game in 2000. Konkol spent his first two years, including one redshirt season, at the University of Wisconsin at Platteville playing for current Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan.
Huger enters his fifth season as an assistant coach for Larranaga and his seventh as a collegiate coach. In four seasons at George Mason, he helped lead the Patriots to the postseason every year and to a school-record tying 27 wins in 2011 – including an NCAA Tournament second-round victory over Villanova. He began his coaching career at Longwood University (Va.) under Mike Gillian, a former Mason assistant coach under Larranaga, where he spent two seasons.
A native of New York City, Huger is a 1994 graduate of Bowling Green State University where he played for Larranaga from 1989-93. He earned Mid-American Conference honors in his final two seasons, and was a Naismith Award nominee and the runner-up for conference player of the year as a senior. As a prep player, he helped lead Stevenson High School to back-to-back PSAL City Championships in 1988 and 1989.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Huger played professional basketball in Europe for 12 years – earning Dutch League MVP honors in 1996 after averaging 25.3 points and 5.8 assists. He also earned First Team All-Belgium honors in 2000 and 2004 after leading his clubs to Belgium Cup championships in both seasons.
Caputo, a longtime Larranaga assistant, enters his 10th season on his staff and his seventh as an assistant coach. He played a major role in Mason’s run to the Final Four in 2006, putting together scouting reports to prepare the Patriots as they played nationally-ranked teams and future NBA players in nearly every round. In 2008, he helped lead the team to its second-highest win total in program history as Mason beat nationally-ranked Kansas State and won the CAA title for the first time since 2001.
Prior to becoming an assistant coach, Caputo worked on Larranaga’s staff as the video coordinator, coordinated the staff recruiting database and mailing system, as well as serving in other administrative capacities.
A native of Elmhurst, N.Y., Caputo is a 2002 graduate of Westfield (Mass.) State College where he was a four-year letterwinner as a point guard for the Division III Owls. A 1998 graduate of Archbishop Molloy High School – Larranaga’s alma mater, he too played for legendary head coach Jack Curran.
To renew or purchase tickets for the 2011-12 Miami men’s basketball season, please contact the Hurricane Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES or visit us online at hurricanesports.com.
