A Look Back at Year One at The U with Coach L & Co.
April 20, 2012
On April 22, 2011, the University of Miami hired a charismatic, inspirational and successful leader as the head coach of the men’s basketball team. One year later, the Coral Gables community has embraced the new staff and players and is eager for the highly-anticipated second season under the new regime.
A timeline of Jim Larranaga’s first campaign at The U is below. Fans are invited to click your way through the chronological listing of highlights from Coach L & Company’s first season at Miami.
April 22, 2011
University of Miami Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst announces the hiring of Jim Larranaga as the 12th head coach of the men’s basketball program. Eichorst and Larranaga addressed the media at a press conference at 7 p.m. on Friday in the UM Field House.
April 23, 2011
From the moment new Miami head men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga walked into the team conference room in the BankUnited Center on Friday evening, the Hurricanes players were put at ease with his big smile and effusive energy. The announcement has been made. The press conference is over. Even the first individual workouts have been completed. And the Hurricanes are happy.
April 28, 2011
Head coach Jim Larranaga announces 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 at the time of the hiring.
May 7, 2011
After testing the waters of the NBA Draft without hiring an agent, center Reggie Johnson elects to return to the Hurricanes for his junior season in 2011-12. Johnson participated in a combine at the Nets’ practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J., in front of scouts, coaches and personnel from approximately 27 NBA teams, but decides to return to UM.
May 19, 2011
Head coach Jim Larranaga announces the addition of Jim Krumpos as the men’s basketball strength and conditioning coach. In his first five months at UM, Krumpos will exponentially change the overall strength and speed of the Hurricanes. The Canes’ summer workouts under Krumpos tremendously improve the team averages on the one-step vertical jump, the bench press average maximum, the 185 test and the mile run.
June 21, 2011
In an effort to begin building relationships with young Canes in the community, the new basketball staff hosts the 2011 Jim Larranaga Basketball Camp, selling out the first two weeks of the event. The 2011 Cane Nation Basketball Shootout is also established with the tag line of “Everybody Needs a Hero.” The camp offers not only individual hoops instruction by Hurricane players, but also a hero for the youth in the community.
July 1, 2011
Junior center Reggie Johnson successfully underwent surgery on June 30 to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee after injuring the knee during a pick-up game with teammates. The 2011-12 Canes will play nine games without the 2011 All-ACC Honorable Mention honoree, who is sidelined until his debut on Dec. 17 vs. Florida Atlantic in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.
August 23, 2011
Less than two months after center Reggie Johnson undergoes surgery, senior Julian Gamble tears the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his left leg and is out for the entire 2011-12 season. With both of Miami’s returning big men injured, the Canes will rely heavily on junior transfer Kenny Kadji in the post. Gamble is later granted a sixth year of eligibility and will play in the 2012-13 campaign.
August 24, 2011
Coach Larranaga announces the Hurricanes’ 2011-12 schedule, which includes eight games against teams that advanced to the 2011 NCAA Tournament, including the always difficult 16-game ACC slate. The first four games of the season, and 16 of 29 games overall, will be held inside the BankUnited Center on the Coral Gables campus. A program-record 26 games will be televised, including all 16 of Miami’s ACC contests.
August 25, 2011
Freshman Shane Larkin transfers to UM after being granted a release from DePaul in early August. Larkin becomes eligible for the second game of the season after initially being ruled out for the season due to transfer rules. The point guard from Orlando solidifies Larranaga’s commitment that the basketball program will aggressively recruit the state of Florida.
August 29, 2011
Jim Larranaga opened the doors of the UM Basketball Field House to more than 100 children, kindergarten thru sixth grade in his first clinic as the Hurricanes head coach. For two hours, Larranaga, the players and his staff coached the kids through the many drills and stations that were set up in the practice facility. Activates ranged from defensive stance and passing drills to lay-up stations and speeches from Coach L.
September 9, 2011
Coach Jim Larranaga welcomed Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and assistant David Fizdale onto the University of Miami campus, merging the professional and collegiate basketball entities in Miami. In August, Larranaga and Spoelstra were both invited to speak at a clinic in Gainesville, then met for lunch and shared the flight back to Miami.
September 22, 2011
Coach Jim Larranaga is inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, in a ceremony held at the New York Athletic Club on Central Park South at 59th Street. Larranaga, born in The Bronx, N.Y., was joined in the Hall of Fame class by Donnie Walsh, Mike Saunders, John Warren, the late Lloyd “Sonny” Dove, Debbie Mason, Tom Henderson and Kenny Charles.
October 14, 2011
The University of Miami is one of three university basketball teams to hit the court on October 14 in their own colorways of the new LEBRON 9. Throughout the season, the Hurricanes will play in white/white/gorge green/total orange shoe that combines the Max Air 180 and a Nike Zoom unit for comfort and responsiveness.
October 19, 2011
The University of Miami men’s basketball team, in the first year under Head Coach Jim Larranaga, is predicted to finish fifth in the ACC this season and senior Malcolm Grant is selected to the Preseason All-ACC Team, as announced by the league during Operation ACC Basketball. North Carolina is picked to win the ACC, followed by Duke, Florida State and Virginia.
October 20, 2011
The countdown to the 2011-12 hoops season culminates at the first-ever Miami Madness celebration, a high-energy exhibition in front of a rocking BankUnited Center. In the public’s first look at the men’s basketball team, the players competed in a highlight-filled intrasquad scrimmage, then went to the air for a high-flying dunk contest.
November 11, 2011
Coach Larranaga earns his first victory as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes with a 69-58 win over Tennessee Tech in the season opener held at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables. With the “W” the 28-year head coach improves to 471-334 overall and Miami increases its season-opener winning streak to 18 consecutive victories.
Nov. 18, 2011
Coaches Jim Larranaga and Eric Konkol are in the 2011 field for the second annual Shots from the Heart Tournament, the free throw shooting contest to benefit the Skip Prosser Foundation. Watch Larranaga win his first-round matchup, but lost in the second round. Konkol, though, played into the third round and lost to the eventual national champion.
November 26, 2011
Coach Larranaga takes his instruction off the court and to the history books as the team visited the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. “It’s mind-blowing that something like that happened to him when he was focused on doing everything in a peaceful way. It was a very sad time,” said Erik Swoope after the visit.
December 1, 2011
Coach Larranaga announces that high school seniors Melvin Johnson and Tonye Jekiri have each signed a National Letter of Intent with the University of Miami men’s basketball program. Jekiri, a 6-11, 220-pound center from Nigeria, is a local product from Hialeah’s Champagnat Catholic School. Johnson is a 6-3, 188-pound guard from the Bronx, N.Y., who plays high school ball at St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.).
December 3, 2011
With an 83-75 victory over Massachusetts, the University of Miami men’s basketball team earned its 100th victory in the BankUnited Center, the team’s home arena on the Coral Gables campus. In the game, Shane Larkin made his first career start as a Hurricane and Durand Scott scored a team-high 16 points, all of which were from the charity stripe.
December 5, 2011
Freshman Shane Larkin earns ACC Rookie of the Week honors after averaging 15.0 points, 2.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds in games at Purdue and against Massachusetts, marking the first ACC weekly honor in the Larranaga regime. Larkin, who played high school ball at Dr. Phillips in Orlando, was 6-of-7 from long range (85.7%), hitting 9-of-18 overall from the field, and a perfect 6-of-6 at the line overall that week.
December 17, 2011
Center Reggie Johnson makes a massive debut in his first game back after undergoing knee surgery in June, posting 15 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and five assists and leading the Canes to a double-overtime victory over Florida Atlantic in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic. Johnson, who was expected to play only 5-10 minutes due to recovery from surgery, was on the court for 36 ticks.
January 6, 2012
Following offseason injuries and setbacks, Coach Larranaga planned for the 2011-12 campaign to be a trio of seasons wrapped into one: Without Reggie Johnson, with Reggie at partial strength and with Reggie at full strength. Miami entered ACC play in chapter two after the return of both Reggie Johnson and DeQuan Jones.
January 18, 2012
Coach L & Company earn the team’s first ACC victory with a 76-73 win over Clemson after coming up short in a pair of games at nationally ranked No. 21/23 Virginia and No. 3 North Carolina to start the season. Against UVa, Malcolm Grant scored 16 points and made the game-clinching interception with less than five seconds left in the game to secure the win.
January 24, 2012
Less than a week after earning the team’s first ACC victory of the season, the Canes downed Georgia Tech, 64-49, in Atlanta for Miami’s first ACC road win of 2012. Kenny Kadji (21) and Malcolm Grant (16) combined for 37 of the team’s points and freshman Shane Larkin earned a spot in the starting lineup, the first ACC start of his career.
January 27, 2012
Coach Larranaga and his staff have already made a tremendous impact on the Coral Gables community, as indicated by the three-year contract extension offered by the University of Miami. The extension will run through April 30, 2019, adding three years to his existing five-year contract which began in April 2011.
January 29, 2012
Coach Jim Larranaga and his staff join nearly 4,000 head and assistant basketball coaches across the U.S. who swapped their loafers for sneakers during the ninth annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers game. The Canes pulled away from Boston College, 76-54, in the game in Chestnut Hill.
January 30, 2012
Miami Hurricanes Coach Jim Larranaga visited the UM wellness center and dorms during the Buffalo Wild Wings Coaches Campus Tour in an effort to rally fans before big upcoming games against North Carolina and Florida State. For Round Two on Feb. 13, Coach L was joined by Julian Gamble, Rion Brown, Ryan Quigtar, Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott.
February 5, 2012
Miami upsets No. 7/5 Duke, 78-74 in overtime, for the Canes’ first-ever win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Reggie Johnson led the way with 27 points and 12 rebounds, leading to ACC Player of the Week honors. The victory spurred national chatter about the Canes and pushed Miami into the spotlight as UM is listed in the AP Poll for the first time since 2010.
February 10, 2012
The Hurricanes go on a tear, winning five-straight ACC matchups after starting the season 1-3 in league play. Beginning with wins at Georgia Tech and Boston College, Miami then defeats Maryland and knocks off No. 7/5 Duke before downing Virginia Tech in Coral Gables.
February 26, 2012
Miami routs in-state rival No. 15/16 Florida State, 78-62, in front of a sold out crowd at the BankUnited Center despite having Reggie Johnson on the bench after being ruled ineligible prior to the game. Following the game, students rush the court and the Hurricanes again receive national attention following a victory over a ranked team.
February 27, 2012
Coach Larranaga’s teaching methods are brought into the spotlight in Thought of the Day, a video feature about the basketball team that is part of Miami’s Raising Canes series. Each gathering of the team begins with The Thought of the Day, a motivational or inspirational message given by Coach Larranaga to prepare his team for what’s ahead.
March 3, 2012
Miami honors three senior players – Malcolm Grant, DeQuan Jones and Ryan Quigtar – and the team manager – Jonathan Trock – prior to the final home game against Boston College. Coach Larranaga started all three seniors alongside Durand Scott and Reggie Johnson. With the 77-56 win, Miami earns its best finish and record ever in the ACC, tied for fourth with a 9-7 league mark.
March 5, 2012
Three University of Miami basketball players – Kenny Kadji, Durand Scott and Shane Larkin – earn 2011-12 All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors, as announced by the ACC, following a vote of 62 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). Kadji was selected to the All-ACC Third Team, Scott was voted an honorable mention performer and Larkin earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team.
March 6, 2012
Senior Malcolm Grant is tapped into the University of Miami’s prestigious Iron Arrow Society – known as the highest honor attained at the university. “The Iron Arrow Society is the highest honor bestowed upon a student or student-athlete at the University of Miami and no one is more deserving of the honor than Malcolm Grant,” said Coach Jim Larranaga.
March 10, 2012
In the third meeting of the season between FSU and UM, and with the Canes’ leading scorer Durand Scott on the bench after being ruled ineligible before the game, Miami bows out of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament with an 82-71 loss to No. 17 Florida State. Miami defeated Georgia Tech, 54-36, to play in the tournament’s quarterfinals.
March 20, 2012
After earning the teams’ 20th win of the season by rolling past Valparaiso, 66-50, in the first round, Miami was defeated, 78-60, by Minnesota in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament. The Canes have played in the postseason 13 of the past 18 years, and in six of the past eight seasons, with five NIT appearances and one NCAA appearance.
March 30, 2012
DeQuan Jones opened the 2012 Denny’s Slam Dunk Contest with a perfect score of 40 from the on-site judges in the 24th Annual State Farm College Slam Dunk Championships held in New Orleans at the site of the NCAA Final Four. Jones was joined in the event by judge Jimmy Graham, a former Cane hooper and current New Orleans Saint. Jones also participated in a pre-event Google+ Hangout on the UM campus.
