They have an 8,000 seat arena on campus. A bit off topic but a great memory while searching for something else I found my 1994 Regional Finals tickets held at Miami Arena. The back of the ticket said that UM was the host school.
Larranaga is a good coach. He was the coach of the George Mason team the Gators beat in 2006 in the Final 4. Haven't watched them this yr, but this looks like his best W/L record there. He has been there 12 yr and made the NCAAs about half the time. Elite 8 last year has been his high point. Prior to that he had 3 straight losing seasons I believe. Time is running out tho, he is in his 70s. Thought he would have retired to the Keys by now.
Also, the women's coach Meier has been there 15+ years. Took her awhile to get the program going but had been a consistent post season participant over the last 10 or so years. As an aside, I lived in Miami for 10 years out of UF many years ago and no one cared much about UM basketball, men's or women. The Heat drew pretty well tho.
Was there live, 2 rows behind the basket: Hump hit 3 daggers in the first 2 minutes of the 2nd half. GAME OVER!
I thought Laranaga was a good coach but I also thought Miami hiring him was a big mistake, because he was already 97 years old when we punked him in '06. He's over 120 years old now but still winning. Gotta respect that.
was that the final against Uconn? I got one ticket at work from a friend and sat in the top row of Miami Arena. I had a great view of the two missed free throws
The Sweet Sixteen game was against UConn and Donyell Marshall that missed both free throws at the end of regulation. We beat Boston College in the Regional Finals.
Maybe, maybe not, both UM teams made the NCAAs this year and both are still playing. That is what I thought he was referencing.
He’s an excellent coach and when you say get over the hump….do you remember or know how bad they have been at times? Not questioning or disagreeing but he’s more than Gotten them over the hump with 2 elite 8’s in a row. I’d sure take where they are. Who’d of thought we’d be 4th or 5th best in the state?
Gotten them over the hump meaning getting to a Final 4. This is their 4th Sweet 16 appearance and 2nd E8. We'll see if they can win their regional final game.
I’d love to be in the position they are In. Especially for a program that’s traditionally a non- factor.
I don't think anyone has done more with less over the last 20 years than Larranaga. He's an elite coach on all levels IMO. Yes, this season's roster is legit, but overall his teams have overachieved quite a bit over his career.
Ah, yes, only took 18 posts to bring this up. Wong was recruited by Larranaga out of HS, and stuck around Miami after a NIL battle that Ruiz won. $800k over 2 years. Pack is the only incoming transfer that was "bought"....$800k over 2 years as well. Either way, doesn't change that Larranaga is an elite coach, and he finally has a roster to have some fun with. In this case, just happy for the guy.
