Coach Jim Larranaga and Al Golden took over the Miami basketball and football programs, respectively, at the same time four years ago. They each were immediately blindsided by the Nevin Shapiro "cloud" that resulted in player suspensions, an NCAA investigation and recruiting problems.
So why has Larranaga succeeded and Golden fumbled?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...er-halftime-to-stun-no-4-duke-90-74/21733487/
Larranaga’s win Tuesday night to break Duke’s 41-game home winning streak underlined again the divergence of the two programs despite the fallout from Shapiro that's still falling.
"We're still on the ground floor,'' Larranaga said in a column I wrote on Sunday. "Maybe one floor below the ground."
Yet there was Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski saying Tuesday: "We didn't just lose tonight. We got our butts beat tonight."
You saw all Larranaga's good work on national display in this game. He has been smart, recruited creatively and is a top-tier coach in the manner he handles players and runs games. Let’s break this down:
* Recruiting. Manu Lecomte of Belgium had 23 points against Duke. Larranaga scouted him on YouTube and signed him without Lecomte ever stepping on the Coral Gables campus. They’d never heard of Shaprio in Europe, you see. He also has a player eligible this weekend - 6-10 junior college transfer Ivan Cruz Uceda of Spain - who will be part of their rotation.
* Style. Yes, Larranaga got lucky with Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McLellan transferring from Kansas State and Texas. But they had other options and were drawn to the style of play and program Larranaga had set up. That's not luck. Rodriguez is Shane Larkin all over again (Krzyzewski said Rodriguez’s performance was, “one of the best” he’s seen from a visitor at Cameron Indoor Arena). McLellan is a 6-8 athlete the likes of which Miami’s program hasn’t had and started looking into Miami after watching its Sweet 16 advance in 2013.
* Development of players. Just look at 7-footTonye Jekiri. A couple of years ago, he was all limbs and effort. In Saturday's win against Boston College he had 13 points and 15 rebounds. This is a primary question for Golden. How much are players developing under his staff's coaching?
* Strategy. With speedy guards, Miami cut up Duke’s full-court pressure Tuesday. They got countless baskets in transition. Larranaga plays the kind of up-tempo game players like. He knows what he wants to do. He infuses his team with the confidence to do it.
Again, with Golden, you're not sure what he wants to do. The defense changed its philosophy in mid-season last year (playing pressure on the perimeter, for instance) and then appeared to switch back later in the year.
Here’s the bottom-line: You keep hearing excuses from Miami’s football program about why it finished with a 6-7 record this year. You keep seeing results from the basketball program.
So why has Larranaga succeeded and Golden fumbled?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...er-halftime-to-stun-no-4-duke-90-74/21733487/
Larranaga’s win Tuesday night to break Duke’s 41-game home winning streak underlined again the divergence of the two programs despite the fallout from Shapiro that's still falling.
"We're still on the ground floor,'' Larranaga said in a column I wrote on Sunday. "Maybe one floor below the ground."
Yet there was Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski saying Tuesday: "We didn't just lose tonight. We got our butts beat tonight."
You saw all Larranaga's good work on national display in this game. He has been smart, recruited creatively and is a top-tier coach in the manner he handles players and runs games. Let’s break this down:
* Recruiting. Manu Lecomte of Belgium had 23 points against Duke. Larranaga scouted him on YouTube and signed him without Lecomte ever stepping on the Coral Gables campus. They’d never heard of Shaprio in Europe, you see. He also has a player eligible this weekend - 6-10 junior college transfer Ivan Cruz Uceda of Spain - who will be part of their rotation.
* Style. Yes, Larranaga got lucky with Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McLellan transferring from Kansas State and Texas. But they had other options and were drawn to the style of play and program Larranaga had set up. That's not luck. Rodriguez is Shane Larkin all over again (Krzyzewski said Rodriguez’s performance was, “one of the best” he’s seen from a visitor at Cameron Indoor Arena). McLellan is a 6-8 athlete the likes of which Miami’s program hasn’t had and started looking into Miami after watching its Sweet 16 advance in 2013.
* Development of players. Just look at 7-footTonye Jekiri. A couple of years ago, he was all limbs and effort. In Saturday's win against Boston College he had 13 points and 15 rebounds. This is a primary question for Golden. How much are players developing under his staff's coaching?
* Strategy. With speedy guards, Miami cut up Duke’s full-court pressure Tuesday. They got countless baskets in transition. Larranaga plays the kind of up-tempo game players like. He knows what he wants to do. He infuses his team with the confidence to do it.
Again, with Golden, you're not sure what he wants to do. The defense changed its philosophy in mid-season last year (playing pressure on the perimeter, for instance) and then appeared to switch back later in the year.
Here’s the bottom-line: You keep hearing excuses from Miami’s football program about why it finished with a 6-7 record this year. You keep seeing results from the basketball program.
