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March Madness: Jim Larrañaga has ‘no intentions’ of retiring after Miami’s Final Four run

Jim Larrañaga, 73, is wrapping up his 37th season coaching in college basketball

Jim Larrañaga has been coaching for a long time, but he’s not ready to call it quits yet.

Larrañaga, who is set to lead Miami in his second career men's Final Four this weekend, said he expects to be at Miami for “a lot longer.”

“I have no intentions of [retiring],” Larrañaga said Thursday in Houston, via ESPN.

Larrañaga is currently wrapping up his 12th season with the Hurricanes. After making it to the Elite Eight last season for the first time, he led them past No. 1 Houston and then No. 2 Texas to reach the program’s first Final Four. The Hurricanes will take on No. 4 UConn on Saturday at NRG Stadium in the national semifinals.

Larrañaga landed in Miami in 2011 after a 14-year run at George Mason, who made it to the Final Four in 2006 and won four CAA regular-season titles. Larrañaga got his start at Bowling Green State, where he coached from 1986-1997.

In total, the 73-year-old has compiled a 697-457 overall record.

"I might be 73 years old, but I think age is just a number," he said, via ESPN. "I just love doing what I'm doing. I love coaching basketball. I've done it for 51 years. And I hope to do it a lot longer."

Jim Larrañaga
Jim Larrañaga, 73, is wrapping up his 37th season coaching in college basketball (William Purnell/USA Today) (USA TODAY USPW / reuters)

Athletic director Dan Radakovich told ESPN that “as long as he’s feeling good about coaching,” Larrañaga is welcome in Coral Gables.

As for how much longer Larrañaga will keep coaching, he said he has “no idea.” At his age, and after what he’s accomplished already, that time will come sooner rather than later. He has seen other longtime head coaches like Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim all call it a career in the past several years.

Larrañaga, though, isn't ready to join them just yet.

“I take it one year at a time,” he said, via ESPN. “How I'm feeling and what I expect of myself is to represent the university and the basketball program in a first-class manner. When it comes to the point where I haven't been able to recruit successfully or my health is bad or I have other obligations that require my attention, hopefully I'll know that and gracefully bow out."