Finest Four: Larranaga May Be Top Player to Coach 2 Different Final 4 Teams
December 27th, 2024 - 10:02
In all of the discussion regarding Jim Larranaga stepping down as coach at Miami (Fla.), it should be acknowledged he is perhaps the premier major-college player since WWII to go on and coach two different schools to the Final Four. Following is how Larranaga, a prominent player during the first half of the 1970s along with Lon Kruger, Bob Huggins and Rick Pitino, stacks up among the Finest Four including three different universities in Florida:
| Coach | Pair of Final Four Schools | Summary of College Playing Career |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Brown | UCLA 80/Kansas 88 | 11.8 ppg and 2.3 rpg with North Carolina from 1960-61 through 1962-63 |
| Hugh Durham | Florida State 72/Georgia 83 | 18.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg with Florida State from 1956-57 through 1958-59 |
| Lon Kruger | Florida 94/Oklahoma 16 | 13.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg with Kansas State from 1971-72 through 1973-74 |
| Jim Larranaga | George Mason 06/Miami (Fla.) 23 | 16.3 ppg, 6 rpg and 3.1 apg with Providence from 1968-69 through 1970-71 |
HONORABLE MENTION
| Coach | Multiple Final Four Schools | Summary of College Playing Career |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Henson | New Mexico State 70/Illinois 89 | 7.5 ppg with New Mexico State (class of '55) |
| Bob Huggins | Cincinnati 92/West Virginia 10 | 2.3 ppg with Ohio University in 1972-73 and 9.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.7 apg with West Virginia from 1974-75 through 1976-77 |
| Rick Pitino | Providence 87/Kentucky 93-96-97/Louisville 05-13 | 4 ppg and 5.2 apg with Massachusetts from 1971-72 through 1973-74 |
| Eddie Sutton | Arkansas 78/Oklahoma State 95-04 | 6.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg with Oklahoma State from 1955-56 through 1957-58 |