University of Miami men's basketball coach Jim Larranaga was named The Associated Press' coach of the year Thursday.
Having led the Canes to the best season in school history, Larranaga has now won three major coaching awards, including ACC Coach of the Year and the Henry Iba Coach of the Year, which is given by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
Larranaga received 29 votes Thursday from the same 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Jim Crews of Saint Louis got 19 votes and Mark Few of Gonzaga had 11. The voting ended on Selection Sunday.
The 63-year-old Larranaga led Miami to a 29-7 record in his second season with the Hurricanes. The Canes won both the ACC regular season championship and ACC Tournament, both firsts for the school. UM was named a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history and made the Sweet Sixteen for the second time ever.
He is the first Miami coach to win the award and is the first Atlantic Coast Conference coach to get it since Roy Williams of North Carolina in 2006.
The New York native led George Mason to the Final Four in 2006.
