Miami Hurricanes' Jim Larranaga Named Henry Iba Coach of the Year

Larranaga gets second trophy in as many weeks, Shane Larkin named ACC Player of the Year by coaches

The University of Miami men's basketball team picked up more hardware on Tuesday. Head coach Jim Larranaga was named the Henry Iba Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, while point guard Shane Larkin was named ACC Player of the Year by conference coaches.

Larranaga, who also won ACC Coach of the Year honors last week, led the Canes to a 27-6 record, winning both the regular season ACC championship and conference tournament for the first time in school history. His Canes received the East Region's No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament, tied for the best seed in school history.

"He's a great teacher," UM President Donna Shalala told The Associated Press Monday. "When you get right down to it, in higher education, there are a handful of really great teachers. Sometimes they're in chemistry, sometimes they're in English, and sometimes they're the basketball coach."

Larkin is piling up the honors as well. Having won All-ACC honors and the Most Outstanding Player award in the ACC Tournament, conference coaches named him Player of the Year Tuesday. Larkin won 6 votes, twice as many as second-place finisher Joe Harris of Virginia.

Larkin led the fifth-ranked Canes with 14.6 points and 4.4 assists per game, adding 3.9 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 41 percent from 3-point range.

He also came up big in some of UM's toughest games, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds when the Canes upset then-top-ranked Duke in January, and scoring 28 points in the ACC championship game on Sunday.

The conference coaches also named Durand Scott Defensive Player of the Year and Larranaga Coach of the Year.

Miami will open NCAA tournament play at 2:10 p.m. Friday with an opening round matchup against the Pacific Tigers.

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