Jim Larranaga Ready To Make Another Historic Run At Miami

Four months after the Miami Hurricanes' Elite Eight run, Jim Larranaga is ready to run it back.

Larrañaga joined College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein to talk 'Canes basketball, his expectations for the upcoming season, Miami's newest additions, and his recent contract extensions.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the podcast:

"We were thrilled with the way our team performed. When you took a look at our team prior to the season, we were picked No. 12 and ended up finishing fourth in the ACC. We played our best basketball at the end of the season and played great in the NCAA Tournament. We were ahead at halftime against Kansas but didn't play a strong second half. Kansas deserved the victory and deserved to win the national championship. I'm very proud and thrilled with the job that my team did."

"It might be number one. The way Kansas came out with such a vengeance, their defensive intensity made it very difficult for us to score. Their ability to run the floor, it's the highest level. We've coached against Duke and North Carolina who are great running teams, Michigan State, too, but I thought Kansas ran the floor better than any team I've coached against in my 51-year coaching career."

"We are working out during the summer. We have all 13 scholarship players on campus. We're doing a lot of skill development, we're looking at our personnel and trying to figure out what's best for us. You have to remember in November we lost to Dayton and Alabama by 32. Who would’ve said that team was headed to the Elite Eight at that time? The ESPN event provided us with the information we needed to make the adjustments. Our players understood that we had to do some things differently. With that, we made the adjustments and the guys played great. We're not there yet, I don't know how long it'll take us, but I'm very confident this will be another outstanding Miami Hurricanes team."

"The 2013 and 2016 teams both had transfers that were older and had the kind of experience you need because they also had the skills that came during their first few years in college. They got stronger and wiser. I'm hoping this team will be the same. This past season our transfers Jordan Miller and Charlie Moore were terrific in our starting lineup throughout the season. Now Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier. I think both of those guys will have a tremendous impact on our season."

"The transition will really be Nijel's. He's got to learn more about being a point guard and quarterback. He's an outstanding shooter, he played the two-guard spot at Kansas State. We're expecting him to play much more of a ball-handling role, a decision-making role this year. He's not the only guy we have. Bensley Joseph is an outstanding point guard as well. He's got a lot of experience having played a lot his freshman year. Between the two of them, we believe we can be very competitive at the point guard position."

"Jordan Miller had a sensational junior year. I think he'll have a sensational senior year now that I know his game a little bit better. He just kept improving throughout the course of the season. He had an outstanding year defensively. He guarded Jabari Smith and blocked his three-point shots. He scored very well against Auburn and many other teams. I believe he'll have a great senior year."

"I'm really expecting Wooga Poplar, a sophomore, to step up and fill the big shoes of Kameron McGusty. We have a lot of guys that are going to be competing for playing time."

"Harlond [Beverly] had back surgery a year ago. He's just recovering from that now... One of the most difficult things is to judge someone who's not practicing consistently. With Harlond, we're just going to be very patient and hope he can get back to 100 percent."

"Norchad Omier is 6-foot-7, 246 pounds with a 40-inch vertical. I think he'll have a great impact. The question will be what's his position for us. Is he a five, is he a four, can he play on the perimeter and shoot the three? We're kinda learning him right now. He's had some incredible practices. But this is a level that's much different than where he's coming from. Arkansas State had a good basketball team. He was Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. The question will be can he do it at his size at the ACC-national level."

"I'm trying to catch Cliff Ellis and Jim Boeheim. Those are my role models. They continue to do a great job in the coaching ranks. Cliff Ellis has over 800 wins, Jim Boeheim over 1,000. Those guys are friends of mine that I've come up through the ranks with that are still going. I feel good, I'm healthy, I'm enjoying my team very much and enjoying being in Miami. For right now, I got a four-year contract. I hope to play it out."

"It's going to be our newcomers. Nijel Pack and Norchad Omier, too, but we have four freshmen. Favour Aire, who's 6-foot-11 and has a 7-foot-2 wingspan. We're counting on him to give us some additional size and presence around the basket. We have AJ Casey and Danilo Jovanovich, who are big and athletic up front. They need to get stronger, they're kinda thin right now. And then Christian Watson, a 6-foot-6 wing who can really shoot the three. I love what our freshmen are doing. The combination of our veterans doing a good job and us figuring out which freshman to contribute. That'll be a big key."

"It burns deeper now, no question in my mind. When my staff and I arrived at the University of Miami in 2011, our dream was to win the national championship. We saw what our football program had done, five national championships, our baseball team, four national championships. We thought there was no reason our men's basketball program can't win one of those. We got close last year, ahead up six to start the second half against Kansas. Hopefully this year or the next couple of years we'll have a chance to play for the national title."