Coach L Named Finalist for Phelan Award

CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Miami men's basketball coach Jim Larrañaga continues to earn recognition for the Hurricanes' historic season.

Larrañaga, who led Miami to its first ACC regular-season title in school history, was named one of 20 finalists for the 2013 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award on Thursday.

"So many coaches did a great job this season," CollegeInsider.com's Riley Wallace said. "The coaches on this list did an exceptional job." 

Coach L was voted ACC Coach of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA). He also was named the District IV Coach of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). He is also a finalist for the Skip Prosser Award.

Under Larrañaga's tutelage, Miami finished the regular season 24-6 - tied for the most wins in program history. The Canes were ranked as high as No. 2 in the country, defeated No. 1 Duke and hosted five capacity crowds at the BankUnited Center this season, all firsts in program 

Larrañaga, 63, is in his second season as Miami's 12th head coach. Prior to joining the Hurricanes, Larrañaga spent 14 seasons at George Mason University, where he led the Patriots to the 2006 Final Four. He also spent 11 seasons at Bowling Green and two seasons at American International. In 29 seasons as a head coach, the 1971 Providence College graduate has a career record of 514-353.

The Jim Phelan Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I coach. The award is named in honor of Jim Phelan, who coached his entire career at Mount Saint Mary's University. He led the Mountaineers to the 1962 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship. When he retired in 2003, after coaching for 49 years, he amassed 830 wins (overall record of 830-524) in more than 1,300 games in all divisions. In those 49 years, 19 of his teams amassed 20 or more wins in a season.

The 2013 recipient will be announced at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet in Atlanta, site of the 2013 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. 

2013 JIM PHELAN AWARD FINALISTS