Providence wants to speak with Larranaga
Jim Larranaga
Providence Athletic Director Bob Driscoll called his counterpart at Mason, Tom O’Connor, last week re-questing to contact Larranaga about interviewing for the opening.
“[Driscoll] called late last week,” Maureen Nasser said Monday. Nasser is the Director of Athletic Commu-nications at GMU.
“Tom told me this weekend they called. When I contacted him over the weekend he said, yes, he had given professional courtesy [for Providence to contact Larranaga].”
Nasser added that she did not know whether any other schools were interested in speaking to Mason’s win-ningest men’s basketball coach.
Larranaga did not return a message left on his cell phone Monday afternoon.
A Providence alum and former guard for the Friars’ men’s team (1967-71), Larranaga is likely among the school’s top choices to replace Tim Welsh who was fired following the 2008 season after 10 years at the helm.
“I know that [Driscoll] is not commenting on who is or is not a candidate for the job,” Providence Associate A.D. Arthur Parks said. “The A.D. and president [Rev. Brian J. Shanley] are it as far as the decision to hire a coach.”
Driscoll was unavailable to comment Monday while he was traveling from Madison, Wis. after attending the NCAA hockey tournament.
“It’s a bit premature for me to comment on any candidates other than to say that it’s going extremely well,” Driscoll told the Providence Journal.
Larranaga has expressed interest in the past in pursuing the Providence job, but was never a prominent candidate, according to the Journal.
The 58-year-old coach improved his status in that regard with Mason’s Final Four appearance in 2006 and an NCAA Tournament berth this year after winning the Colonial Athletic Association Championship, the third for the Patriots since Larranaga took over in 1997.
Larranaga was a candidate for the Seton Hall opening following the 2006 season and was granted permission to speak with the Pirates’ athletic staff before saying he was not interested in leaving Mason at that time and did not pursue the position.
Larranaga has a 207-131 record at GMU and is 404-301 overall as a coach. He lead American International for two seasons beginning in 1977 and Bowling Green from 1986 to 1997 before joining the Patriots.
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