George Mason University has named Jim Larranaga (pronounced Lara NAY' ga) men's basketball coach, it was announced today by Tom O'Connor, director of athletics.

"Jim is widely respected among his peers, has proven credentials as a Division I head coach and has a breadth of experience which fits squarely into the profile of a head coach we were seeking," O'Connor said. "We are delighted to have a person of Jim's professional accomplishments and personal character direct our men's basketball program. His talents as a coach and personal human relations skills are commensurate with the mission of George Mason University."

Larranaga, 47, has a career record of 198-169 in 13 years as a head coach, including a 170-144 mark in 11 years as head coach at Bowling Green State University where he has served since 1986.

"I am privileged to lead the George Mason men's basketball program," Larranaga said. "The University is committed to excellence. It has outstanding resources, facilities, location and diversity. I am excited about our potential and will work tirelessly in exploiting our many advantages."

The 1997 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year led his Falcons to a 22-10 record, a conference regular season co-championship and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament this past season. The 22 victories were the most by a Bowling Green team in 47 years and the 13 conference wins were the second highest in Falcon history. Bowling Green finished with a 13-5 league mark and were ninth in scoring offense nationally at 82.6 points per game.

Larranaga's 170 wins at Bowling Green are second most in school history and he is only the second Falcon coach to record consecutive post-season appearances. Larranaga led his squad to NIT berths in 1990 (18-11) and again in 1991 (17-13), the first time the Falcons enjoyed back-to-back post-season appearances since the early ‘60s. Bowling Green has won better than 61 percent of its games in the last four years, recording a 70-44 mark during that stretch. The Falcons finished fourth or better in the MAC in five of Larranaga's 11 seasons and he is the sixth winningest coach in MAC history.

Antonio Daniels, Bowling Green's outstanding 6-4 senior guard and MAC Player of the Year, is projected to be a first round NBA draft choice and a potential lottery pick. He is widely regarded as one of the top point guards in the nation. Three of the last six MAC Rookie of the Year selections were Bowling Green players.

A native of Bronx, NY, Larranaga's teams have gained a reputation as "giant killers" during his 11 seasons at Bowling Green. During his tenure the Falcons have defeated perennial national powers Kentucky, Michigan State (twice), Ohio State, Penn State and Purdue. The 1990 win over Michigan State (98-85) came when the Spartans were ranked fifth in the country.

Offensive efficiency has been a trademark of Larranaga-coached squads. Twice the Falcons ranked in the top 10 in field goal percentage and another time in the top 20. They were ninth during the 1993-94 season and fifth in 1994-95. They were tied for 19th this season (48.2 percent).

Larranaga made an immediate impact on the Bowling Green program when he arrived in 1986. The Falcons were the nation's most improved team under a first-year head coach, posting a 15-14 record, an eight-game improvement over the previous season.

A 1971 graduate of Providence College, Larranaga received a degree in economics. A four-year letterman for the Friars, he was the team captain as a senior, leading Providence to a 20-8 record and an NIT appearance. He graduated as the school's fifth all-time leading scorer with 1,258 points and was selected in the sixth round of the draft by the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. He was the team's top scorer as a sophomore and junior and was named New England's Division I sophomore of the year in 1969. His outstanding career was rewarded when he was inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame in 1991.

Larranaga was a natural to enter the coaching ranks after being tutored by three of the most widely respected coaches in the country. He played under legendary coach Jack Curran at New York City's Archbishop Molloy High School. At Providence, he played under Joe Mullaney and later under Dave Gavitt, the former U.S. Olympic coach and Boston Celtics executive.

His first coaching opportunity came at Davidson College where he served as an assistant coach to Terry Holland. Davidson captured three Southern Conference championships and an NIT berth. Doubling as the freshman coach, his teams were 47-12. In 1976, he left Davidson and spent one season as player-coach for the Geronemo Basketball Club in Belgium where his team was 18-10.

He received his first head coaching position in 1977 when he was named to the post at American International College, a Division II program in Springfield, MA. Taking a program which had suffered through five consecutive losing seasons prior to his arrival, Larranaga turned AIC into a winning program in his first year and compiled a 28-25 mark in two seasons from 1977-79.

In April, 1979, he was reunited with Holland at the University of Virginia. An assistant coach under Holland for seven seasons from 1979-86, Larranaga helped the Cavaliers reach the NCAA "Final Four" on two occasions (1981 and 1984), finish in the top five of the AP and UPI polls and average more than 25 victories per season. The Cavaliers were 150-52, won three regular season Atlantic Coast Conference Championships and made four NCAA Tournament appearances. Virginia also made a pair of NIT appearances, winning the NIT Championship in 1980. Larranaga was on the staff during the careers of three-time National Player of the Year Ralph Sampson and NBA first round draft choice Olden Polynice.

He and his wife, Liz, have two children, Jay, age 22, and Jon, 16.

MEDIA NOTE: There will be an introductory press conference on Tuesday, April 1, 1997 at 11 a.m. in the Patriot Club Hospitality Room in the Patriot Center. For more information contact Jim Engelhardt at (703) 993-3269.

	
	Born: 		October 2, 1949, Bronx, NY
	Personal: 	Wife, Liz, Sons, Jay (22), Jon (16)
	Education: 	Archbishop Molloy High School, 1963-67
			Providence College, 1967-71 (B.A. Economics)
	Playing Experience:
 			Archbishop Molloy High School, 1963-67
			Providence College, 1967-71
			Geronemo Basketball Club (Belgium), 1976-77

	Coaching Experience:
 			Davidson College (Assistant Coach, 1971-76)
 			Geronemo Basketball Club (Belgium) (Player/Coach, 1977)
 			American International College (Head Coach)
Year		Overall Record
		W	L	Pct.
1977-78		14	13	.519
1978-79		14	12	.538
 	
University of Virginia (Assistant Coach, 1980-86)
 	
Bowling Green State University (Head Coach)
Year		Overall Record		MAC
		W	L	Pct.	W	L	Pct.	Place
1996-97*	22	10	.687	13	5	.722	t-1st	NIT
1995-96		14	13	.519	9	9	.500	t-6th
1994-95		16	11	.593	10	8	.556	t-5th
1993-94		18	10	.642	12	6	.667	t-2nd
1992-93		11	16	.407	8	10	.444	t-6th
1991-92		14	15	.483	8	8	.500	5th
1990-91		17	13	.567	9	7	.563	t-4th	NIT
1989-90		18	11	.621	9	7	.563	t-3rd	NIT
1988-89		13	15	.464	7	9	.438	t-6th
1987-88		12	16	.429	7	9	.438	t-5th
1986-87		15	14	.517	10	6	.625	3rd
	
Bowling Green	170	144	.541	102	84	.548

Overall		198	169	.539		

			*1997 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year

Contact: Jim Engelhardt (993-3269)

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