March Madness is here and I’m kicking it off with a coaching legend, University of Miami basketball coach Jim Larrañaga. A first-time nominee for the Naismith Hall of Fame, he’s won more than 700 games in his 39 seasons as a head coach which ranks in the Top 10 among active coaches. Larrañaga captured the hearts of basketball fans around the country in 2006 when he led George Mason to the Final Four, becoming the first mid-major semifinalist in 27 years. In 12 seasons with Miami, he’s led the Hurricanes to six NCAA tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight appearance a season ago. On this episode, we talk about the four levels of commitment, leading in alignment with your core values, and how to coach discipline and accountability.
Follow Jim: Twitter
Show Notes
- Coach Larrañaga’s definition of leadership (1:43)
- The book that transformed his coaching career (3:03)
- His program’s core values (attitude, commitment, class) and the four levels of commitment (4:06)
- How he gets his team to understand and embrace the power of habits (5:46)
- His approach to goal setting at the individual and team level (8:11)
- How he defines discipline clearly for his team and holds them accountable (9:00)
- How to leverage visualization to achieve success (11:32)
- Why he left George Mason for Miami (14:32)
- How he changed the mindset of his team early in his career (17:40)
- An example of how he empowers his team to earn their role (20:35)
- How he evaluates talent and the intangibles when recruiting (23:31)
- His first role as player-coach as a high school freshman (26:32)
- The leadership books that have impacted his life the most (28:23)
- “Train, then trust.” (30:30)
- Seeing his son Jay succeed as a coach in the NBA (33:23)
Resources / People Mentioned
- University of Miami basketball
- George Mason basketball
- Bowling Green basketball
- John C. Maxwell, author
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
- Second Wind by Bill Russell
- Alan Merten, president of George Mason University
- Jorge Mas, businessman
- Donna Shalala, president of the University of Miami
- Jay Larrañaga, basketball coach
- Los Angeles Clippers, NBA team
- Kenny Kadji, basketball player
- Isaiah Wong, basketball player
- Jack Curran, coach at Archbishop Molloy
- Terry Holland, basketball coach
- The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle
- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
- Drive by Daniel Pink
- The One-Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard
- Kotie Kimble, basketball coach
- The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra
- Bob Rotella, sports psychologist
- Shane Larkin, basketball player
- Jayson Tatum, NBA player
- Chop Wood Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf
- Stuff Good Players Should Know by Dick DeVenzio
Recommended For You
Did you enjoy this episode? Then listen to:
- Brad Stevens on How to Lead with a Growth Mindset
- Leonard Hamilton on How to Rebuild a Team for Long-Term Success
- Daniel Coyle on The Secrets of Highly Successful People
Thanks for checking out Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. Be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app and leave a rating or review!
