Boston Celtics assistant coach Jay Larranaga is reportedly part of Georgia Tech’s search for a replacement for Brian Gregory. An ESPN report, citing unnamed resources, said that Tech has reached out to the son of Miami coach Jim Larranaga.
Larranaga is a lesser-known candidate to many, but George Mason was reportedly interested in him for its head coaching opening last year to replace former Tech coach Paul Hewitt. (Jim Larranaga was the school’s longtime coach.) In 2013, Larranaga reportedly interviewed for the Philadelphia 76ers’ head coaching job. When Celtics coach Brad Stevens briefly left the team in January to visit a former player who was gravely ill, Larranaga filled in for him. Larranaga also reportedly interviewed for the Celtics job in 2013 before team president Danny Ainge hired Stevens.
Stevens, of course, led Butler to two Final Fours and made the jump to the NBA in year, and his retaining of Larranaga stands as an endorsement on its own. The team made Larranaga the lead assistant to Stevens in 2014.
Larranaga, 41, played 13 years in Europe before going into coaching. His coaching background is varied. From 2010-12, he coached for two seasons in the NBA Development League, leading the Erie BayHawks to a 60-40 record. He was also a player-coach for the Irish national team from 2008-10. He has not coached at the college level, however.
About the Author
