Jim Larranaga reveals how he built trust with Charlie Moore

After Miami pulled off a 68-66 NCAA Tournament win over USC on Friday, head coach Jim Larranaga had great things to say about his point guard Charlie Moore. Impressed by the efficiency of the offense, he discussed the relationship built over the course of the season.

During the postgame press conference, Jim Larranaga showed great appreciation for Charlie Moore, the DePaul transfer who took over control of the offense and has led the Hurricanes to a Second Round meeting against 2-seed Auburn.

“I think Charlie and any one of our players would tell you I never cursed him out,” said Larranaga. “I’m not a negative guy. I’m not ripping them. I’m much more of what I consider a teacher, and when I was in high school and college, I never had a professor curse me out. I had them discipline me sometimes for when I was cutting up and acting like a clown, but never had anybody berate me or put me down.

“It’s been my philosophy to implement or — it’s not the word I’m looking for – to imitate my high school coach Jack Curran. I never heard him use a vulgarity in the 50 years we knew each other. So when it comes to my relationship with all the players, and right now in particular Charlie, who’s our point guard and our leader and our quarterback, I need him to trust me, and I need to trust him with the basketball.”

Jim Larranaga on Charlie Moore

After breaking down his philosophy when dealing with point guards on his roster, Jim Larranaga dove deeper into his appreciation for what Charlie Moore has done this season to help change Miami’s fate.

“He’s been a tremendous leader in our program,” said Larranaga. “We’ve really adopted and adapted to the Charlie Moore way of playing basketball. He’s aggressive at both ends of the court. He shares the ball beautifully. He can make shots. He makes free throws. He’s just a tremendous competitor from start to finish, and we’ve developed that kind of relationship where we trust each other. I trust him immensely, and I’m glad to hear he feels the same way.”

The positive relationship between player and coach demonstrates how Larranaga attempts to run his program and provides insight as to why this year’s team and many others before it found great success throughout his tenure as coach. Miami can improve that legacy further with an upset win over Auburn on Sunday.