Finest Four: Who Are Top Players Coaching Two Different Final Four Squads?
December 18th, 2025 - 5:38
In all of the discussion regarding Jim Larranaga stepping down as coach at Miami (Fla.) last season, it should have been acknowledged he is perhaps the premier major-college player since WWII to go on and coach two different schools to the Final Four. Following is how Larranaga, a prominent player for Providence during the first half of the 1970s along with Lon Kruger, Bob Huggins and Rick Pitino, stacks up among the Finest Four including three different universities in Florida:
| Coach | Pair of Final Four Schools | Summary of College Playing Career |
|---|---|---|
| Larry Brown | UCLA 80/Kansas 88 | 11.8 ppg and 2.3 rpg with North Carolina from 1960-61 through 1962-63 |
| Hugh Durham | Florida State 72/Georgia 83 | 18.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg with Florida State from 1956-57 through 1958-59 |
| Lon Kruger | Florida 94/Oklahoma 16 | 13.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg with Kansas State from 1971-72 through 1973-74 |
| Jim Larranaga | George Mason 06/Miami (Fla.) 23 | 16.3 ppg, 6 rpg and 3.1 apg with Providence from 1968-69 through 1970-71 |
HONORABLE MENTION
| Coach | Multiple Final Four Schools | Summary of College Playing Career |
|---|---|---|
| Lou Henson | New Mexico State 70/Illinois 89 | 7.5 ppg with New Mexico State (class of '55) |
| Bob Huggins | Cincinnati 92/West Virginia 10 | 2.3 ppg with Ohio University in 1972-73 and 9.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.7 apg with West Virginia from 1974-75 through 1976-77 |
| Rick Pitino | Providence 87/Kentucky 93-96-97/Louisville 05-13 | 4 ppg and 5.2 apg with Massachusetts from 1971-72 through 1973-74 |
| Eddie Sutton | Arkansas 78/Oklahoma State 95-04 | 6.6 ppg and 2.6 rpg with Oklahoma State from 1955-56 through 1957-58 |