Going, going, gone?

Jim Larranaga walked out of the gym after leading several basketball players through an offseason workout yesterday afternoon. The George Mason coach left the physical education center wearing green sweats with the Patriots’ gold star logo on them.

However, Larranaga might not be wearing George Mason’s colors much longer.

Larranaga has been offered the coaching job at Providence, his alma mater, and is seriously considering the move from the mid-major Colonial Athletic Association to the higher-profile Big East. In a story first reported in the Providence Journal, Larranaga, 58, spent the weekend in Rhode Island speaking with Providence officials.

Larranaga has been wooed by numerous higher-profile programs since leading George Mason on its incredible journey to the Final Four in 2006 but had shown little interest until now.

The coach would not comment on his situation but said Providence is a special place for him. Larranaga did not return phone calls last night after addressing his players about growing speculation of his departure from Fairfax.

“He just told us he would take us strongly into consideration,” said guard John Vaughan, who helped lead the Patriots to the CAA tournament title and an NCAA tournament berth this season. “I’m not surprised. I figured as soon as the Providence job opened, his name would come up. He’s got to make a decision on what’s best for him and his family.”

Larranaga would figure to get a considerable raise from roughly $600,000 to just under $1 million a year. Providence athletic director Bob Driscoll declined comment through a spokesman. Providence fired coach Tim Welsh after 10 seasons last month.

George Mason athletic director Tom O’Connor confirmed he gave Providence permission to speak with Larranaga last week. O’Connor said late last night he had been in contact with the coach, but they did not discuss Providence.

Larranaga was inducted in Providence’s Hall of Fame in 1991 after starring for the Friars before his graduation in 1971. The native New Yorker averaged 19.4 points as a sophomore for coach Joe Mullaney. The 6-foot-4 guard played his final two seasons for Hall of Famer and Big East Conference founder Dave Gavitt, who is still a close friend with major influence at Providence.

“We have to do what we have to do and follow our hearts,” CAA commissioner Tom Yeager said of Larranaga, the conference’s all-time winningest coach. “He has two places that are very special to him. It’s a very difficult decision.”

Larranaga resurrected the Patriots upon his arrival 12 years ago and turned them from a laughingstock into a mid-major power. He led George Mason to three NCAA tournaments but always will be remembered for 2005-06. That season, George Mason received a controversial at-large bid and beat basketball powers Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut to reach the Final Four.

He had several suitors after that, including Seton Hall, another Big East school. Instead, he chose not to interview and received a significant raise while staying in Fairfax.

Two years after that incredible run, he faces the lure of his alma mater calling on him to return that once-proud program to prominence.

“He’s given all he has for the university and the team since he’s been here,” Vaughan said. “It would be sad to see him go, but that’s what can happen when you are successful.”