Larranaga stays, signs extension

Jim Larranaga chose not to go home again.

George Mason’s basketball coach yesterday turned down a lucrative offer from Providence, his alma mater, following extensive negotiations. Larranaga instead signed a three-year extension with the Patriots designed to keep him in Fairfax through the 2014-15 season.

“I made it clear over the years that my family and I have loved it here at George Mason,” Larranaga said in a statement. “I’ve said before that I hope to retire here at George Mason, and this contract extension allows me to do that.”

Larranaga, 58, spent the last several days mulling an offer from Providence, where he was a star guard before graduating in 1971. He has kept close ties to the school and was inducted into the Friars’ Hall of Fame two decades later.

Larranaga passed on a chance to restore the fortunes of the program at Providence and to coach in one of the nation’s top conferences, the Big East, rather than the mid-major Colonial Athletic Association.

Larranaga did not return messages left on his cell phone yesterday and has been uncharacteristically silent since the negotiations became public Monday. The coach was expected to leave for the Final Four in San Antonio yesterday afternoon.

D1SCOURSE: Larranaga stays (and other moves)

The Friars, meanwhile, continue to look for a replacement for Tim Welsh, who was fired three weeks ago.

“We offered [Larranaga] a very substantial package, but he was too comfortable in his current situation and opted to stay at George Mason,” Providence athletic director Bob Driscoll said.

Providence offered Larranaga a long-term deal believed to be worth about $850,000 a year. The coach’s current package is worth around $650,000, including a $75,000 bonus each spring he remains at the Fairfax school. The new contract is expected to provide a salary increase and other incentives.

Larranaga originally signed a new deal after leading the Patriots to one of the most unlikely Final Four berths in NCAA history in the 2005-06 season, a run that included a victory by the No. 11 seed over No. 1 Connecticut in the regional final.

“We talked about the situation before the whole Providence issue came up,” said George Mason athletic director Tom O’Connor, who insisted the deal was not expedited by the Friars’ offer. “We wanted to do this anyway.”

Larranaga took over a scandal-ridden, losing program 11 years ago and turned it into a model for other mid-major schools. The Patriots made the postseason six of the last 10 seasons, including four trips to the NCAA tournament. He leads the program in all-time wins with a 207-131 record and is the winningest coach in CAA history with 139 league victories.

George Mason had a 23-11 record last season and won the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons. The Patriots lost to Notre Dame in the first round as the careers of star seniors Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell — both of whom started on the Final Four team — ended.

However, the Patriots have eight returnees and should challenge for another spot in the NCAA tournament. Sharpshooter Dre Smith and John Vaughan anchor a talented and athletic backcourt, while center Darryl Monroe is expected to recover fully after sitting out last season following toe surgery.

And now Larranaga will be back on the bench after flirting with the Friars.

“It’s a relief,” said Smith, who will be a senior next season. “It would have been hard to adjust to a new coach and a new system. Now we have great guys, solid recruits and a great coach. I tried not to let the situation bother me, but I’m glad he’s staying.”