Florida State and Miami will play their first matchup of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, but the opposing sideline won’t feature Jim Larranaga for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Larranaga shocked all of college basketball by stepping down as Miami’s head coach on December 26th after getting off to a 4-8 start with losses to Mount Saint Mary’s and Charleston Southern.

Leonard Hamilton was asked about Larranaga’s decision to step down in an ACC Zoom call on Monday morning and ahead of Wednesday’s game.

READ MORE: Former FSU Star Jalen Ramsey Makes Decisive Miami Dolphins Career Statement

“Jim has demonstrated that he’s a class act. He’s a guy who thinks things through,” Coach Hamilton started. “I’m sure the decision didn’t come as a knee-jerk reaction to anything particular. I’m sure it came with a lot of thought over a longer period of time and for him to have the courage to stick with his convictions and what he believed is the best thing to do, not only for his team and for the university, players that have played for him before (and it) is to be tremendously respected. I talked to very few coaches who really don’t feel some of the similar things that seems to have been on Jim’s mind. It’s just where we are. I don’t see anything coming in the future that will eliminate the reasons why he made the decision that he did, and I think I have a lot of respect for him for how he did it.”

Coach Larranaga cited things like exhaustion and the ever-changing NIL market as reasons for stepping down. Coach Hamilton is in his own hot water with NIL after six former players sued him last week over alleged promised NIL money that was never delivered. So Hamilton can relate to some of the issues Larranaga was dealing with.

Larranaga isn’t the only ACC coach to make a shocking untimely retirement, as Virginia’s former coach Tony Bennett stepped down about a month before the season started. Leonard Hamilton was already the longest-tenured head coach in the ACC by a mile with 23 seasons in Tallahassee, with Clemson’s Brad Brownell in second with 15 seasons, but the third-longest tenured coach in the ACC after Larranaga’s and Bennett’s retiring is now Kevin Keatts at NC State, who started in 2017.

Florida State and Miami will play in Coral Gables at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

READ MORE: FSU Basketball Picks Up First ACC Win of Season, Beats Syracuse 90-74

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The Miami Heat had a rough week.

This week, the Heat slipped to No. 14 in the NBA power rankings. Last week, they were No. 9.

The Jimmy Butler trade saga reached its tipping point when Butler revealed playing in Miami ruined his joy for the game lately. The team issued a seven-game suspension to Butler for his actions. Following his comments, the Heat had their worst loss of the season Saturday against the Utah Jazz, losing by 36 points at home.

In an article posted to NBA.com, a takeaway on the team’s play was described. Here’s what longtime writer John Schuhmann wrote:

“Butler returned for two games and registered a usage rate of just 13.2% (ninth on the team) as the Heat split games against the Pelicans and Pacers”, the article said. “He didn’t play in the fourth quarter either night and then said that he doesn’t think he can rediscover his on-court ‘joy’ in Miami. So the Heat suspended him for seven games (through their six-game trip that begins Monday) and said they’d listen to trade offers.”

Schuhmann also added, “Butler’s teammates’ response was their worst loss of the season, a game in which they trailed the Jazz by 43 points. They’re now 5-6 without Butler and have been outscored by 2.2 points per 100 possessions in his 678 total minutes off the floor.”

The Heat are 17-16. They sit with the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. They remain two games back from the No. 4 seed Orlando Magic. They are 13 games back from the No. 1 seed, held by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

With the Butler trade rumors looming over the organization, the Heat are set to embark on a six-game road trip. They will play four of those games this week. The team starts the week Monday with a back-to-back in Sacramento and Golden State. Thursday, the team travels to Utah before rounding out the week in Portland on Saturday.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

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MIAMI – Florida ranks second in the nation for confirmed norovirus outbreaks, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The highly contagious virus, often referred to as the “stomach bug,” is spreading rapidly this season, particularly in crowded settings like cruise ships.

“Norovirus is a highly infectious virus that causes nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist. “This is the time of year we typically see norovirus cases peak, especially in the winter, with all the traveling.”

Between Sept. 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024, Florida reported 24 confirmed norovirus outbreaks, the second highest in the nation, according to the CDC.

Cruise ships were among the hardest hit, with 16 outbreaks reported in 2024 alone. Five of those occurred in December, sickening 890 passengers and crew members.

“I wish I would have known before we went,” said Tamara Holmes, who recently returned from a holiday cruise. “We took precautions: washing our hands, trying to keep a safe distance from everybody as best as we could.”

Monica Greidinger, preparing for a flight at Miami International Airport, advised fellow travelers to take extra precautions. “If you’re sick, don’t travel,” she told CBS News Miami. “I suggest going back to basics, wearing face masks-that’s all we can do.”

However, experts warn that masks alone may not prevent norovirus infections. “The most important thing is to wash your hands,” said Dr. Gounder.

“Alcohol-based sanitizers don’t work well for this virus. It’s also critical to sanitize food preparation areas and any surfaces that could be contaminated.”

There is no specific treatment for norovirus, which typically lasts one to three days.

Doctors recommend that infected individuals stay home, rest, and hydrate with water to recover.