University of Miami Coach Jim Larrañaga has announced the addition of Lamont Franklin as the director of operations for the Hurricanes basketball program.

“Lamont Franklin is a great addition to our program,” Larrañaga said. “We were attracted to Lamont because of his diverse background in basketball and business. He has a lot of experience in many different areas and I think he will be a great role model for our student-athletes. He is very highly respected by all the people who he has worked with over the years. I have spoken to athletic directors; I have spoken to coaches that he has worked with and business people. They all rave about Lamont’s ability to relate to people and his work ethic.”

Franklin comes to Miami from Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla., where he was an assistant coach for the 2016-17 season. Prior to his time with the Rattlers, he was a solutions specialist for Microsoft Corporation from 2011-2016 before getting back into coaching.

An 18-year basketball veteran, Franklin has coached on both the collegiate and high school levels. His career as an assistant coach has taken him to UNC-Wilmington (1997-1998), Howard University (1998-2000), Mount Saint Mary’s (2000-01), FAMU (2001-03), Towson (2003-2004) and College of Charleston (2004-05).

He then served as head coach at Cedar Park Christian High School (Wash.) from 2005-2008 and Johnson & Wales University from 2009-2011.

Larrañaga remembers Franklin as “a little point guard and really hard-nosed defender” during his playing days at UNC Wilmington.

“I liked his effort,” Larrañaga said. “What had really impressed me was that Jerry Wainwright—the head coach at UNC Wilmington as soon as Lamont graduated—hired him as a full-time assistant. That’s very unusual to think a guy is that mature that he can come in and handle that kind of responsibility at 22 years old.”

Franklin, a 1997 graduate of UNC-Wilmington, is married to Lisa Franklin and they have three children.

Franklin replaces James Johnson, who is now an assistant coach at NC State, as Miami’s director of operations.

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