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Head Coach Candiate Profile: Sean Miller
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Having coached nearby at both Miami of Ohio and Xavier, Miller is reportedly one of the top candidates for the Ohio State job.
Current position: Head coach, Xavier (2022-present)
Previous Stops:
Wisconsin (1992-1993, GA)
Miami (OH) (1993-1995, assistant)
Pittsburgh (1995-1996, assistant)
North Carolina State (1996-2001, assistant)
Xavier (2001-2004, assistant)
Xavier (2004-2009, head coach)
Arizona (2009- 2021, head coach)
Overall Record: 463-180 (.720)
Accolades:
A-10 Coach of the Year
3 x PAC-12 Coach of the Year
3 x A-10 regular season championships
5 x PAC-10/12 regular season championships
A-10 tournament champion
3 x PAC-12 tournament champion
NCAA Tournament:
8 x Sweet 16’s
4 x Elite Eights
12 tournament appearances in 17 opportunities
21-12 overall record in NCAA Tournament
Current Contract:
Under contract through the 2028-2029 season
Contract/buyout terms not known, Xavier is a private institution and therefore does not have to make contract terms public .
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25310886/usa_today_22010048.jpg "Syndication: The Enquirer")
Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Simply put, he checks a ton of boxes that Ross Bjork is looking for. Miller has made the NCAA Tournament 12 times and has never finished a season with a losing record. From 2012-2018 with Miller at the helm, Arizona had an average record of 30-7. In comparison, Ohio State has won 30 or more games three times in its 125 years of existence as a program — Miller has done it five times in his career.
While he’s never been to a Final Four, Miller has made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament eight times, which is something Ohio State has not done since 2013. Over the past 10 seasons, Miller has made it to the second weekend of the tournament four times and Ohio State has done it zero times.
He has “experience in the chair” as Bjork phrased it last week when describing what traits he is looking for in the next head coach. Miller has been a head coach for nearly 20 years, but specifically has experience coaching in the midwest at Xavier, as well as two seasons at Miami of Ohio from 1993-1995. That means he’s familiar with Ohio high school basketball, AAU, the recruiting scene, etc.
He would not be stepping into a neighborhood he’s unfamiliar with. There’s a nonzero chance Miller would pick up the recruitment of Ohio talent like Darryn Peterson, Jerry Easter, and Dorian Jones after Ohio State’s recruiting was more or less put on hold with the firing of Holtmann.
During Miller’s 12 years at Arizona, he got commitments from 21 four-star recruits and 14 five-star recruits, and was consistently in the top-10 classes nationally, alongside college basketball’s traditional blue bloods like Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky. That’s a level of recruiting that even Thad Matta did not match while at Ohio State.
Miller also helped get 13 Arizona players drafted in 12 years, including nine first-rounders and one first overall pick in DeAndre Ayton.
Of all the candidates for the job, Miller perhaps comes with the most off-court baggage and concerns. While at Arizona, Miller and his staff were deeply entangled into a “pay-for-play” investigation, centered around former five-star recruit and 2018 No. 1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton.
In 2017, former Arizona assistant coach Book Richardson was caught on a wire tap by federal agents telling an aspiring sports agent, Christian Dawkins, that Miller was paying Ayton $10,000 per month as part of the agreement for Ayton to attend the University of Arizona and play for Miller. This call was later played in court by federal prosecutors.
In 2018, Miller strongly denied ever “knowingly” paying players while coaching at Arizona, saying, “I have never knowingly violated NCAA rules while serving as head coach of this great program.”
Ultimately, the Independent Accountability Resolution Process Panel — an independent panel used for certain NCAA Investigations — forced Arizona to vacate wins from 2016 to 2018, while Ayton and another player, Rawle Alkins, were with the program. Richardson and another former Arizona assistant, Mark Phelps, were hit with show-cause penalties, while Richardson also spent time in prison.
Miller was not charged with any violations, but Arizona did lose one scholarship for the 2023 recruiting class (which was no longer Miller’s class, since he had since returned to Xavier) and had to pay a $5,000 fine.
Since Miller was not charged with any violations or in federal court regarding the years-long FBI investigation, that absolves him of any wrongdoing in a legal sense or with the NCAA. However, when Arizona extended Miller in 2018, they included a clause that would fine Miller $1,000,000 if he was charged with any major crimes or NCAA violations, which clearly shows Arizona had pause about the potential for Miller to commit such violations, but still had a high level of confidence in his ability to coach his team and win games.
Ohio State fans seem to have mixed feelings about Miller to this point. While some are concerned about Miller’s ethics and willingness to run a clean program, it is important to note that he was not charged with violations — be that in a court of law or by the NCAA. However, the fact that multiple assistant coaches under Miller were found to have violated NCAA rules does not sit well with everyone. As the saying goes, the buck stops with the head coach.
The fact that players can now legally be paid for their name, image, and likeness now is also very relevant. What Miller was accused of seven years ago — directly paying a player — is still not allowed. But if NIL was in place in 2017, would the alleged actions even have taken place, since there is now an avenue to legally get players compensation for the value they bring their schools? For some, that’s enough to dismiss the entire hullabaloo.
Continue reading...
Connor Lemons via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Having coached nearby at both Miami of Ohio and Xavier, Miller is reportedly one of the top candidates for the Ohio State job.
For the next several weeks, Land-Grant Holy Land will highlight candidates for the Ohio State men’s basketball head coaching position, including their current and previous coaching positions, win/loss record, and (in our opinion) the pros and cons of hiring each.
Current position: Head coach, Xavier (2022-present)
Previous Stops:
Wisconsin (1992-1993, GA)
Miami (OH) (1993-1995, assistant)
Pittsburgh (1995-1996, assistant)
North Carolina State (1996-2001, assistant)
Xavier (2001-2004, assistant)
Xavier (2004-2009, head coach)
Arizona (2009- 2021, head coach)
Overall Record: 463-180 (.720)
Accolades:
A-10 Coach of the Year
3 x PAC-12 Coach of the Year
3 x A-10 regular season championships
5 x PAC-10/12 regular season championships
A-10 tournament champion
3 x PAC-12 tournament champion
NCAA Tournament:
8 x Sweet 16’s
4 x Elite Eights
12 tournament appearances in 17 opportunities
21-12 overall record in NCAA Tournament
Current Contract:
Under contract through the 2028-2029 season
Contract/buyout terms not known, Xavier is a private institution and therefore does not have to make contract terms public .
Why Ohio State should hire Sean Miller
Simply put, he checks a ton of boxes that Ross Bjork is looking for. Miller has made the NCAA Tournament 12 times and has never finished a season with a losing record. From 2012-2018 with Miller at the helm, Arizona had an average record of 30-7. In comparison, Ohio State has won 30 or more games three times in its 125 years of existence as a program — Miller has done it five times in his career.
While he’s never been to a Final Four, Miller has made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament eight times, which is something Ohio State has not done since 2013. Over the past 10 seasons, Miller has made it to the second weekend of the tournament four times and Ohio State has done it zero times.
He has “experience in the chair” as Bjork phrased it last week when describing what traits he is looking for in the next head coach. Miller has been a head coach for nearly 20 years, but specifically has experience coaching in the midwest at Xavier, as well as two seasons at Miami of Ohio from 1993-1995. That means he’s familiar with Ohio high school basketball, AAU, the recruiting scene, etc.
He would not be stepping into a neighborhood he’s unfamiliar with. There’s a nonzero chance Miller would pick up the recruitment of Ohio talent like Darryn Peterson, Jerry Easter, and Dorian Jones after Ohio State’s recruiting was more or less put on hold with the firing of Holtmann.
During Miller’s 12 years at Arizona, he got commitments from 21 four-star recruits and 14 five-star recruits, and was consistently in the top-10 classes nationally, alongside college basketball’s traditional blue bloods like Duke, North Carolina, and Kentucky. That’s a level of recruiting that even Thad Matta did not match while at Ohio State.
Miller also helped get 13 Arizona players drafted in 12 years, including nine first-rounders and one first overall pick in DeAndre Ayton.
Why Ohio State should not hire Sean Miller
Of all the candidates for the job, Miller perhaps comes with the most off-court baggage and concerns. While at Arizona, Miller and his staff were deeply entangled into a “pay-for-play” investigation, centered around former five-star recruit and 2018 No. 1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton.
In 2017, former Arizona assistant coach Book Richardson was caught on a wire tap by federal agents telling an aspiring sports agent, Christian Dawkins, that Miller was paying Ayton $10,000 per month as part of the agreement for Ayton to attend the University of Arizona and play for Miller. This call was later played in court by federal prosecutors.
In 2018, Miller strongly denied ever “knowingly” paying players while coaching at Arizona, saying, “I have never knowingly violated NCAA rules while serving as head coach of this great program.”
Ultimately, the Independent Accountability Resolution Process Panel — an independent panel used for certain NCAA Investigations — forced Arizona to vacate wins from 2016 to 2018, while Ayton and another player, Rawle Alkins, were with the program. Richardson and another former Arizona assistant, Mark Phelps, were hit with show-cause penalties, while Richardson also spent time in prison.
Miller was not charged with any violations, but Arizona did lose one scholarship for the 2023 recruiting class (which was no longer Miller’s class, since he had since returned to Xavier) and had to pay a $5,000 fine.
Since Miller was not charged with any violations or in federal court regarding the years-long FBI investigation, that absolves him of any wrongdoing in a legal sense or with the NCAA. However, when Arizona extended Miller in 2018, they included a clause that would fine Miller $1,000,000 if he was charged with any major crimes or NCAA violations, which clearly shows Arizona had pause about the potential for Miller to commit such violations, but still had a high level of confidence in his ability to coach his team and win games.
Ohio State fans seem to have mixed feelings about Miller to this point. While some are concerned about Miller’s ethics and willingness to run a clean program, it is important to note that he was not charged with violations — be that in a court of law or by the NCAA. However, the fact that multiple assistant coaches under Miller were found to have violated NCAA rules does not sit well with everyone. As the saying goes, the buck stops with the head coach.
The fact that players can now legally be paid for their name, image, and likeness now is also very relevant. What Miller was accused of seven years ago — directly paying a player — is still not allowed. But if NIL was in place in 2017, would the alleged actions even have taken place, since there is now an avenue to legally get players compensation for the value they bring their schools? For some, that’s enough to dismiss the entire hullabaloo.
Continue reading...