Better fit for Sean Miller: South Carolina or Xavier?
If reports are true, former Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller could be considering Xavier and South Carolina — among other schools — for his next job.
Miller, 53, would be an intriguing, albeit polarizing, hire for any school that reels him in. The Wildcats fired Miller last April after the NCAA charged the school with five Level I violations. Arizona was hit with two alleged instances of academic misconduct, while Miller was charged for not demonstrating “that he promoted an atmosphere for compliance and monitored his staff.”
Those violations stem from a 2017 FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball. As a result, former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel Richardson pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery after being accused of accepting $20,000 to steer Arizona players to aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins.
Miller has repeatedly denied ever paying players, and he appears to be on the comeback trail after not coaching this season, with Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde reporting that Miller is “definitely shopping for jobs.”
Reports from The Athletic and The Big Spur have linked Miller to both Xavier and South Carolina, and The Athletic’s Seth Davis tweeted Thursday evening that he was hearing Miller to South Carolina to replace 10-year coach Frank Martin. A reporter for Xavier’s 247Sports site earlier Thursday wrote that “Xavier is still all in on landing Miller.”
Assuming Miller is choosing between those two schools, here are the advantages and disadvantages for both.
Xavier and Sean Miller, pros and cons
Perhaps the most compelling case for Xavier is that it’s familiar. Miller has already had success there and should already have recruiting ties in the area.
Miller served as an assistant under Thad Matta for the Musketeers from 2001-04 and then was promoted to head coach from 2004-09. In that time, Miller led Xavier to the NCAA tournament four times in five years, going as far as the Elite Eight.
The perception is that Xavier doesn’t have the same financial might a Power 5 school like South Carolina would have. Travis Steele, who mutually parted ways with Xavier this week, made about $1.3 million this season, compared to $3.3 million for Martin at South Carolina. Miller earned $2.9 million in his final year with the Wildcats.
The Musketeers — and the Big East — do have a rich basketball history and more recent success, having made the NCAA tournament 16 times since 2001. And because Xavier doesn’t have a football team, Miller would immediately step into the spotlight.
South Carolina and Sean Miller, pros and cons
As a Power 5 school in the Southeastern Conference, the Gamecocks should have more money to spend and more resources at their disposal.
The recent success of Bruce Pearl’s hiring at Auburn could be a blueprint that Miller and the Gamecocks could follow. The addition of Pearl, along with Tennessee’s Rick Barnes and Alabama’s Nate Oats to the SEC, elevated the conference. Given his track record of winning, Miller could fit in with that group.
With six head coach openings in the SEC and with five teams tying for fifth place in the league this year — including USC — there’s an opportunity for teams to separate from the middle of the pack.
In contrast to Xavier and despite being a Power 5 school, USC does not boast the same level of historical success. The Gamecocks have made the NCAA tournament just nine times and earned a berth just once during Martin’s 10 years — the 2017 Final Four run. The men’s basketball program also doesn’t have the same prominence on USC’s campus as it does on Xavier’s, with USC football reigning supreme in terms of interest.
And Miller doesn’t necessarily have the same recruiting ties in the Carolinas that he would in Ohio. Miller coached as an assistant at North Carolina State from 1996-2001 but has spent the rest of his career with Xavier and Arizona. Reeling in the top recruits in South Carolina has been a difficult task in recent years, with the likes of Zion Williamson and Ja Morant going to school out of state.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 8:15 PM.
