The University of Arizona has parted ways with men’s basketball head coach Sean Miller, according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium. Miller had spent the last 12 seasons at Arizona. However, his last few seasons with the Wildcats were mired in controversy after Arizona was served with nine allegations of misconduct by the NCAA. Among them included a charge of a lack of head coach responsibility for failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance.
Miller, who still has a year and $1.5 million left on his contract, reportedly met with Arizona President Dr. Robert Robbins and Athletic Director Dave Heeke last night but they were unable to come to a conclusion. But after another meeting earlier today, they both agreed to part ways.
Arizona has been under investigation after former Wildcats staffer Emmanuel “Book” Richardson pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to steer players to sports agent Christian Dawkins and later spent three months in prison. Miller, however, maintained that he has not paid any prospects to attend the school’s basketball program and will never engage in such activity.
During his time as the Arizona coach, the Wildcats compiled a 302-109 record in 12 seasons, while Miller has accumulated a 422-156 record in his 17 seasons as a head coach. The Wildcats finished this season with a 17-9 record but served out a self-imposed postseason ban in response to the allegations. The team last reached the NCAA Tournament at the end of the 2017-2018 season, when they finished with a 27-8 record and took home both the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles.
According to Goodman, some names who could replace the 52-year-old as the Wildcats’ head coach are Pacific coach Damon Stoudamire, Lakers assistant and former Wildcats assistant Miles Simon, and Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner. Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, meanwhile, has also been named as a possible replacement.