- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 440,118
- Reaction score
- 44
The expectation is that Xavier will move quickly and efficiently to find the next head of its men's basketball program.
The search began immediately after Sean Miller confirmed the news to Xavier officials that he is leaving to become the next head coach at the University of Texas.
More: Sean Miller to Texas: What's next for Xavier Musketeers as transfer portal opens?
Social media reactions: Sean Miller leaves Xavier to become head coach at Texas
"Getting the right head coach to lead our program is our top priority," athletic director Greg Christopher said. "I don't know if there's a specific profile. I think all of our fans recognize how challenging the Big East is, and I think a big part of that is the caliber of head coaching in the league."
The Big East is littered with successful coaches and got tougher as Hall-of-Famer Rick Pitino led St. John's to regular season and conference tournament titles this season. DePaul hired Chris Holtmann, who went to the NCAA Tournament seven times between 2014-2022 at Butler and Ohio State, and Villanova is looking to make the right hire after parting ways with Kyle Neptune.
More: Here are some coaches who could replace Sean Miller as Xavier men's basketball coach
Though it lost one of the most successful coaches in program history, Xavier is still in win-now mode and this coaching search represents a program reload rather than a rebuild.
"Going forward, Xavier is well-positioned to compete for Big East championships and NCAA Tournament success. We have an incredible fanbase − loyal, generous, passionate − and we have a very solid foundation around the program," Christopher said. "Everyone at Xavier, including President (Colleen) Hanycz and our board understands how important basketball is to our brand as an institution."
Three years ago, Xavier was a struggling program that had just parted ways with Travis Steele after four seasons of missing the NCAA Tournament.
Miller was one year removed from being fired as the head coach at Arizona after an NCAA investigation into alleged rules infractions.
The infractions case was still pending, and potential penalties were still on the table when Xavier made Miller its next head coach in March 2022. Add in the new landscape of college basketball with the NIL and transfer portal and the situation was cloudy at best.
In the end, Miller was cleared of any wrongdoing in a ruling from the NCAA's Independent Accountability Resolution Process and ultimately rewarded the risk Xavier took with two NCAA Tournament appearances in three seasons.
"Ultimately, we navigated all of that uncertainty and new landscape together," Christopher said. "Sean was great to work with through everything and I think we navigated that effectively."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sean Miller leaving Xavier basketball: XU coach search a top priority
Continue reading...
The search began immediately after Sean Miller confirmed the news to Xavier officials that he is leaving to become the next head coach at the University of Texas.
You must be registered for see images attach
More: Sean Miller to Texas: What's next for Xavier Musketeers as transfer portal opens?
Social media reactions: Sean Miller leaves Xavier to become head coach at Texas
"Getting the right head coach to lead our program is our top priority," athletic director Greg Christopher said. "I don't know if there's a specific profile. I think all of our fans recognize how challenging the Big East is, and I think a big part of that is the caliber of head coaching in the league."
The Big East is littered with successful coaches and got tougher as Hall-of-Famer Rick Pitino led St. John's to regular season and conference tournament titles this season. DePaul hired Chris Holtmann, who went to the NCAA Tournament seven times between 2014-2022 at Butler and Ohio State, and Villanova is looking to make the right hire after parting ways with Kyle Neptune.
More: Here are some coaches who could replace Sean Miller as Xavier men's basketball coach
Though it lost one of the most successful coaches in program history, Xavier is still in win-now mode and this coaching search represents a program reload rather than a rebuild.
"Going forward, Xavier is well-positioned to compete for Big East championships and NCAA Tournament success. We have an incredible fanbase − loyal, generous, passionate − and we have a very solid foundation around the program," Christopher said. "Everyone at Xavier, including President (Colleen) Hanycz and our board understands how important basketball is to our brand as an institution."
Sean Miller, Xavier navigated through uncertainty
Three years ago, Xavier was a struggling program that had just parted ways with Travis Steele after four seasons of missing the NCAA Tournament.
Miller was one year removed from being fired as the head coach at Arizona after an NCAA investigation into alleged rules infractions.
The infractions case was still pending, and potential penalties were still on the table when Xavier made Miller its next head coach in March 2022. Add in the new landscape of college basketball with the NIL and transfer portal and the situation was cloudy at best.
You must be registered for see images attach
In the end, Miller was cleared of any wrongdoing in a ruling from the NCAA's Independent Accountability Resolution Process and ultimately rewarded the risk Xavier took with two NCAA Tournament appearances in three seasons.
"Ultimately, we navigated all of that uncertainty and new landscape together," Christopher said. "Sean was great to work with through everything and I think we navigated that effectively."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sean Miller leaving Xavier basketball: XU coach search a top priority
Continue reading...
