Tag:Sean Miller
Bejarano on campus at Arizona
Daniel Bejarano is on the Arizona campus today and will soon commit to the Wildcats barring a major change of plans. That common theory in recruiting circles is based mostly on Bejarano's affection for Arizona, but somewhat due to a process of elimination considering Arizona State has stopped recruiting the 6-foot-4 guard, leaving the Phoenix-area product with no viable in-state option other than Arizona.
Bejarano, you might remember, decommitted from Texas last week.
The Top 50 recruit immediately expressed a desire to remain close to home.
If Bejarano announces for Arizona -- and he will -- he'll become the second Class of 2010 prospect to commit to first-year coach Sean Miller, whose work in the Class of 2009 after getting hired in April should make UA's rebuilding job quicker than most anticipated. Rod Odom, a 6-8 wing from Massachusetts, committed to Arizona earlier this week. Scout.com ranks Odom as the 22nd-ranked small forward in the Class of 2010.
Category: NCAAB
Arizona considered leader for in-state product
Arizona coach Sean Miller spent Thursday night with Daniel Bejarano and is now a strong candidate to gain a commitment from the in-state product who this week decommitted from Texas.
“I just want him to be happy wherever he goes," Bejarano's high school coach, Joseph Bustos, told MaxPreps.com's Jason Hickman. "For whatever reason Texas was no longer the place for him."
Among those reasons is Bejarano's reported desire to stay close to his Phoenix home after his father, Damion Gosa, was shot to death in June. Bejarano had been committed to Texas since last October. He's now considering Arizona and Arizona State but, at this point, seems more interested in the Wildcats.
“His first words when he decommitted was, `Hey, get a hold of coach Sean Miller,'" Bejarano's mentor, Ray Arvizu Jr., told the Arizona Daily Star's Bruce Pascoe. "He’s very excited.”
MaxPreps.com ranks Bejarano No. 28 overall in the Class of 2010.
Category: NCAAB
Stanley Burrell cannot be held to 140 characters
One of the more interesting ways to follow the NBA Draft was -- surprise, surprise -- via Twitter .
Kevin Love was Tweeting every pick, seemingly confused at times about why his new GM selected 17 point guards. Kevin Durant was welcoming James Harden to Oklahoma City. Hasheem Thabeet was typing about the joy of looking at stars from a rooftop (or something like that). And then there was former Xavier standout Stanley Burrell, who started by rooting for Derrick Brown and then turned to defending Derrick Brown before ultimately criticizing Sean Miller.
It was fascinating stuff.
Burrell -- who played at Xavier from 2004 to 2008 -- started by predicting Brown would go here or there in the first round. It never happened, of course. So Burrell Tweeted that he was "jinxing my boy. im pulling for u and your fam D Brown. u deserve this!" Naturally, when Brown started slipping, some Xavier fans ripped his decision to leave school early. Why? Because that's what fans do. They love you when you play for their favorite team. But if you ever leave early they mock you if the decision doesn't go as planned.
Happens every year.
It happened this year.
But Burrell didn't like the tone.
So he took the time to defend Brown.
"Come on X-fans.. save the criticism on D Brown. My man is a special talent and he WILL be drafted tonight and he WILL make a roster. watch!"
Then ...
"if i recieve one more negative msg about D Brown, i will find a way to block that person. D is chasing a dream! Hes from xu- Support him!!!"
And then ...
"some of u fans really amaze me some time!!! makes the true xu fans, look bad."
And then (when Brown slipped well into the second round) ...
"Lets face it... SM isnt trying to develop pros. It was all about him! Look ive spoke to SM ONE time since grad. from X. Family huh? NOT! ... SM taught me many things that im thankful for. Most recently, this world is cut throat! GET YOURS WHILE U CAN! Wow!"
"SM" stands for former Xavier coach and current Arizona coach Sean Miller.
Brown confirmed as much in a later Tweet.
He then ranted against Miller in a magnificent way.
"I said what I said about Sean for a few reasons. 1) The fact that ive talked to a coach ONE TIME since grad. that i gave my blood, sweat, and tears for(for 4 yrs) is BULLSHIT! I sacrificed (just like the rest of my teammates) for Sean and our team...He made me believe that we were really like family to eachother. when really that was just a scheme to get us all to buy in to the "team system". He proved me right when i realized we only spoke once for about 15 secs when i attended the temple vs xu home game. i understand coach is really busy but i truly believed in the guy & what he taught me. i see now that really its all about getting yours while u can in any way u can. i remember reading a quote in the paper from Sean where he said, we win at XU without having a single pro on our roster. * Now even if thats true, do u really need to put us out there like that? Because we too want to provide for our families after college. And no, a comment like that wont keep us from being drafted into the NBA but it does show how Sean wanted all the success to be about him and his coaching. Lets not get my words mixed-up, sean is an amazing coach but if yall think that his coaching ALONE was the reason for all the success we had, YOURE WRONG! It also took guys in the locker room willing to give whats best for them PERSONALLY for the good of the team, the university's name & its winning tradition. Sean was just the one that seriously benefited financially. I have a degree and some of the most amazing memories from XU but the things ive learned since leaving xu makes me wish i would've done what was best for me and mine and not the other way around. Cuz thats what its about, right? Its not! but i learned the hard way. so i say congrats to D Brown for choosing to do whats best for him and his family (not saying that playing for coach mack would've hurt him for next yr because coach mack is a GREAT COACH that is definitely ready for this opportunity) but D Brown reached out and grabbed a piece for himself tonight, instead of just being on the giving end (like we were all trained to do at xu)."
Category: NCAAB
Miller lures former Xavier recruit to Arizona
Further proof that prospects are almost always more committed to a staff than a school came Sunday when former Xavier signee Kevin Parrom committed to Arizona, i.e., the new home of former Xavier coach Sean Miller.
Parrom (ranked 88th in the Class of 2009 by Scout.com) is the third top 100 prospect Miller has lured to Arizona in the past four weeks, joining Kyryl Natyzhko (ranked 48th by Scout.com) and Solomon Hill (ranked 58th by Scout.com). He's a 6-foot-6 forward from New York, one who should help Miller's transition to the Pac-10 be smoother than expected, his rebuilding job as Lute Olson's successor be quicker than most anticipated.
The development means 96 of Scout.com's top 100 prospects from the Class of 2009 are now off the board.
The four remaining uncommitted players listed are No. 2 John Wall, No. 8 Lance Stephenson, No. 37 Eric Bledsoe and No. 69 Deshawn Painter. Also available is Latavious Williams, a fifth-year player who is ranked as the nation's 17th-best prospect by Rivals.com. Williams will reportedly choose Monday between Georgetown and Memphis.
Category: NCAAB
Arizona comes back at Miller, gets him this time
DETROIT -- Barring another last-minute change of plans, Sean Miller will be introduced as Arizona's next basketball coach despite the fact that he turned down the job late Sunday, a source has told CBSSports.com.
According to a source, Miller scheduled a Monday afternoon meeting with his staff, at which point he is expected to finalize the decision. The source said Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood called Miller early Monday after having been rejected and "significantly changed" the offer, which was initially around $2 million per year for seven seasons. At that point, the source said, Miller got better assurances on the number of "buy" games he would be allowed to schedule, as well as some enhanced promises about the way the team and coaches would travel. Thus, Miller's career at Xavier now seems set to end after five seasons, four of which resulted in NCAA tournament appearances.
A statement is expected later Monday.
A news conference could come as early as Tuesday
Category: NCAAB
Sources: Miller rejects Arizona to stay at Xavier
DETROIT -- Sean Miller, after meeting with his family and staff late Sunday, decided to reject an offer from Arizona and remain at Xavier, sources have told CBSSports.com.
A statement is expected early Monday.
Miller flew on a private plane to Albuquerque, N.M., then drove to Sante Fe, N.M., early Sunday to meet with Arizona president Robert Shelton, athletic director Jim Livengood and a high-powered booster named Paul Weitman. The meeting lasted roughly four hours, and when Miller returned to Cincinnati he was described by a source as about "50-50" in terms of staying at Xavier or leaving for the Pac-10.
Late Sunday, that changed.
So now Miller will return for a sixth season at Xavier.
Sources said Arizona will next target Utah coach Jim Boylen.
Officials working on behalf of Arizona have already initiated contact, according to sources.
Arizona has now been publicly rejected in its search to replace Lute Olson by Miller and USC's Tim Floyd. Some other candidates the school has informally pursued to varying degrees are Mark Few (Gonzaga), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), John Calipari (Kentucky), Jeff Capel (Oklahoma), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State).
Category: NCAAB
Miller back home, described as "50-50"
DETROIT -- Xavier's Sean Miller was back home in Cincinnati late Sunday, meeting with his family and staff and debating whether to accept an offer to become Arizona's next basketball coach, sources told CBSSports.com.
According to a source, Miller flew on a private plane to Albuquerque, N.M., then drove to Sante Fe, N.M., to meet with Arizona president Robert Shelton, athletic director Jim Livengood and a high-powered booster named Paul Weitman. The meeting lasted roughly four hours, and a source described Miller as about "50-50" in terms of staying at Xavier or leaving for the Pac-10.
No deadline for an answer was given to Miller, a source said.
But Arizona would like an answer by Monday, it seems.
Miller has been at Xavier five seasons.
He's made four NCAA tournaments, including one Elite Eight.
Category: NCAAB
Miller to meet with Arizona on Sunday
DETROIT -- Xavier's Sean Miller boarded a private plane sent by Arizona officials early Sunday and flew to Albuquerque, N.M., to meet with athletic director Jim Livengood about coaching the Wildcats, sources have told CBSSports.com.
Whether Arizona asked Xavier for permission to speak with Miller is unclear, and also moot. Requesting permission to speak with another schools' coach is mostly a courtesy in this business, almost never a necessity. To wit, sources have told CBSSports.com that people working on behalf of Arizona have contacted various high-major coaches all season in informal ways, in some cases as early as November.
According to sources, Miller has been told he could receive a package at Arizona worth more than $15 million spread over seven years. Still, there is no guarantee he'll take the job, the sources said, because he's comfortable at Xavier and positioned to have a team that should win another Atlantic 10 title next season.
Miller has been at Xavier five seasons.
He's made four NCAA tournaments, including one Elite Eight.
Arizona has already been publicly rejected in its search to replace Lute Olson by USC's Tim Floyd. Some other candidates the school has informally pursued to varying degrees are Mark Few (Gonzaga), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), John Calipari (Kentucky), Jeff Capel (Oklahoma), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State).
(Here's a link to the plane Miller boarded, according to a source close to the Arizona program.)
Category: NCAAB
Arizona reaching out to Xavier's Miller
DETROIT -- Arizona has initiated conversations with Sean Miller in an attempt to see whether the rising star at Xavier will entertain an offer that could be worth more than $13 million spread over six years, a source close to the Arizona program told CBSSports.com on Friday.
Multiple sources said it's unclear whether Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood has spoken directly with Miller, but the sources added that Miller has had preliminary discussions with a third-party representative working on behalf of Arizona, and that he's willing to consider a move to the Pac-10 more so than he's considered different opportunities in the past. In other words, Miller was never seriously interested in Virginia or Georgia, and he's not interested in replacing John Calipari at Memphis. But Arizona is the type of elite job that has his attention, though there are no guarantees Miller would automatically leave Xavier given that he clearly has the best job in the Atlantic 10.
Miller has been at Xavier five seasons.
He's made four NCAA tournaments, including one Elite Eight.
Arizona has already been publicly rejected by USC's Tim Floyd. Other candidates the school has informally pursued to various degrees are Mark Few (Gonzaga), Jamie Dixon (Pittsburgh), John Calipari (Memphis), Jeff Capel (Oklahoma), Bruce Pearl (Tennessee) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State).
Category: NCAAB
Leitao out at Virginia
NEW YORK -- Virginia fired Dave Leitao on Monday, opening the door for the school to possibly make a run at Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel, sources told CBSSports.com.
On the surface, some might question why Capel would leave what he's established at Oklahoma. But the former Duke player has ACC roots and this would get him back to that part of the country. Also, Capel -- who has OU as a No. 2 seed in this NCAA tournament behind All-American Blake Griffin -- began his head coaching career at Virginia Commonwealth, meaning he obviously knows the area and already has recruiting ties in the region.
Leitao made the NCAA tournament just once in four seasons at Virginia.
The Cavaliers finished 11th in the ACC this season.
Another possible candidate beyond Capel should be Xavier's Sean Miller.
Miller has the Musketeers in the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in five years.
Another possible candidate beyond Capel should be Xavier's Sean Miller. Miller has the Musketeers in the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in five years.
Category: NCAAB
Clinic to benefit former Messiah College coach
A group of coaches -- including Pitt's Jamie Dixon and Xavier's Sean Miller -- will host a coaching clinic Oct. 16 at La Roche College in Pittsburgh. It's a rare midweek clinic on the Thursday night before colleges start practice, and all proceeds from the event will go towards the Dave Manzer Heart Fund.
Who is Dave Manzer?
He's the former head coach at Messiah College who is in a Milwaukee hospital awaiting a heart transplant. Meantime, his wife Kathy and three children -- Andrea (20), Erica (16), and Aaron (6) -- are left without a husband and father healthy enough to earn a living, meaning though times are tough for much of the country it's probably fair to assume most of our problems pale in comparison to the ones with which the Manzer family is dealing.
The cost of the event is $20.
For more information email Scott Lang at scott.lang@laroche.edu.
But here are the basics ...
What: Coaches Clinic to benefit the Dave Manzer Heart Fund
When: October 16
Where: La Roche College in Pittsburgh
-- Agenda --
- Former Memphis assistant Ed Schilling (5 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.)
- Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon (5:45 p.m. - 7 p.m.)
- Xavier head coach Sean Miller (7 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.)
- Baylor assistant Matthew Driscoll (8:15 - close)
Category: NCAAB
Many top assistants are gathering in Portland
Many of the top basketball assistants in the country have convened in Portland this week for the Villa 7 Consortium.
What the hell is the Villa 7 Consortium, you ask?
(Good question)
It's an annual event designed to help assistants learn from and network with the athletic directors who might someday hire them. There was a 'Casino Night' n Tuesday night and the assistants will pop in and out of sessions all day Wednesday as various head coaches speak about the ins and outs of running their own program. Among the 50-to-60 assistants in attendance to this invitation-only event are Ohio State's John Groce, Texas' Russ Springmann, Ole Miss' Michael White, Kansas' Joe Dooley, Florida State's Stan Jones and Clemson's Shaka Smart.
"It's a great opportunity for a young guy like me to not only learn more about coaching but to also develop more contacts in the business," Smart said by phone from Portland. "It's just a great event."
Head coaches speaking Wednesday are Arizona State's Herb Sendek, Xavier's Sean Miller, Virginia's Dave Leitao and Miami's Frank Haith.
Category: NCAAB
This Indiana seach is going to be intriguing
CHARLOTTE -- The coaching carousel is gaining speed, evidence being Wednesday's hiring of Cuonzo Martin at Missouri State and firing of Ben Braun at California. So Missouri State is now filled and Cal is now open. But the best job available is still Indiana, where the names most regularly mentioned as potential replacements are Washington State's Tony Bennett, Xavier's Sean Miller and Tennessee's Bruce Pearl.
Two other names making the rounds here at the East Regional: Pitt's Jamie Dixon and Texas' Rick Barnes.
Would either take the job if offered?
Honestly, it's hard to say -- though all indications are that Barnes is perfectly happy at Texas while a move further west would make more sense for Dixon considering he's from California. Still, multiple sources said Wednesday night that Indiana officials are at least interested to know whether Dixon or Barnes (along with Bennett, Miller and Pearl) would be interested in taking over the Hoosiers program, meaning Dixon and Barnes are legitimate IU targets until they make it clear they don't want to be.
Category: NCAAB
Fifteen candidates for National Coach of the Year
Gregg Doyel wrote a column this week about the National Coach of the Year race.
His pick (at this point): Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.
That's a nice selection, assuming Roy Williams doesn't strangle Coach K before the ceremony.
And though I believe it's too early to name a winner just yet, I feel comfortable providing a list of 15 legitimate candidates.
So here is a list (presented in alphabetical order):
- Rick Barnes (Texas)
- Randy Bennett (Saint Mary's)
- Mike Brey (Notre Dame)
- Jim Calhoun (Connecticut)
- John Calipari (Memphis)
- Keno Davis (Drake)
- Trent Johnson (Stanford)
- Mike Krzyzewski (Duke)
- Sean Miller (Xavier)
- Matt Painter (Purdue)
- Bruce Pearl (Tennessee)
- Bo Ryan (Wisconsin)
- Herb Sendek (Arizona State)
- Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt)
- Brad Stevens (Butler)
Category: NCAAB
