Sean Miller is headed back to Xavier to again be its men's basketball coach, the university announced on Saturday. The two sides quickly engaged after Travis Steele was fired on Tuesday, sources told CBS Sports. Miller was Xavier's top choice from the get-go, but school officials had to go through a lot of diligence internally and with the NCAA to ensure Miller could safely be hired due to his still-to-be-decided IARP case dating back to his time with Arizona. (Miller was fired by Arizona in April of 2021.)
"Xavier is thrilled to welcome Sean Miller and his family back to Victory Parkway," athletic director Greg Christopher said in a statement. "Sean is an elite college basketball coach and a proven winner who understands the expectations, traditions and values of Xavier and the Big East Conference. He will bring a high level of energy and excitement to our program and he will do it the right way."
As Xavier's courtship played out in recent days, South Carolina heavily pursued Miller as well. Gamecocks athletic director Ray Tanner tried to get Miller to sign by Saturday, as its push was huge in the past 48 hours, sources said.
Ultimately, Xavier was always Miller's top choice. Sources said Miller's deep familiarity with Xavier vs. the unknowns of South Carolina played a big role, as did Xavier's conference affiliation. When Miller coached at Xavier, it was in the Atlantic 10. Now it's in the Big East, and coaching in that league carries significant appeal to Miller.
"Amy and I are humbled to be returning to Xavier," Miller said. "Xavier and the Big East Conference both hold special places in my heart. I enjoyed my experience competing at the highest level in the Big East as a player and have always dreamed of being a head coach in the best basketball league in the country. Xavier has always done things the right way. This is an incredible opportunity for us to build on Xavier's successful tradition and take the program to new heights. I will have more to say at my introductory press conference about what I've been through the last few years to get to this point and my plan going forward."
Though this is a big day for Xavier, the reality is Miller still could have punishments from the NCAA coming his way. He's been charged with a coach-control Level I violation from his time at Arizona, an infraction tied to former assistant Book Richardson being charged with -- and eventually pleading guilty to -- bribery and fraud in college basketball's infamous FBI scandal. The University of Arizona was assessed with nine allegations of school misconduct by the NCAA, five of them being Level I -- though only one of those directly tied to Miller.
Industry sources previously told CBS Sports that a resolution on that case from the NCAA and IARP is expected in the fall. It's anticipated that Miller will serve a suspension next season, but it's unclear how long such a suspension would be.
Regardless of punishment, Miller returning to Cincinnati will bring cheers across the area. Xavier thrived -- as it's done with many of its former coaches -- under Miller from 2004-09, making the NCAA Tournament four times, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2008 and a Sweet 16 run in 2009. Miller went 120-47 with the Musketeers. He's won 73% of his games as a head coach, holding a career record of 422-156 in 17 seasons with three Elite Eight runs (one at Xavier, two at Arizona).
