Sean Miller has been fired as head coach of the Arizona men’s basketball team.
The school announced on Wednesday that Miller, who had one year left, would be leaving the program and that associate head coach Jack Murphy will serve as interim head coach. Arizona also said it would respect the terms of Miller’s existing contract.
“We appreciate Sean’s commitment to our basketball program and to the university,” Dave Heeke, Arizona director of athletics, said in a statement. “After taking into account the many factors involved, we believe we need a fresh start and now is the time. I want to thank Sean, Amy and their sons for their service to the university and wish them all the best for the future. ”
Miller had been in Tucson since 2009 and led the Wildcats to seven NCAA tournaments and three Elite Eight appearances. Arizona has won at least a portion of five Pac-12 regular season championships under Miller.
Arizona had become entangled in the 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption. Former assistant coach Emanuel “Book” Richardson pleaded guilty to one felony of conspiracy to commit bribery after being charged with accepting $ 20,000 to lead Arizona players to aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins. During Dawkins’s trial, prosecutors played a phone call intercepted by the FBI in which Richardson told Dawkins that Miller was paying $ 10,000 a month for former player DeAndre Ayton. Miller has consistently refused to pay players to go to Arizona.
The NCAA charged the school with five Level I violations, according to a statement of allegations released last month. The program was hit with two alleged cases of academic misconduct, while Miller was charged with failing to demonstrate “promoting an atmosphere of compliance and overseeing his staff.”
Arizona itself imposed a one-year postseason ban last season.
Sources told ESPN Arizona was considering a contract extension for Miller, but the Board of Regents would not approve it due to ongoing NCAA issues.
Before taking the helm at Arizona, Miller was a head coach at Xavier for five seasons and went to four NCAA tournaments and one Elite Eight.
A possible replacement buzzing in recent days is Gonzaga’s longtime assistant coach Tommy Lloyd, sources told ESPN. Names with ties to Arizona expected to play a part include Pacific’s Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech’s Josh Pastner, and Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Miles Simon. BYU head coach Mark Pope was linked to the track earlier this season, while Arkansas’ Eric Musselman is another name who could get a call to gauge interest.