Ezra Shaw
Sean Miller Says He Isn't a Candidate for Pitt's Head Coaching Vacancy
Arizona head coach Sean Miller and Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke have discussed the head coaching vacancy, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette. Miller issued a statement saying that he is not a candidate for the job.
“I am not a candidate for the University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball head coaching vacancy," Miller said. "I wish them well in their search for a new coach.”
Miller played for Pitt from 1987 to 1992. He served as an assistant for the school during the 1995-96 season. He got his first head coaching job at Xavier in 2004 and stayed there for five seasons and a 120–47 record.
He has coached at Arizona for the past nine seasons and has a 247–74 record. Arizona finished this past season 27–8 after reaching the NCAA tournament as a No. 4 seed but lost to No. 13-seeded Buffalo in the first round.
Miller's season has not been without controversy. In February, ESPN reported that an FBI wiretap recorded Miller and a sports agent discussing a $100,000 payment to get Deandre Ayton to play and enroll at Arizona. Several details in the original report were refuted. Miller denied the claim and was backed by the university. ESPN stood by its report.
Earlier this month, Pitt fired Kevin Stallings after two seasons and a 24–41 showing. The Panthers have been interested in Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley, former Ohio State coach Thad Matta and former Indiana coach Tom Crean, before he accepted a job at Georgia.
