Arizona coach Sean Miller said in a statement Wednesday he is not a candidate for Pitt’s vacant head coaching position, though multiple sources told the Post-Gazette that Miller and Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke discussed the position.
“I wish them well in their search for a new coach,” Miller said in the statement.
From #APlayersProgram head coach Sean Miller:
— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) March 21, 2018
“I am not a candidate for the University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball head coaching vacancy. I wish them well in their search for a new coach.”
Miller was interested in the job, according to sources.
The past year has been a tumultuous one for Miller, 49, and Arizona, where he just completed his ninth season.
Emanuel Richardson, an assistant under Miller from 2007-17, was arrested in September 2017 on charges of bribery and fraud as part of the FBI’s ongoing investigation into corruption in college basketball. In late February, ESPN reported an FBI wiretap intercepted a call between Miller and a runner for an agency in which they discussed a $100,000 payment for star center DeAndre Ayton to sign with Arizona. Miller vehemently denied the claim and received support from university leadership, but ESPN stood by its report.
The possibility of hiring Miller presented an interesting decision for Lyke, who has a law degree and an extensive background in NCAA compliance.
Miller has led the Wildcats to five Pac-12 regular-season championships, seven NCAA tournament appearances and an overall record of 247-74. His 2017-18 team finished 27-8, winning both the Pac-12 regular season and tournament championships. The No. 4 seed Wildcats were upset by No. 13 seed Buffalo, 89-68, in the first round of the NCAA tournament last Thursday.
A Western Pennsylvania native, Miller played for the Panthers from 1987-92. In that time, he racked up the second-most assists in program history (744) and is tied for 21st on the school’s career scoring list (1,282 points). He was also an assistant at the school in 1995-96.
Prior to arriving at Arizona, Miller was the head coach at Xavier for five seasons, compiling a 120-47 record. His career head coaching record is 367-121 (.752 win percentage).
Pitt is seeking to replace Kevin Stallings, who was fired March 8 after two seasons and a 24-41 record, including a 5-34 mark against ACC competition.
The school reportedly offered a contract with an annual salary of more than $3 million to Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley this week. Pitt has already interviewed former Ohio State coach Thad Matta and former Indiana coach Tom Crean, the latter of whom was introduced as the head coach at Georgia on March 16.
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Craig Meyer: cmeyer@post-gazette.com and Twitter @CraigMeyerPG
First Published: March 21, 2018, 4:59 p.m.
Updated: March 21, 2018, 6:04 p.m.
