The Arizona Wildcats fired Sean Miller on Wednesday, closing a chapter plagued by Miller's association with the FBI probe that continues to be felt throughout college basketball. Arizona had been ensnared in the 2017 federal investigation into corruption in college basketball. Former assistant coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit bribery after being accused of accepting $20,000 to steer Arizona players to aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins. During Dawkins' trial, prosecutors played an FBI-intercepted call in which Richardson told Dawkins that Miller was paying $10,000 a month for former player Deandre Ayton. Miller has consistently denied paying players to attend Arizona. The NCAA subsequently charged Arizona with five Level I rules violation allegations, including two alleged instances of academic misconduct within the men's basketball program.
With the NCAA investigation still shadowing one of college basketball's most tradition-rich programs, the school will attempt to turn the page and identify a new coach to help Arizona basketball move forward. An extremely vocal Arizona fan base, one that has been largely defiant about the charges against Miller and the program, has at times seemed most bothered by the program's inability to reach the Final Four since Miller took over as head coach in 2009. Which candidates will U of A identify to both help the university manage its current state of crisis and help the program move forward on the basketball court?
Why do you think this happened now? How much do you think the timing hurts Arizona's quest to pursue its top candidates?
Something had to happen this spring with Arizona and Miller. He had just one year left on his contract, and due to the ongoing NCAA issues, the board of regents would not approve a contract extension for Miller. So neither side wanted to go into next season with Miller as a lame-duck coach. For Miller, the constant questions and drama all season would have been a massive distraction, while the recruiting and continuity struggles would make the Arizona job far less attractive than it is right now.
The timing doesn't hurt them much. I don't think they would have been a viable option for Chris Beard, and I doubt they would have pursued Shaka Smart or any other recently hired high-major replacement.
How good is the job? Will possible NCAA sanctions stemming from the FBI probe give top candidates pause?
It's a terrific job. It can match UCLA at the top of the Pac-12 in most departments outside of tradition and recruiting base. The program has a great fan base, a national title in 1997, four Final Four appearances and has produced 54 NBA players since Lute Olson arrived in 1983. So in a different year, under different circumstances, it would be considered an elite job, and Arizona could have its pick of any number of coaches. That said, under the current circumstances, it's not as attractive a job as it might have been. There are questions about future punishment for the basketball program: How many more years will Arizona be banned from the NCAA tournament? What other sanctions might come down? Will the current players remain in the program after the coaching change?
Who are the pipe-dream candidates?
I think Arizona is cognizant of its current situation and won't take too many home run swings. That said, I do think the Wildcats will at least gauge the interest of Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman. Musselman has spent much of his coaching career on the West Coast and also has a couple of years of experience in the Pac-12 at Arizona State. The biggest issue might be money. Arizona won't be able to match what Arkansas can pay Musselman, and it's expected the Razorbacks' boss will get a raise and extension this offseason.
Who are the more realistic candidates?
The primary name buzzing for this job in recent days is longtime Gonzaga assistant coach Tommy Lloyd. Lloyd has established himself as one of the elite assistant coaches in college basketball over the past two decades under Mark Few in Spokane and is the best international recruiter in the country. He's turned down opportunities for other head-coaching vacancies, but Arizona is a different level. By the way, for an Arizona roster with several international players, Lloyd's overseas connections can only help.
Another name outside the Arizona family that had been linked to the program a few months ago is BYU's Mark Pope.
But there's going to be a strong push from former Arizona players to hire someone in the family -- and there's no shortage of options if the Wildcats choose to go that route. Pacific's Damon Stoudamire and Georgia Tech's Josh Pastner are likely atop that list, along with Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Miles Simon. Other names with Lute Olson and Arizona ties include current assistant coach Jason Terry and Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton.
Make your picks -- top candidate, Plan B and the 'if all else fails' choice
Since I'm not sure Eric Musselman is realistic, I'll go with Tommy Lloyd as the top candidate. He's proven himself as a recruiter, both domestically and overseas, and he's played a big part in running an uber-successful Gonzaga program for two decades. I think he would be in Arizona's financial range, and it also doesn't hurt that Lloyd's son, Liam, is a couple of hours away at Grand Canyon.
Outside of that, I think Arizona would opt to keep it in the family, and both Stoudamire and Pastner make sense. Stoudamire has done an impressive job at Pacific, despite some struggles this season, while Pastner did one of the best coaching jobs in the country this past season, guiding Georgia Tech to the ACC tournament title and the NCAA tournament.