Anyone not happy with hire?

[xaviermuskie2003]

It appears I'm in the minority of X fans not onboard with the hire. I was supportive of letting Travis go but cannot believe this is where we landed.

I do not think Sean Miller is a man of high character and fit to lead our program. Too many red flags. There are plenty of great coaches who would have jumped at the chance to come to X, but instead we have opened ourselves to ridicule.

My primary reasoning revolves around his treatment of long time friend and assistant Book Richardson. Book was hung out to dry and went to prison and Sean seemed only intersted in protecting himself. Sean has enough money to never work another day in his life, but that still wasn't enough to step up and help his assistant avoid jail time. I am not sure why this is being overlooked. Sean now gets another chance to many more millions while Book is coaching 7th grade girls. This says a lot to me about Sean the person.

Book was caught on tape by the FBI stating Ayton was paid 10k per month, Alkins family was set to get 50k total, and he paid 40k to keep Alkins eligible. I am not naive enough to think Book was orchestrating all of this on his own without Sean's knowledge.

I am by no means a major donor, but have supported the program monetarily and been a season ticket holder since graduating in 2003. I have emailed the AD and President with my concerns. It appears I may be one of the few.

[Hnoz]

Sean Miller wasn’t indicted. If they had anything on him the government would have come hard as well as the ncaa. Everyone has done things they aren’t proud of. Everyone deserves a second chance. Xavier is the best place to atone for one’s past sins. I truly believe this will be the last stop for Sean. He will be here until he retires.

[tacitus]

I did not think Sean would be a serious option. I expected him to get interviewed and his name to get thrown around to generate some buzz, if not by X then at least by the media. But I did not think he would actually be offered the gig.

Now I am both excited and nervous.

It is true that the way he left was different than Matta or Mack. Even Prosser tried to take D-West with him. He may have been playing both sides, but he did seem sincerely sad to leave X. (Unlike Matta or Mack.) So I can get over all that.

The allegations are a bigger issue for me. Just because he was not indicted, does not mean he did not commit a crime. And even if he did not commit a crime does not mean he did not break the rules or condone or engage in unethical practices at Arizona. I am also never convinced by the typical "whataboutism" arguments. Just because most coaches at big programs either turn a blind eye to rule breakers, or bend the rules themselves, does not excuse whatever Miller did.

But on the other hand, just because he has made a mistake does not mean he is not "of good character". Good intentioned people do bad things all the time. The question is how does he now atone for those mistakes.

His NCAA judgement is still pending. I do expect him to be suspended for a couple games. So we need to be prepared for that impact on the team and the program's reputation.

Let's hope that the decision makers at Xavier had a long and honest discussion with him. Let's hope that he opened up about what actually happened. Let's hope that they made it clear to him that Xavier (still) has a zero-tolerance policy (engraved in his contract), and let's hope that the culture at Arizona was the real culprit, that he regrets having ever left Xavier, and that his mission in life is to get Xavier to the final four without bending a single rule.

Aside from all that, then this could be the greatest hire ever or the worst hire ever. He is the greatest Xs and Os coach Xavier has ever had, and probably the greatest in-game coach we could have hoped to get to replace Steele. The question is how damaged is his reputation? Will he be able to put together a great staff? Will he be able to keep current recruits and draw even better recruits down the line? Or is his "brand" so tarnished that he will only be able to attract the wrong type of assistants and players?

He will either take us to the Final Four within five years, or during the same period he will set us on a cycle of firing and hiring every couple years the way so many other ambitious programs do.

The FBI investigation, NIL deals and the transfer portal have had big impacts. On the one hand, coaches are more cautious than ever. On the other hand, they have room to do things that use to be against the rules. Xavier giving him a second chance (in two ways) could also work wonders for his image.

So it could go either way. But I do expect an extreme: Final Four or bust! Nothing in between.

[X-man]

I did not think Sean would be a serious option. I expected him to get interviewed and his name to get thrown around to generate some buzz, if not by X then at least by the media. But I did not think he would actually be offered the gig.

Now I am both excited and nervous.

It is true that the way he left was different than Matta or Mack. Even Prosser tried to take D-West with him. He may have been playing both sides, but he did seem sincerely sad to leave X. (Unlike Matta or Mack.) So I can get over all that.

The allegations are a bigger issue for me. Just because he was not indicted, does not mean he did not commit a crime. And even if he did not commit a crime does not mean he did not break the rules or condone or engage in unethical practices at Arizona. I am also never convinced by the typical "whataboutism" arguments. Just because most coaches at big programs either turn a blind eye to rule breakers, or bend the rules themselves, does not excuse whatever Miller did.

But on the other hand, just because he has made a mistake does not mean he is not "of good character". Good intentioned people do bad things all the time. The question is how does he now atone for those mistakes.

His NCAA judgement is still pending. I do expect him to be suspended for a couple games. So we need to be prepared for that impact on the team and the program's reputation.

Let's hope that the decision makers at Xavier had a long and honest discussion with him. Let's hope that he opened up about what actually happened. Let's hope that they made it clear to him that Xavier (still) has a zero-tolerance policy (engraved in his contract), and let's hope that the culture at Arizona was the real culprit, that he regrets having ever left Xavier, and that his mission in life is to get Xavier to the final four without bending a single rule.

Aside from all that, then this could be the greatest hire ever or the worst hire ever. He is the greatest Xs and Os coach Xavier has ever had, and probably the greatest in-game coach we could have hoped to get to replace Steele. The question is how damaged is his reputation? Will he be able to put together a great staff? Will he be able to keep current recruits and draw even better recruits down the line? Or is his "brand" so tarnished that he will only be able to attract the wrong type of assistants and players?

He will either take us to the Final Four within five years, or during the same period he will set us on a cycle of firing and hiring every couple years the way so many other ambitious programs do.

The FBI investigation, NIL deals and the transfer portal have had big impacts. On the one hand, coaches are more cautious than ever. On the other hand, they have room to do things that use to be against the rules. Xavier giving him a second chance (in two ways) could also work wonders for his image.

So it could go either way. But I do expect an extreme: Final Four or bust! Nothing in between.

I can assure you that such vetting was the case, from the new President on down.

[kyzrex]

From a business and basketball point of view, his hire was a no brainer and should be a slam dunk. I am very solid on that point.

But I’d be less than honest if I didn’t admit to having some moral/principle doubts and concerns.

What happened at Arizona is still to be completely investigated by the NCAA and to be ruled upon. However, it would seem that there is no doubt that there were rules broken. I don’t buy the idea that it was all the assistant coaches and that the head coach (Miller) knew nothing about those things. I can absolutely see that happening with minor things, but not when it comes to thousands of dollars changing hands. Nor do I buy the idea that “everyone does it” and/or that those things are quasi-legal now. He knew the rules and even if he didn’t break them himself, he allowed them to be broken. That’s my take on it. It was wrong, he knew it, and it still went on. BUT…..does that mean he should have a lifetime ban? That he should never be given a 2nd chance? That X should have nothing to do with him now or in the future? This is where I struggle.

I want X to play by the rules and I don’t want even a hint of scandal to ever touch the school or the athletic department. But I think I’m worldly enough to understand that is probably only a goal and shouldn’t be the honest expectation for life. I don’t want X to have a coach that has been accused of breaking rules, nor do I ever want to find out that X is breaking rules. Am I willing to let go of that principle in order for X to have a solid COACH in the manner of Miller (who I feel is the best coach X has ever had)? I’m not sure where I stand on that at this point. I admit, I’m somewhat troubled by the hire because of that dilemma.

[XU2011]

At a certain point, you just have to trust the judgement of the people running the school (and I do).

The President, AD, and Trustees are smart, accomplished people with the best interest of Xavier at heart. By nature the group as a whole doesn't strike me as the type to "chase shiny objects"; they are risk averse if anything.

I'm also farily certain they are making decisions with a lot more insight and visibility to facts than what's in typical "google search".

[True_Blue]

Well
I hope this expert is wrong.
He thinks Miller will get a 9 to 15 game suspension.

From the Arizona Sun Times

https://www.google.com/amp/s/tucson.com ... f.amp.html

[muskieman]

Well
I hope this expert is wrong.
He thinks Miller will get a 9 to 15 game suspension.

From the Arizona Sun Times

https://www.google.com/amp/s/tucson.com ... f.amp.html

IF the charges hold up

Bruce Pearl received a two-game suspension as part of NCAA penalties.

The case, uncovered in 2017, revolved around former associate head coach Chuck Person, who accepted bribes in exchange for steering players to certain financial advisers. Another assistant paid a walk-on's tuition. Pearl was suspended for failing to monitor his assistant and adequately promote compliance.

In 2019 University of Connecticut men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun was suspended by the NCAA for three games. Calhoun was cited by the NCAA on Tuesday for failing to create an atmosphere of compliance within his program.

DePaul head coach Dave Leitao has been suspended for the first three games of the 2019-20 season for failing to monitor his staff after a former associate head coach gave impermissible benefits to a recruit, the NCAA's Committee on Infractions

[JKC74]

Anyone want to talk about UCLA and the decades long charade they had going on with their OVERLY generous "BOOSTERS"?? Nothing Miller or Calhoun were accused of even approaches the stuff that went on in LA for 40 years with Sam Gilbert the booster and they expect you to believe that Wooden knew nothing???

[Jesseandrippers]

Well
I hope this expert is wrong.
He thinks Miller will get a 9 to 15 game suspension.

From the Arizona Sun Times

https://www.google.com/amp/s/tucson.com ... f.amp.html

Sour grapes. History tells us 3-6 games is more likely. Can work through IUPUI and Niagra without him.