Opinion: Sean Miller's return to Xavier shows talent trumps trouble

Extra baggage. Not good if you’re flying. And not good if you’re a college basketball coach. Or is it?

This comes to mind with the recent (re)hire of Sean Miller as Xavier’s basketball coach. Miller coached the Muskies from 2004-09 and compiled a lofty 120-47 record (.719). In four of those five seasons, Xavier participated in the NCAA Tournament, and the Musketeers were Atlantic-10 regular season champions three times – 2007-09.

More: Xavier welcomes head coach Sean Miller back home

For his efforts, he was named A-10 Coach of the Year in 2008 – and then he bolted to the University of Arizona.

In 12 seasons, he compiled a 302-109 record (.735) and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. He had the most wins and best winning percentage in a four-year span at 124, while losing only 22 games for a .849 clip. He was the winningest coach in the Pac-12 and an averaged 27 wins-a-season after his eighth at the school.

Arizona is one of three Power 5 schools to win more than 25 games in each season each of the last five seasons, joined by Duke and Kansas.

And then came the baggage.

He’s the subject of an investigation related to the 2017 NCAA basketball corruption scandal regarding offers to illegally pay athletes for attending his school, including 2017 recruit and 2018 No. 1 NBA draft selection, Deandre Ayton.

Miller was not allowed to coach on Feb. 24, 2018 against Oregon. On March 1, he denied any allegations against him and was reinstated as the Wildcats’ head coach. He sat out that one game after ESPN reported he was heard on an FBI wiretap discussing a $100,000 payment to Ayton.

He faces allegations of multiple NCAA rules violations, including failing to monitor two assistant coaches and allowing them to accept cash bribes and arrange for fraudulent academic transcripts for players.

Although never formally charged, Miller’s 12th season at Arizona came to an end in Eugene, Oregon where the Wildcats lost 80-69 to the Ducks. He was fired April 7, 2021 and Arizona was served with several NCAA allegations claiming that the school committed five Level I NCAA violations. These allegations flowed from the FBI investigation into corruption at various schools.

So what? Who cares? He’s a proven winner.

At Arizona, he had three undefeated home seasons and the second longest home winning streak (49) games in McKale Center history. Baggage and all didn’t stop Xavier from getting him back on the bench – but Sean Miller has company with people carrying baggage.

Federal prosecutors announced the University of Louisville’s basketball program – under coach Rick Pitino – was under investigation for an alleged "pay for play" involving recruits. Pitino was dismissed on Oct. 16, 2017 – his termination was changed from a firing to a resignation in 2017. By the way, on March 14, 2020, Rick Pitino – a Basketball Hall of Famer – was named the coach at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York.

In 2013, the former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Just months before the 1976-77 season, the NCAA placed UNLV on two years’ probation for "questionable practices."

Tarkanian sued the NCAA, claiming it has harassed him for over two decades – as coach at Long Beach State he wrote a newspaper column charging that the NCAA ignored improprieties at powerful schools while it pursued smaller, more defenseless institutions. Although the NCAA did not admit harassing Tarkanian, it settled out of court in 1998, paying him $2.5 million.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was involved in a recruiting scandal involving Illinois when he was an assistant at Iowa. Pearl lost the recruiting battle when Deon Thomas committed to Illinois – and then Pearl called the high school student and recorded a phone conversation with Thomas, which may have been illegal depending on where Pearl originated the call.

Pearl asked Thomas if he had been offered an SUV and cash by Illinois assistant coach Jimmy Collins, and Thomas, according to reports, seemed to indicate that he had. Pearl then turned over the tapes to the NCAA – although Illinois was never found guilty by the NCAA of any wrongdoing.

In the summer of 2008, as head coach at Tennessee, Pearl invited high school junior Aaron Craft and members of his family to a cookout at his Knoxville home while Craft was on an unofficial visit to Tennessee. When the NCAA began an investigation of the affair, Pearl not only lied about the cookout, but also told Craft’s father to lie as well. After finding out about additional NCAA violations, as well as a violation of the school’s substance abuse policy by a player, Tennessee fired Pearl on March 21, 2011.

At Auburn, Pearl was suspended two games, and the basketball program was placed on probation for four years in connection with violations committed by former assistant coaches.

Welcome back to Xavier, Sean Miller. You’re in great company – with your baggage.

Talent certainly trumps trouble.

Andy Furman is a member of the Enquirer Board of Contributors. He also talks sports nationally on Fox Sports Radio, serves as PR coordinator for The Point/Arc in Northern Kentucky and writes for the Brooklyn (NY) Daily Eagle.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Sean Miller's return to Xavier shows talent trumps trouble