Texas basketball send eight-word message to Sean Miller after hiring ex-Xavier coach
Yesterday at 01:07 AM
Texas basketball sent an eight-word message to its newest head coach, Sean Miller. The Longhorns moved quickly after firing Rodney Terry to hire the head coach who eliminated them in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. Miller, who’s had success at major programs before, will now look to lead Texas basketball to its first national championship in school history. Those are at least the expectations for him heading into Austin.
The athletic department showed its appreciation for its newest addition on Twitter.
Welcome to the Forty Acres, Coach Sean Miller #HookEmpic.twitter.com/O4n4BMOSTo
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) March 24, 2025
The Longhorns took a risk with an accomplished but controversial hire
Sean Miller has had a very successful coaching career, but it’s no secret that he’s had his scandals in the past. While in charge at Arizona, Miller’s program was exposed in a 2017–18 NCAA men’s basketball corruption scandal. The investigation related to illegal payments made to student-athletes by several schools. Miller was eventually fired in 2021 and forced to vacate a ton of wins picked up during his tenure with the Wildcats due to the scandal.
Even in this new age of NIL and paying players, Texas basketball is still taking a risk with this hire. That being said, Sean Miller has, for the most part, been a successful coach everywhere he’s been. The 56-year-old has been to seven Sweet 16s and four Elite Eights in his 20-year career as a head coach. Miller had a terrific run at Arizona, winning five PAC-12 regular season titles and three conference tournaments. Alongside Gonzaga, the Wildcats were the team to beat on the West Coast during this era.
After departing Tuscon, Miller eventually returned to Xavier a second time and immediately took this program back to the Sweet 16. The Ellwood City, Pennsylvania native is an elite recruiter who has consistently developed NBA-caliber talent. And it will take that kind of talent for Texas basketball to find success in a loaded SEC. The conference got a historic 14 teams into the NCAA Tournament, including the Longhorns. The SEC then made even more history, with seven of these programs making it to the Sweet 16.
Despite Miller’s checkered past, he has always felt destined to lead a major program again. So many coaches like Will Wade, Rick Pitino, and Kelvin Sampson have been a part of several high-profile recruiting scandals and have or are climbing back up the college basketball hierarchy again. And Miller is doing the same thing. Texas basketball ultimately took a big swing with this hire. But if what matters to this program is winning, this move will likely pay off.
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