Arizona's Austin Carroll embracing his expanded role as Wildcats open NCAA Tournament

BOISE, Idaho — As they prepared for Thursday’s NCAA Tournament opener, the Arizona Wildcats leaned heavily on their scouting report for Buffalo.

The man who wrote that report, Austin Carroll, is 27 years old. His official title is assistant director of basketball operations, even though he’s been an on-court coach since Emanuel “Book” Richardson was arrested in connection to the FBI’s sweeping corruption probe in September.

Carroll may be young, but he has Miller’s ear. Carroll has been a part of Arizona’s program for four years, the first two as a graduate assistant. He served as an assistant operations director last year before the federal scandal led to a hurried promotion.

Other than Miller, there might not be anybody more tied to basketball than Carroll. His father, John, was the interim head coach of the Boston Celtics during the 2003-04 season; before that, John Carroll was an Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year at Duquesne.

Carroll talked to the Star on Wednesday about his tumultuous season and what he has learned.

What has the journey been like for you this season up until this point?

A: “Interesting. It’s been a heck of a ride and just been trying to help in any way possible that I can.”

What’s something you’ve learned from this team, especially the players?

A: “Just how important the guys are. In college, everything is about the players and just making sure everything in their lives in check, making sure that they’re good academically, making sure they’re good on the court, making sure that their lives are in check and making sure our players are set in every type of way.”

Has this season, with all of the drama surrounding the program, really prepared you to be a head coach in the future?

A: “In my four years working for Sean (Miller), I’ve learned so much. Working under Sean has been unbelievable. Working with (Lorenzo) Romar, working with (Mark) Phelps, I learned stuff from those guys every single day, and it’s been a heck of a place to work, and I’ve learned a lot in my four years being here.”

What in particular have you learned from Miller?

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A: “I would say the most important thing that I’ve learned from Sean is just how to scout teams. He’s really special in the way that he breaks down teams and really dissects what they’re doing. It’s been really a good deal for me.”

How old were you when your father coached the Boston Celtics?

A: “We moved to Boston when I was 7, and then I was there when I was about 13 or 14 was when he had the job.”

What’s something you’ve learned from your dad that’s different from the coaches at Arizona?

A: “The biggest thing I learned from him growing up was preparation. He worked his butt off, he got to the office early and he made sure that whenever the time came that he needed to have something done, he had it prepared and ready to roll.”

What is a particular detail you look for when you scout future opponents?

A: “You look at the last few games, and you get a feel for the team and how they’re playing most recent. If there are any big teams that they play nonconference, I usually look at that. But the more recent games give you the best feel for what they’re doing right now.”

What jumped out to you when you scouted Buffalo?

A: “They’re the 15th-fastest team in the country, they’re extremely guard oriented and they have a number of talented players at each position. They shoot a bunch of threes, they have a really good coach and a really good offense. (Coach Nate Oats) does a really good job with that team.”

Outside of your father, who is your biggest coaching idol?

A: “Nobody really jumps out. I would say that that was one of the blessings of growing up under my dad was how many people and how many coaches that I was around. Nobody in particular, but in general, being around the sport and being around coaches was really beneficial for me growing up.”