When Sean Miller was between jobs last college basketball season, after he was fired at Arizona following 12 seasons at the helm, basketball didn't dictate his schedule for the first time in a long time.Β
Miller, who returned to head coach the Xavier Musketeers, told CBS reporter Matt Norlander the season away from coaching allowed him to "reconnect with people that you should have never needed to reconnect with."
"Your own family. Close friends. But without you realizing it, because you're in it, there's become a separation almost that you're unaware of," Miller told CBS.Β
After Miller was dismissed from his post at the UA following the pandemic-influenced 2021 season, and was replaced with Tommy Lloyd, Miller took time off, traveled, then joined "The Field of 68" to guest-host YouTube shows during the season. Miller finished his Arizona tenure leading the Wildcats to three Elite Eight appearances, five Pac-12 championships and a 302-109 record. The Wildcats had a self-imposed postseason during the 2020-21 seasonΒ
According to CBS, Arizona's unresolved NCAA infractions case, which is under review by theΒ Independent Accountability Resolution Process (IARP), "is expected (to have a solution) by the end of December, and if not then, January at the latest."Β
Miller's wife, Amy, said their lives were "thrown upside down" when the Wildcats were the center of a federal college basketball scandal in 2017 that was later turned into an NCAA case handed over to the IARP.Β
"His face was the bad character in a story that was never-ending," she told CBS.
Before he was hired by Xavier in the spring, he became and avid college basketball-watcher and even watched his former team, Arizona.Β
"He enjoyed watching Arizona, which at the beginning I think was harder, but he enjoyed watching it because he respects what Tommy did with the players," Amy Miller said. "I think that was another thing where, never did I ever think he would change his philosophy in coaching. But the time off and watching the coaches has allowed him to do things differently."Β
Sean Miller was proud of Arizona β headlined by players he recruited to Arizona in Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko β for posting a 33-4 record and a Sweet 16 appearance in Lloyd's first season at the UA.Β
"I think a lot of coaches when they leave a place, they're split," Miller says.Β "'If they do too well, it'll reflect on me. If they don't do well, they'll blame me.' I look at it as: the program's been able to move on and potentially move on to great, great heights, and it happened right away. And I feel really good about that. But my heart's in a good place toward Arizona, and I coached so many players. I mean, if you think about the players that I've coached β all-conference players, NBA players, great kids β like, that's never gonna go away from me. I mean, those guys are forever and ever with me."Β
Miller, who's 5-3 in his first season at Xavier since leaving the program in 2009 to take over Arizona, then added he has "zero bitterness" for the program he led for a dozen years.Β
"We had our fair share of great moments and success. ... I have three sons that are graduating from there. Three. Every one of them had not a good experience β a great experience. The people, the community, the fans, just our friends, you miss them because they treated you right," Miller said. "And I think the last part of it is, it was just time, man. I think Arizona is in a better place. I think in some ways I'm in a better place, you know? Would I have loved to be able to finish the direction that we were moving? Of course, but the fact that it happened, in some ways, is a gift to me.
"And I'm thrilled that Arizona a year ago did what they did, and obviously they're in great hands with Tommy moving forward."Β
