Arizona Basketball: Sean Miller to Pitt rumors just won’t go away

Zona Zealots waited a long time before putting anything out on the Sean Miller to Pitt Basketball rumors. We waited long enough.

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As we watch the field of 16 teams dwindle down to a Final Four and a final Championship, or whoever has the stomach to watch, rumors Arizona Basketball attempted to squash, won’t go away. That’s because there is a school who had previously recruited Miller that may be a possible destination “if” Miller is interested and the Athletic Director is on board.

Sean Miller’s alma mater, Pittsburgh University, is in deep trouble and cannot find a coach. Miller graduated as a senior in 1992 and is a native of Western Pennsylvania. Pitt and their AD is in trouble because two recruits and nine current players have requested to be released from the Pitt program due to the firing of Pitt Head Coach Kevin Stallings. His firing was partially due to his actions, his win/loss percentage, and the effect of those actions on attendance which was at an all-time low.

Pitt News writer Grant Burgman explained Pitts current situation, and it sounds a bit familiar, “The Panthers now move forward into the offseason with no head coach, no committed recruits, potentially no returning starters and a lot of questions.”

Before coach Stallings went to Pitt and ended his career there with a 21-41 record, he was Vanderbilt’s winningest coach (552-332). It was Stallings on court berating of players which did him in at Vanderbilt. Stallings was fired on March 8 after two seasons at Pitt.

Ironically, Stallings was caught taunting Arizona Basketball head coach Sean Miller about the FBI Probe and ESPN report.

As ASU Basketball head coach Bobby Hurley‘s brother, Dan Hurley, takes the job at UCONN, there is still an open spot at Pitt. The former Rhode Island’s head coach signed a six-year deal to coach at UCONN after being supposedly offered a contract for $3+ million from Pitt according to Craig Meyer of the Post Gazette. Meyer also reported that Pitt offered Tom Crean who took the Georgia job and interviewed Thad Matta, the former Ohio State coach.

The rumor-ville was in full force. Media on Twitter started Tweeting about Miller being interested in the Pitt job. Craig Meyer reported his source as…well he doesn’t list a source. Of course not.

Then Arizona Basketball came out with Sean Miller’s statement:

Then there were tweets about how the Pitt AD Heather Lyke wasn’t interested because of the FBI Probe risk.

These three reports were posted on Twitter within two hours on March 21st from beginning to end.

That brings us to today, March 22nd. Pittsburgh media are reporting that Miller is back in the discussion. But also reiterating that the AD is not on board yet.

The most recent announcement came from PGH Sports Mike Vukovcan. Vukovcan reported that Pitt influencers are pleading with their AD to rethink her decision to not consider Sean Miller for the head coaching position. “Pittsburgh Sports Now has been told by many people associated with Pitt that influential people inside the university are pushing for Heather Lyke to hire Miller.”

Now you know how ZZ hates when we see “Has been told” or “Have been told” because there is no source named. But Vukovcan suggests there is a reason that Miller denied the reports, “Miller’s statement was much more about quieting rumors after Lyke was reluctant to seriously discuss Miller taking the job.”

It doesn’t look like Pitt fans are opposed, but you cannot just take one tweet and make a generalization, right?

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If Miller and Pitt are actually talking, and if Miller actually leaves, it could be a perfect storm for Arizona. Arizona Athletics and AD Dave Heeke could move gracefully forward without turning on Miller and the part of the fan base that believes he is the best coach for the program moving forward. You know the American saying, “Where there’s smoke there is fire?” Whelp.