Arizona Basketball: Never doubt Wildcats head coach Sean Miller

Arizona Basketball has been quite active of late on the recruiting front, thanks to the efforts of Coach Sean Miller and his staff.

Arizona Basketball head coach Sean Miller and his coaching staff have been on fire! It’s been a busy few weeks for them, but they are putting in work and results have been showing.

In case you haven’t been following Wildcat  Basketball of late, Miller has been on a mission to recruit the top high school players and transfers for this season and beyond, and as if we ever had any recent doubt, Miller has recently quashed that.

Arizona Wildcats

Since the season ended way to early in the beginning of March, Miller has had one thing on his, rebuild. First he was able to sign Nico Mannion, Josh Green, Christian Koloko, Terry Armstrong and Zeke Nnaji.

However, the recruiting efforts wouldn’t stop there! Since then, Miller and Arizona have picked up huge commitments in transfers Max Hazzard, Jemarl Baker and now Jordan Brown. Hazzard will of course be eligible to play next season since he is a graduate transfer, while Baker and Brown will be sitting out as per transfer rules.

While Miller had been recruiting, lets not forget the ongoing FBI college basketball bribery scandal that was going on (and is still going on with the NCAA now conducting their own investigation). Different members of the media , which we all know by now these individuals are,  had been targeting Arizona for not taking appropriate action with Miller, as well as putting out false accusations about him.

Has that stopped Miller or from recruits making the commitment to play for him? Nope. Their wanting to play for him is a reflection upon the type of individual he is!

Miller has faced so much adversity and criticism over the last few years, and that all started with false reporting by ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Through all of this, he has gotten stronger mentality and has been able to focus on building this program.

Miller’s determination on getting Arizona Basketball back to the top is apparent. The latest commitment of Brown only signifies this.

If you may recall, Brown originally had Arizona in his Top 3, before ultimately deciding to play for Nevada for one season. Brown could have easily stayed at Nevada or chose another school, but he didn’t, Brown made the visit to Arizona again, and decided that’s where he needed to be.

Knowing how the landscape of college basketball is changing and how many players are leaving after one, maybe two years, Miller has been recruiting heavily for the Class of 2020 and also 2021. He is going after the best.

For 2020, Miller has already made many offers to many of the nation’s best including five-star MarJon Beauchamp, five-star Dawson Garcia and five-star Jalen Johnson.

But the focus and attention hasn’t just been on players, no, he’s working to bring a talented coaching staff as well! If you may recall, Miller recently brought on former the Former Director of Basketball Operations and former NAU head coach, Jack Murphy.

Murphy has a bit of familiarity to the Arizona program, having served under previous head coach, Lute Olson. The connections he made and the players he developed during his time at Arizona speaks for itself. Murphy is perhaps the x-factor when it comes to the glue of this program for years to come.

As we’ve seen, there is no off-season for Miller, he puts in the work year around. That’s what makes him a great coach. He talks the talk and walks the walk.

Yes, he hasn’t won a national championship yet, but that isn’t as easy as people think. Miller has had the talent to make a run for a title, but it takes more then just talent.

As a coach, he can only do so much for the sidelines. It’s up to his players to get the job done, and it’s also on Miller to make sure his team is well-adjusted and prepared.

It also takes a bit of luck, with the ball bouncing your way, and it takes getting on a hot streak just at the right time.

For those who continue to doubt Miller, look at his overall record. In the 10 seasons he has been head coach at Arizona, Miller has an overall record of 264-89, with a Pac-12 record of 129-51, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and three appearances in the Elite 8.

His team was a bad foul call, a bounce and half where Wisconsin couldn’t miss from making it into the Final Four multiple times He’s led the Wildcats to five regular season conference titles and three Pac-12 Tournament titles. He also has recruited and developed some of the NBA’s top stars, such as Deandre Ayton, Lauri Markkanen and Aaron Gordon.

President Robbins, AD Dave Heeke and the staff at Zona Zealots have Miller’s back. We never have doubted his abilities to recruit the best and produce solid seasons. Last season was one we all would like to forget, but that isn’t Miller’s fault. Sometimes there are plays he calls or decisions he makes during crucial parts of a game we question, but at the end of the day we don’t doubt him to do what’s best for this program. Bear Down, Arizona!