Sean Miller has left his position as Xavier’s men’s basketball coach just a few days after their season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The 56-year-old led the Musketeers to the NCAA Tournament twice in three seasons.
Miller played eight seasons with Xavier before returning in 2022 to take over as head coach. Multiple reports have linked the American with the head coach role at the Texas Longhorns after Rodney Terry was sacked on Sunday.
Xavier must act quickly to replace their former coach. Below are the top five potential candidates that could replace Miller at Xavier.
Top Five Potential Replacements For Miller At Xavier
Chris Mack
The College of Charleston’s head coach is the top name on the list after his successful run as Xavier’s head coach between 2009 and 2018. The 55-year-old is the most successful coach in Xavier’s history, with 215 wins. Mack led them to four Sweet 16 runs and an Elite Eight appearance in 2017. He also led the College of Charleston to a 24-9 mark before losing to eventual Colonial Athletic Association champion UNC-Wilmington.
Richard Pitino
New Mexico coach Richard Pinito is also expected to attract interest from Xavier. The 42-year-old is on the verge of securing a Sweet 16 berth with New Mexico after earning his first NCAA basketball start for Providence. Pitino was once an assistant coach at Louisville and has a remarkable 247-185 record as head coach. He also guided Minnesota to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments before being dismissed but has rebuilt his reputation in New Mexico.
Drew Valentine
Drew Valentine is the youngest candidate who could take over at Xavier. At 33, Valentine has quite a record as head coach of Loyola. The American has an impressive 81-50 record as head coach. Valentine led Loyola to one March Madness run in his first season and won at least 23 games in two of his first three seasons.
Tony Skinn
This might come as a bit of a surprise, but Tony Skinn is expected to be on Xavier’s radar as they search for a new head coach. The 42-year-old guided George Mason to two back-to-back 20-win seasons and had a record of 27-9 in the just-concluded season. Skinn was an assistant at Ohio State from 2021-2022 before taking over at his alma mater.
Luke Murray
Xavier might be worried about hiring another first-time coach after Travis Steele led them to four seasons without a single NCAA Tournament appearance.
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However, that shouldn’t take anything away from Luke Murray’s potential. The 39-year-old has been an assistant coach at UConn for the last four seasons and worked under Chris Mack at Xavier and Louisville.
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