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Jeff Borzello
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Jeff Borzello
ESPN Staff Writer
- Basketball recruiting insider.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Graduate of University of Delaware.
Xavier‘s Sean Miller has reached an agreement to be the next head coach of the Texas Longhorns, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.
Miller is a veteran head coach who has led teams to 13 NCAA tournament appearances in his career, including in two of the past three seasons at Xavier. Miller has won 487 games and brings a winning percentage of more than 71%.
“Sean played a key role in getting Musketeer basketball back on track,” Xavier AD Greg Christopher said in a statement Monday. “He guided our program through a rapidly evolving college basketball landscape and was a great partner in the process. … We are grateful for everything Sean has done for Xavier basketball over the past three seasons.”
Miller will replace Rodney Terry, who was informed Sunday that he would not return to lead the Texas program.
Terry took over on an interim basis after Chris Beard was suspended in 2022, and he was given the official job after leading Texas to the 2023 Elite Eight. He guided the Longhorns to the NCAA tournament in each of the past two seasons but didn’t advance out of the first weekend in either year.
Xavier defeated Texas in the First Four on Wednesday, erasing a 13-point deficit to win 86-80. The Musketeers shook off a 1-4 Big East start to reach the NCAA tournament, winning their final seven regular-season games and racking up victories over Marquette, UConn and Creighton. Xavier finished tied for fourth in the league at 13-7.
Christopher said Xavier has already started its search for a replacement.
“We are moving quickly to find the right leader for our program,” Christopher said. “We all understand the importance of competing in the Big East and the significance of having a top-tier coach to lead us forward.”
Miller had prolonged success as the head coach at Arizona, including four regular-season Pac-12 titles and three appearances in the Elite Eight. In his first stint at Xavier from 2004-05 through 2008-09, he led the school to four NCAA tournaments, including an Elite Eight run.
Xavier rehired Miller in 2022 after he was fired from Arizona in the wake of missing the NCAA tournament in 2019 and 2021. Miller’s success at Arizona waned amid the shroud of the federal basketball investigation, which included five Level I allegations against the school.
Miller, a Pittsburgh native, began his coaching career immediately after a four-year playing career at Pitt. He spent time as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio), Pitt, NC State and Xavier before being promoted to replace Thad Matta as the Musketeers’ head coach in 2004.
News of Miller’s agreement was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman.
