The hostess at Dilly was ready for the start of the Sean Miller Show. Anyone without a reservation will not be allowed in the restaurant.
The parking lot had already filled up with local fans anxious to mingle with Miller, who returned asXavier's head coach in March, more than a decade after his first stint with the school. Adorned in Musketeers gear, they sipped martinis and nibbled on Appetizers in anticipation of his appearance, a return of a man who had clearly maintained his stellar reputation despite a tenure at Arizona that ended amid NCAA violations and an FBI investigation.
Miller had yet to arrive.
Anxious employees shuffled in and out of the restaurant, wondering if their boss had missed his exit or made a wrong turn.
After a four-year absence from the NCAA tournament, the Musketeers rehired Miller, who had been the head coach from 2004 to 2009, three months ago. Last season ended with an NIT championship, a proud moment but below the standard for a program that made four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight run.
The remarriage is not difficult to understand, despite the possibility that Miller could face a multigame suspension this season, as a result of a massive FBI investigation into college basketball corruption and the subsequent NCAA investigation that places Miller at the center. According to the Department of Education, the athletic department at a school with no football makes about $13 million a year from men's and women's basketball. Miller is a popular personality within the fan base, and he is also a winner.
He has traveled to the Elite Eight four times as a head coach. Some of the best players in the U.S. have been recruited by him.
"Except for the third weekend, we've done everything we could," Christopher said. We have the most NCAA tournament wins without ever reaching a Final Four. The coaching change was all about figuring out what the missing link was. Who can help the Musketeers get to the Final Four and compete for a national title? A lot of this was probably driven by that person.
Miller arrives with a lot of luggage. The state of Arizona has been accused of five Level I violations. Miller is accused of not demonstrating that he promoted an atmosphere for compliance and monitored his staff within the basketball program.
The conversation between Sean Miller and Christian Dawkins was about a $100,000 payment. A correction has been made to this video. For more, click here.
The FBI called Richardson a "corrupt financial adviser" after he pleaded guilty to taking money to steer players to them. The contract of Mark Phelps, a former assistant, was not renewed by Arizona after he was accused of asking a player to lie about a loan. Both have been accused of trying to change the transcripts of players.
Despite a federal wiretap that captured runner Christian Dawkins telling financial adviser Munish Sood that Miller was behind a series of five-figure payments, Miller has not been tied to the criminal proceedings that have hovered over him and his former staffers for the past five years.
Miller denied in a statement that he had ever violated NCAA rules while he was the head coach.
Miller is currently in the middle of an ongoing infraction case and will soon learn his fate. He doesn't mind talking about moving forward than about the past.
He said he was looking forward to executing the many, many good things that he had done.
Amy calls him the "new Sean" because he has been able to reflect on what happened at Arizona. He has secured a fresh start that others who are tied to the FBI's investigation have not gotten.
He received a phone call that will stay with him for the rest of his life. The FBI arrested Richardson, a man he had worked with for more than a decade.
Miller said that it was a day of change. I can't think of a word to describe it. I felt that way. The world was coming to an end.
When E.J. heard a knock at the door, he was playing with his grandpa.
Richardson thought his landscapers had decided to mow the lawn before the heat set in, so he contacted them to let them know. He believed it was a smart move.
FBI agents descended from a bus and swarmed his home when he walked towards the door. Richardson was confused and thought someone was playing a prank on him.
He said that he never would have thought that the FBI would come to his house to arrest him. I did not know what I did was a crime.
At that time, his life would start to fall apart.
Richardson was one of four Division I assistant coaches who were arrested in connection with the FBI's investigation of college basketball. Richardson wondered about his future with handcuffs on his wrist.
He asked what he was thinking. I need to get in touch with Sean to let him know I won't be at work.
Richardson said he felt a lot of pressure to get top recruits. He would cry whenever he lost a prospect. He wishes he hadn't made the decisions he did.
He wished he had slowed down.
Richardson received $20,000 in cash bribes from current and aspiring financial advisers to steer top prospects to them, according to his guilty plea. He was sentenced to 90 days in prison and followed it up with two years of supervised release. He was in Otisville, New York. Richardson wondered if he would ever be able to coach again.
He went through a divorce and is trying to repair his relationship with some of his children. Richardson moved back to New York City, his hometown, and now works part-time for the Bronx's grassroots boys' basketball program.
Richardson does not have health insurance.
He hasn't spoken to the NCAA's complex cases investigators since January of last year because he believes he's already been through enough with the FBI.
He said he had no problems with the NCAA. I would love to speak to them. You are going to tell me about something that happened five years ago. I spent time in jail and have been on parole. Right there, I should have been punished for that.
Richardson just wants another chance to coach and he expects a long show-cause penalty from the NCAA. Miller was given the same opportunity atXavier.
Richardson has not had a conversation with Miller in five years. We should sit down and rap. We could hang out and get some crab legs. That may not happen again and that is okay. I wish him good luck. I want my son to go to a Final Four. I would like him to win.
The connection between Miller and Richardson has made the scrutiny of the new head coach more intense. Richardson paused when asked if Miller had ever ordered him to commit NCAA violations to improve the program.
He said that you get caught up in the pressure of "I gotta perform, I gotta perform, I have to perform" What is my value if I don't have a child? I don't matter. I'm not able to coach. I'm not great. I didn't know what I was going through. I did not think I was good enough.
In his second season at Arizona, Sean Miller led his team to a title. He invited the team and their families to his house to celebrate.
Miller remembered thinking, "WOW, this is awesome." I never had a party like that before. It was like, "Look, there is a bigger picture after that first one." We're going to the Final Four. When that's what's fueling you, there are a lot of moments you should have enjoyed. Maybe you could have gotten there if you had enjoyed them.
Miller said he couldn't stop thinking about his failure to reach a Final Four as he captured three of his five total Pac-12 titles at Arizona. He was haunted by the losses to the University of Connecticut and the University of Wisconsin.
His program was in the crosshairs of the FBI and NCAA. It all happened in a blink of an eye.
Miller missed a 98-93 overtime loss at Oregon due to a report on the alleged payments to Ayton.
The driver stared at him in the mirror.
Wait.... The driver asked if he were.
Miller agreed.
Miller's school stood by him as he denied any wrongdoing. Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke was supportive of Miller after Richardson was arrested. Miller was fired after the 2020-21 season and a lull within the program. The statement said it was time to write a new chapter.
Miller took last season off and was able to relax for the first time in a long time. He went to the cabin near the border. He had a good relationship with his brother, Archie. The brothers were talking about college basketball on the network. He became very restless.
He said that he would play "Madden" in the middle of the day. I remembered when I was playing. I don't know what is wrong with me. There are some days when you don't know what to do because you've never been in this situation before.
At the end of my time at Arizona, I didn't have anything left, so that was a good thing for me. I didn't because of the whole thing. I was thirsty.
After so many successful seasons, Miller ended up without a job. He wrestled with the resentment he had towards the NCAA after his firing. Miller did not have a basketball in 43 years.
It makes you think differently when you don't have that.
He knows that he will face a lot of scrutiny and backlash. Miller wants to surround himself with the right people.
Christopher is the former chairman of the NCAA's Division I Committee on Infractions. Do we have the same level of comfort if Sean Miller had his first success at any other institution and then had some challenges at Arizona? It's a good question. It was part of the equation because there were so many people who knew Sean who helped paint the character portrait that made us feel comfortable with Sean.
When he hired Miller, Christopher knew what to expect.
He said that the reality of planning is that you don't know how this will go. We'll get through thatfork in the road first if Sean gets any penalties. We have contingency plans in place if there is a penalty.
There were hundreds of third, fourth and fifth graders at the end of the day at the Sean Miller Basketball Camp.
The kids, some of whom wore Luka Doncic and LeBron James jerseys, had been competing all week on a diet of snacks for a dollar. The Laffy Taffy went on sale at 3 pm.
All of them needed fuel. The kids dove for loose balls and fought for the ball as if scholarships were at stake. Camp counselors said they would send ambitious kids to the athletic trainer with mild injuries.
Parents quietly walk into the gym at the end of each session, hoping to catch a glimpse of Miller.
Miller has been embraced by a fan base that wants to relive the good times. The decision to replace Steele was made after a close 72-68 win over Cleveland State in the NIT's opening round.
"The NIT is like that, there is no doubt," said Joe Sunderman, the long time radio voice of the Musketeers. At that point, it was deflated. The expectation is that they will go to the NCAA tournament every year.
Miller is back. I'm happy that he is back.
Miller said he was surprised that South Carolina made a strong push for him before he was hired by Christopher. He thought that was the right place for a restart.
"The people that really know me, I think, they'll always tell you, in some ways, I never left the place where I got my first chance," he said. As a family, we loved Cincinnati. I have a deep admiration and respect for the man.
Miller has been a head coach before, but his approach is different this time. He wants to know his players better.
He told the players to stand up and talk about who they are. The players said they liked that approach.
He encourages his staff to connect more than just basketball. Miller expected his staff to have the same attitude as he did. He encourages them to balance their jobs and personal lives after a year away from coaching.
"He's gone to lunch with us in a month-and-a-half probably more than he ate with our staff at Arizona the last two years combined," said David Miller, who worked with Sean Miller at Arizona. He seems happier when he spends time and gets out of the office.
The coaches and administrators are aware of Miller's situation. The NCAA's ruling with the start of the season is something that everyone knows about. If Miller is suspended, the program could be in a state of uncertainty.
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The people on his staff believe in him.
Dante Jackson, Miller's assistant and the first player he signed during his first run at Xavier, said there is a lot of chatter, but you have to almost block out the noise to sift through the B.S. Those conversations are easy for me because I know who that guy is.
Miller doesn't want to waste time with a team that hasn't finished Big East play with a record above.500 since winning the league title. He thinks that the Big East title can be won by the Musketeers. Changes have been made to get the program to that point.
"You have to try this," he said as he walked past a tray of food prepared by a recently hired chef who also cooks for some of the Cincinnati Bengal players. It's the best food I've ever eaten. It's all good.
Miller will talk about the way Kettler will change his program for 10 minutes. Kettler was praised by the players for the strenuous circuit workouts that made them sweat as they switched between drills. Ryan Anderson is going to be a great head coach.
The talent is good. Colby Jones and Jack Nunge are both returning from a team that won the NIT title.
Nunge said that everyone wanted to win for each other. Something will be in the rafters forever. We are all still bonding.
One of the most experienced teams in college basketball will be the Musketeers.
The first "Sean Miller Show" of the season will be held at a restaurant that Miller has yet to locate. Miller was directed to the wrong entrance by his gps.
After parking his car, Miller walked through a side door and into the main room, where he was greeted with a round of applause from the fans.
He was in his zone quickly. He talked about his team's potential to get back to the NCAA tournament in his first radio show since returning to the Musketeers. He was a fan of Cincinnati. The crowd was in awe of what was happening.
It is not clear what will happen to Miller and the Musketeers. The program's legacy has been restored by him and he wants the school to be relevant again. The program's future is at risk because of the risk of hiring a head coach with a murky past, but who escaped the snare that entangled other coaches attached to the FBI's investigation.
During the taping of the radio show, fans lined up at the front table for autographs, handshakes and photos with the returning head coach.
As Miller talked to his supporters, one elderly woman smiled wide, reached across Christopher's table and expressed the sentiment of a fan base that will take whatever drama comes with Miller's tenure as long as it means the Musketeers can win big again.
She thanked the athletic director for bringing him back.
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