It's still not a confirmation of an extension or even confirmation that Sean Miller will be returning to Arizona for his 13th season as the men's basketball head coach. However, it is the strongest indication that the UA head coach will continue to lead the Wildcats at least into next season.
CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported Saturday that "Arizona and Sean Miller are currently moving forward with the idea that their marriage will continue through the 21-22 season and possibly beyond."
That is in line with comments made by UA president Robert C. Robbins this week indicating that Miller will return as head coach next season. Miller is heading into the final year of his contract but there has been no indication from the UA administration about his future with the program.
An opinion article from USA Today writer Dan Wolken that was released this week indicated that Robbins believes he will not be able to get an extension for Miller passed by the Arizona Board of Regents.
Allowing Miller to simply coach out the remainder of his current contract would put a strain on the UA head coach and his staff from a recruiting perspective. The Wildcats are currently pursuing several transfer options and just offered 2021 four-star point guard Tyty Washington on Friday.
While not impossible to land recruits in such a situation, there would be unnecessary negative impacts on the Arizona staff as it looks to build its roster for the upcoming season while also pursuing prospects in the 2022 class.
Rothstein's report indicates that there could be some type of extension in the works, which would be necessary for Arizona to have recruiting success beyond this offseason.
The discussion of Miller's future coincides with the recent release of Arizona's NCAA Notice of Allegations that arrived in the fall. A successful lawsuit by ESPN forced the university to release the document last week revealing an alleged five Level I violations including a head coach responsibility violation against Miller for, among other things, failing to promote compliance within his program.
UA has decided to have its case heard by the recently-established Independent Accountability Resolution Process that allows complex infractions cases to be reviewed and decided by an independent panel.
Robbins indicated this week that there has been no communication about a timeline for a resolution to the case complicating the situation with Miller as well.
“Coach Miller is our coach," Robbins said. "We’re working with him about remaining our coach, obviously. We’re very eager to find out of all of those allegations. We’ll have our opportunity to address those, but we have not heard from the IARP. So, the IARP is going through this process.
"They will be the final word. There’s no appeal process with the IARP, but we will have a chance to address the new notice of allegations that will come from the IARP. ... I’m not sure what the timing is gonna be. We hope as soon as possible."
Miller last spoke to the media after Arizona's final game of the season against Oregon earlier this month. He indicated then that there would be forthcoming conversations with Robbins and athletic director Dave Heeke in regards to his future with the program.
"I know now that the season is over I'm gonna have the opportunity to talk to Dr. Robbins and Dave Heeke, and I look forward to having the opportunity to do that," he said. "When that time happens I think that I'll certainly know a lot more."
Miller believes the Wildcats will return "a lion's share" of the 2020-21 roster. Arizona finished the season 17-9 and 11-9 in Pac-12 play but did not participate in this week's conference tournament because of a self-imposed postseason ban. Because of that decision by the university the Wildcats are also not eligible to participate in this year's NCAA Tournament.
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