Xavier’s coach finally said what we’ve all been thinking.
“That’s five fouls in a row.” That’s what Sean Miller said to the referees last night in what was, frankly speaking, a horribly officiated game. While Des Claude and Quincy Olivari absorbed contact on every drive and Devin Carter got the kid glove treatment he has come to expect, it was easy to see Coach Miller becoming more aggravated. Generally part, maybe the most important part of home court advantage, is the home whistle. Xavier got none of the benefit of that last night. The Musketeers got called for more fouls by a crew featuring the incompetence of John Gaffney, Roger Ayers, and some other knobber.
Of course foul count isn’t a good way to determine much of anything. Rate is. Providence shot free throws at the exact same rate per field goal attempt that they have all year. Xavier shot at essentially the rate you’d expect based on their commitment to getting the ball inside. So X didn’t get the usual benefit of the home whistle. That happens. The obvious goaltend still boggles the mind.
But it was the five straight that made Coach Miller angry. From his perch on his left knee, he proffered the quote seen above. He was immediately tech’ed up. Maybe that’s not a legitimate complaint. Maybe we all get way too caught up in foul count. Maybe Gaffney and Ayers are just overpaid fools. Regardless, it’s not worthy of a technical foul. Miller was flabbergasted and clearly didn’t forget.
Maybe you are one of the mouthbreathing few that thinks this season is Sean Miller’s fault and he should leave the program. Somehow, that’s a view people are espousing on Twitter right now. Not on burner accounts either. People are dumb enough to put their real name on that. If so, find Miller’s presser from last night. For nearly three whole minutes he held forth in a singular monologue on what he thought of the officiating.
“One of the things that I’ve learned, and I got this, there’s a tier system in this league and I know what tier I’m in.” The vociferousness with which Miller said that amounted to him essentially spitting the words out. In stark contrast to Rick Pitino backing the bus over his players with glee, Miller was determined to defend his. “I haven’t been in a Final Four. Don’t have enough championships or wins, I get it.” said the four time Pac 12 and Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year.
“That’s a problem. That’s a problem. And I get it, I’ll take my rightful place on one knee, but what I’m not gonna do is sit and watch that other coach do anything different than sit on his one knee.” It’s not entirely clear if Miller meant Kim English, but in the next sentence he mentioned games at Creighton and Providence. “If that’s the bench decorum, let’s even out these tiers. Don’t pick on the weak dudes like me.” That, by the way, is a guy with 455 career wins as a college coach and three gold medals from various world championships to his name. If you don’t think Coach Miller is a fighter still deeply aggrieved by the things that have happened to him, you’d be mistaken.
But he wasn’t done. “Spread that s*** out. Get [tech] some more guys.” (Expletives edited for the benefit of families of Xavier fans.) Even angry, Miller saw fit to explain “we didn’t lose because of a technical foul.” He was right back to it though, and advocating for his team and program. “I get it. I know who I am. I get it. But just in terms of how that feels for our team… That s*** is sickening. There’s a lot at stake. There’s a lot of players and people that work real, real hard. A game can’t be decided by ‘that’s five fouls in a row.’ I’m tired of that bulls***.”
I don’t know what will happen to Xavier and Sean Miller after this season. I know he’s one of the best 20 coaches in the nation and guys like that always attract attention. I hope that Miller realized that the grass isn’t always greener and that he’s idolized here by all but the most ignorant portions of the fanbase. I can’t predict the future. What I do know is that Coach Miller cares deeply and movingly about this program. Last night his team didn’t get the job done, but he was still out front advocating for them. The guys in that locker clearly love him and he loves them right back. In a bad season and after a putrid officiating effort, maybe that’s the best you can ask for.