Xavier is retooling, but at least the man in charge is staying the same.
Contracts for college basketball coaches are a strange thing. In some sense, they bring security and stability to a program. They can lock a coach in, let returning players know that nothing serious will change, and, with the right coach, entice new players to come somewhere that is in rolling upheaval. On the other hand, they mean essentially nothing if a coach wants to leave. See: literally any coaching change.
On thing an extension does is makes sure that any program trying to poach your coach is going to have to pay. It’s not so much an agreement to stay the length of the extension so much as it is an agreement between both parties to at least leave one another in a mutually advantageous position.
To that end, Xavier extended Sean Miller through the 2028-29 season. There is no question that Miller is the best coach in Xavier history in terms of game strategy. He sports a higher winning percentage at the school than any coach other than Pete Gillen. A couple more seasons like last and he’ll be the winningest coach in program history. (That accolade still belongs to Chris Mack.)
According to a release from the school Miller said, “Xavier’s tradition and the Big East Conference have always held special places in my heart. We are competing in the best league and on the biggest stage in college basketball. We have a big challenge ahead but there is no place where I would rather be.”
He’s not wrong. This season will be a challenge for the Musketeers. The entire roster is being redone, there’s essentially one returning player, and almost none of the team is proven at the high major level. For that to turn into a successful season, you need someone talented at the helm. At least until 2028-29, or until things change, that talented man will be Sean Miller.