Xavier has signed men’s basketball coach Sean Miller to a two-year contract extension that runs through the 2028-29 season, the school announced Thursday.
Miller went 27-10 last season and took the Musketeers to the Sweet 16 as he started his second stint at Xavier after coaching at Arizona for 12 seasons.
“We are proud of the season we had last year and even more excited about the future,” Miller said in a statement. “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.”
Miller’s tenure with the Wildcats ended in April 2021 after Arizona became entangled in the federal investigation into corruption in college basketball that began in 2017. One of Miller’s assistants, Emanuel “Book” Richardson, was arrested and ultimately pleaded guilty to a felony count after being accused of accepting $20,000 to steer Arizona players to aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins. Miller was allegedly linked to payments to then-Wildcats player Deandre Ayton based on an FBI-intercepted call between Richardson and Dawkins. Miller denied the allegations.
The Independent Accountability Resolution Process panel ruled in December that Miller would not face sanctions. Richardson and Mark Phelps, another former Arizona assistant, received 10- and two-year show-cause penalties, respectively, while the Arizona program received lesser sanctions after previously self-imposing a 2021 postseason ban.
Miller did not coach in the 2021-22 season.
During his five seasons with Xavier from 2004 to 2009, the Musketeers went 120-47 and made four NCAA tournaments — including an Elite Eight run in 2008 and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2009.
“When we brought Sean back to Cincinnati, I was confident he was best positioned to lead our program,” athletic director Greg Christopher said in a statement. “The success we enjoyed last year — including recruiting, player development and reaching the Sweet 16 — demonstrates Sean was the right person for the Xavier program.”