Twenty years ago, on July 8, 2004, Xavier named Sean Miller as its next head basketball coach to replace Thad Matta, who left the Musketeers for Ohio State. Miller would lead the Muskies for five seasons before heading to Arizona. He returned in 2022.
Looking back two decades ago, Dawn Rogers still remembers the enormous test she faced early in her tenure as Xavier’s athletic director.
Rogers, now SMU’s deputy director of athletics/internal affairs, was named Xavier’s AD on May 21, 2004. At the time, Xavier men’s basketball was at its highest point as a program coming off its first Elite appearance Eight.
Everything changed on July 6, 2004, when Xavier coach Thad Matta told Rogers he would visit Ohio State University to interview for the vacant head coaching position.
“We had a long talk that day about what it would be like at Ohio State. It was very late in the season and most of the spots had already opened and closed.” Rogers said. “I remember thinking about how quickly this was happening when I was very young as an athletic director, surrounded by enormous resources and people at Xavier.”
Matta was on the search committee that chose Rogers to replace Mike Bobinski as AD. Initially, the main priority was keeping him happy with the Musketeers, but now replacing him took center stage.
‘There was a great comfort in Sean.’
The next day was a whirlwind that began at 4:30 a.m. when Matta left his home in Loveland for Lunken Airport and a short flight to Columbus. The media followed the Chrysler Pacifica that was taking Matta and then-OSU athletic director Andy Geiger to the Schottenstein Center and then to the home of Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook.
Matta received the job offer at 2pm and accepted the job four hours later. At Xavier, Rogers was approached by Justin Doellman and Brian Thornton. They made no demands on who the next coach would be, but only offered information about associate head coach Sean Miller.
“I loved how they framed it,” Rogers said. “Often the team is emotional and there is one person they want you to consider or not. They were respectful and talked about how much they liked Coach Miller. Xavier were, they would be very comfortable with it.
“As sad as we were to see Thad go and excited about the opportunity for him, there was great comfort in Sean (Miller) and what his leadership was like.”
“I was so impressed.”
Miller had a polished resume after serving as an assistant coach at five programs over the previous 12 seasons. As Xavier’s associate head coach, he was Matta’s right-hand man and was applauded by players for the detailed scouting reports that helped lead the Muskies to three straight NCAA Tournament berths.
“When Coach Miller watches, he knows perfectly well how everyone plays,” said player Will Caudle.
Miller’s preparation was tested several times on the court. This would also come up in a sudden conversation about becoming the Musketeers’ next coach.
“It was really spontaneous. It wasn’t like I told him that morning, ‘let’s get together and talk about the head coaching position.’ You could tell the time and think he put in what a program would be like if he led it,” Rogers said of the off-campus conversation that lasted a few hours. “I was so impressed that an hour or two beforehand we sat down and I loved his vision and his thoughts on what it would be like with him as head coach.”
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‘He’s our guy’: Xavier’s coaching search lasted just 15 hours
At 10:30 pm on July 7, Matta met with Xavier players at the Cintas Center to personally let them know he was heading to the Buckeyes.
Other schools had talked to Miller before, and Xavier’s leadership felt fortunate every year that he returned to the Musketeers. One of the biggest decisions for Rogers when the chaos began was whether Xavier would target a former coach or an associate coach.
“We had the best associate coach,” Rogers said.
Rogers often questioned Miller about game strategy or how the team would handle a situation, but never about how he would execute a program. After a few hours, she discovered his vision and would later tell reporters that she was “too excited to sleep.”
“I remember coming home and talking to some people after that. I said, ‘He’s our guy,’” Rogers said.
Xavier opened a new arena and had two coaches – Matta and Skip Prosser – leave within a four-year span. There was pressure to get the next hire right.
“Knowing how important he was to everyone around our program, there was a great sense that he was not only ready, but would do a fantastic job,” Rogers said.
Xavier’s 15-hour coaching search culminated with a 2:30 pm press conference the next day to name Miller as his head coach.
“This is where I want to be,” Miller said in his introductory presentation. “I want to embrace Cincinnati, our community and our fans. I want to continue the tradition.”
Over seven seasons, Miller helped continue the tradition with four NCAA Tournament berths in five seasons before leaving for Arizona. When he returned in 2022, he promised the “best version” of himself and helped restore tradition with an immediate Sweet 16 appearance. He enters the 2024-25 season ranked third in Xavier wins (163) and NCAA tournament berths. NCAA (five).
This article originally appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer: The Sean Miller Xavier era of basketball began 20 years ago
