Fansided

5 candidates to replace Sean Miller at Arizona

By Brad Berreman

Feb 20, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller on the sidelines during the second half of the game against the USC Trojans at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller on the sidelines during the second half of the game against the USC Trojans at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Miles Simon, Los Angeles Lakers Assistant

Simon has been an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers since 2017. Before a stint working as an analyst for ESPN, his first coaching gig came at Arizona from 2005-2008 under Lute Olson.

If Simon’s name sounds familiar, there’s a good reason. He was one of the star players on Arizona’s 1997  team, as the Wildcats made a run through some blue bloods (Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky) on their way to a national title. His pro playing career was mostly in Europe, but he did earn some awards during his time in the CBA.

Simon’s current head coaching aspirations are unknown, and being an NBA assistant is a job that shouldn’t be easily parted with in some sense. But maybe he’d be interested in returning to his alma mater as a first-time head coach, and try to re-establish the Wildcats as an upper-crust team in the Pac-12 and on a national scale.

Simon may carry some recruiting credibility from coaching in the NBA, which absolutely does matter in this era of short college careers for players with legit aspirations to play in the league. He should be on Heeke’s list of candidates to interview.