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: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech Head Coach

After a nice run at Memphis (167-73 from 2009-2016), Pastner’s five-year tenure at Georgia Tech hasn’t quite been what it was expected to be. But the Yellow Jackets went 17-9, won the ACC Tournament and made the NCAA Tournament this year, and if there had been a tournament in 2020 they would have probably been just on the wrong side of the bubble. After finishing 10th or worse in the conference in each of Pastner’s first three seasons, with a 27-37 combined mark over his second and third seasons (12-24 in ACC play), that’s called progress.

Pastner played at Arizona in the late 1990’s, and he started his coaching career as an assistant there from 2002-2008 under the aforementioned Lute Olson and then Kevin O’Neill.

Pastner’s hot seat at Georgia Tech has cooled substantially. The high of an ACC Tournament win and an NCAA Tournament berth (no matter the circumstances) may buy him a couple more years of job security.

Pastner’s interest in leaving Georgia Tech on his own motivation is probably rooted it what’s out there. His alma mater has a job opening now, so the idea he’d bolt for Tucson is not ridiculous.