 |
 At
a very young age, Sean Miller gave Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show
audience a glimpse of
what he could do with a basketball in his
hands. At Blackhawk High School and the University of Pittsburgh, he
showed what he could do on the basketball court. Today, Miller is
showing the nation what he can do with a basketball program.
Quite frankly, Miller’s contributions to the game of
basketball have been enormous – and he’s nowhere near being
finished. Miller is known across the nation as a highly successful
men’s basketball coach - first at Xavier University and now as the
new coach at the University of Arizona - but he made his mark on
Beaver County long ago. Miller first gained notice as a dribbling
phenom, performing in various venues around the country, including
an appearance with Carson on the Tonight Show. Miller lived up to
his reputation at Blackhawk High School, where he played for his
father, John. Miller led Blackhawk to a pair of WPIAL title game
appearances, winning the championship in 1986. As a senior at
Blackhawk Miller led the WPIAL in scoring, averaging 27 points per
game, and set a school record when he scored 51 points in a game. He was also named the WPIAL’s Most Valuable Player.
Miller took his
talents to the University of Pittsburgh and made an immediate impact
on the Panthers. He was named Big East Freshman of the Year in 1988,
leading the Panthers to the Big East regular-season championship and
an appearance in the NCAA tournament. He would lead Pitt to NCAA
tournament appearances two more times, along with an NIT tournament
selection. Miller started 124 of 128 games in college, including a
Big East record 66 consecutive conference games. He graduated as The
Big East’s all-time leading free throw shooter, and as Pitt’s
all-time leader in assists for a season and career. Following his
senior season, Miller was selected to play for the United States in
the World University games, winning a gold medal.
Following his
graduation from Pitt, Miller entered the coaching ranks, culminating
with being named head coach at Xavier in 2004. Miller came to Xavier
after coaching stops at North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Miami
(Ohio) and Wisconsin. Miller has now coached on 14 teams that have
advanced to postseason play in his first 17 seasons as a coach. That
mark now includes seven NCAA Tournaments in his first eight seasons
on the coaching staff at Xavier. He has led Xavier to 20-or-more
victories in a season for the last five years, including a school
record 30 wins in the 2007-2008 season. In 2012, Sean was inducted
with his father into the
WPIAL Hall of Fame.
Miller’s induction into the
Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame extends a family tradition, as he
joins his father, John
(Class of 2002) and cousin
Jodi Figley Renner
(Class 2002). Miller and his wife, Amy, have three boys, Austin,
Cameron and Braden. |
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