It was a bit surprising to read this morning that Xavier coach Sean Miller has decided to remain at Xavier instead of taking over the head coaching job in Arizona. In the conventional wisdom of the college coaching carousel, moving from the Atlantic-10 to the Pac-10, especially to a team that's made 25 straight NCAA appearances, is a no-brainer for a guy looking to climb the ladder. Miller's rejection, on the heels of similar snubs from USC's Tim Floyd and Oklahoma's Jeff Capel, show that the conventional wisdom is changing.
Arizona has a rich history, but it is entirely linked to Lute Olsen. Olsen was an elite coach, but that doesn't mean that Arizona was an elite program. When Olsen is taken out of the equation, they don't offer anything more than Oklahoma does. The same could be said of several other programs.
What is Connecticut without Jim Calhoun? There are elite programs in college basketball, to be sure. Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA are three that come to mind right off the bat. There just aren't as many of them as there might have been 10 or 15 years ago.
Money is the big reason why, of course. As the game has exploded thanks to television, money has been spread over more schools in more places which means that coaches like Miller can earn good money and keep a high comfort level without chasing the next big job to open up. The profile that those coaches gain help them recruit all over the place, which negates the instiutional advantage that schools like Arizona were presumed to have.
That doesn't mean Arizona isn't a great job, because it is and they'll certainly attract a good coach to take over the program when all is said and done. It just means that the game has changed and the playing field is a bit more level than it has been in the past. That's good for the game in the long run, even if it is giving Arizona supporters ulcers in the short term.
Josh Alper is a writer living in New York City and is a contributor to FanHouse.com and ProFootballTalk.com in addition to his duties for NBCNewYork.com.
