Nate Oats, Eric Musselman Highlight Names To Replace Sean Miller

TUCSON, AZ — The University of Arizona sent shockwaves across the college basketball world Wednesday morning.

That's because the Wildcats decided to part ways with longtime men's basketball head coach, Sean Miller, after 12 seasons in Tucson.

Miller's tenure in Tucson had its highs and lows, including three trips to the Elite Eight.

Miller also oversaw a program that was tied to the FBI's investigation into pay-for-play schemes involving then-high school players.

That tie resulted in four NCAA charges, including failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance.

Those charges led the university to forfeit its postseason chances in 2020, putting Miller's future at the school squarely in question.

Wednesday's decision came as Miller had one year remaining on his contract.

There will no doubt be plenty of candidates to replace Miller, as Arizona has been a national contender in men's basketball since Lute Olson arrived in the Old Pueblo in 1983.

Below is a list of names that Patch compiled to consider as Arizona Athletic Director Dave Heeke starts his search to replace Miller:

Nate Oats — University of Alabama head coach

Oats has been a hot candidate on the college basketball coaching carousel dating back to his days at Buffalo. He oversaw one of the most dramatic upsets in recent NCAA Tournament history, when his Buffalo Bulls blew Miller and the 3rd seeded Wildcats out of the water in the opening round of the 2018 event, 89-68, setting both Oats' ascendancy and Miller's fall from grace in motion.

The biggest obstacle in landing Oats is the enormous price tag associated with his contract in Tuscaloosa.

Oats' buyout is pegged at $12.57 million, according to AL.com, meaning he's probably out of Arizona's price range.

Heeke should still reach out to Oats and his agent, however, as he's a terrific coach.

The two-time Mid-American Conference coach of the year went 26-7 in his second season at Alabama, taking the Crimson Tide to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004.

Oats would be the proverbial home run hire for Heeke, no doubt.

Eric Musselman, Arkansas head coach

Musselman is another ascendant coaching candidate that has only improved his stock in the SEC.

The former University of Nevada-Reno head coach has led the Razorbacks to back-to-back 20-win seasons, reaching the Elite Eight of this year's NCAA Tournament.

He led Nevada to four-straight 20-win seasons and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2018, showing how talented he is at making the most out of a limited talent pool.

His buyout, which is pegged at $5 million, isn't terribly expensive for a program with the type of financial backing that Arizona has.

He'd no doubt win over the school's fanatical backers, as he's won 74.5 percent of his games as a college head coach.

Damon Stoudamire, Pacific head coach

The prodigal son candidate for Heeke and company would be Stoudamire, who was a three-time All-Pac 10 player for Olson between 1993-95 at Arizona. Stoudamire was an assistant under Miller from 2013-15, before taking over at Pacific.

Since then, Stoudamire has led the Tigers to a 71-77 record, though he did post a 23-10 mark in 2019-20, earning the West Coast Conference's Coach of the Year Award that season.

Stoudamire would have the support of donors and alumni, given his rich ties to the university.

Whether Heeke and those in charge of the search will consider him, given his up-and-down run at Pacific and his time spent under Miller is another question.

Joe Pasternack, University of California, Santa Barbara head coach

Pasternack, like Stoudamire, served as an assistant coach under Miller, with Pasternack doing so between 2013-17.

He was the associate head coach during that timeframe, which saw the Wildcats reach three Elite Eights.

Pasternack has since had no lack of success as the head coach at UC-Santa Barbara, posting a 142-93 mark with the Gauchos and reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2021.

He certainly knows his way around Tucson, but may be too close to the former regime for Heeke's liking.

Nonetheless, Pasternack deserves an interview for the position, given the level of success he's had since leaving Tucson for Santa Barbara in 2017.

Mark Few, Gonzaga head coach

This is the ultimate, 'pie in the sky' candidate. Few, who is 58, has been a candidate for the Arizona job each time it's come up since Olson retired in 2008.

Each time, Few has made it abundantly clear that he has no interest in leaving Spokane.

It would be shocking if Few has an about-face now, especially after the 'Zags posted one of their best seasons in program history, going 30-1 and reaching the NCAA Tournament title game in 2021.

Few is a two-time Naismith Coach of the Year and has won the WCC Tournament 17 times since 2000, speaking to his longevity and success in Spokane.

Nonetheless, Heeke should try to make Few an offer he'd be hard-pressed to refuse, as Few has shown that he's one of the best head coaches in the country over the last 20 years.