Report: Xavier's Sean Miller Not Sanctioned in NCAA's Arizona Ruling
Dec 14, 2022
CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 03: Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Miller watches a play during the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Xavier Musketeers on December 3, 2022, at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Xavier head coach Sean Miller won't face any sanctions from the NCAA's investigation into alleged recruiting violations during his time at the University of Arizona.
Per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Miller will not be subject to NCAA discipline based on the Independent Accountability Resolution Process' ruling.
Goodman did note that Book Richardson received a 10-year show-cause penalty and Mark Phelps received a two-year show-cause penalty. Both men were assistant coaches on Miller's staff with the Wildcats.
A majority of the penalties received by the University of Arizona were self-imposed, including its one-year postseason ban during the 2020-21 season, loss of one scholarship for the 2023-24 academic year and a $5,000 fine plus one percent of the average men's basketball budget based on the average of the previous three budgets.
Just in: Here are all of Arizona's penalties, per the IARP.
All told: minimal punishment.
Every school that has gone the IARP route has gotten off lightly. It's proven to be the wise strategy. Remember, Arizona also previously had a self-imposed postseason ban. pic.twitter.com/CzNFGpDVY7
The only new discipline imposed by the IARP was a seven-week recruiting communication ban for the 2022-23 academic year.
Richardson was sentenced to three months in prison and two years of supervised probation in June 2019 after pleading guilty to a bribery charge.
Former assistants Tony Bland (USC) and Lamont Evans (Oklahoma State) also reached plea deals with federal prosecutors. All three men accepted bribes to steer players toward agents and financial advisors.
Former Adidas executives James Gatto, Merl Code and business manager Christian Dawkins also received prison sentences on wire fraud charges.
Miller was initially expected to testify during the trial, but United States District Court Judge Edgardo Ramos ruled in April 2019 the question of whether or not Miller paid his players was "irrelevant" to the case involving Richardson.
The University of Arizona fired Miller in April 2021, with athletic director Dave Heeke saying in a statement they were "evaluating the overall position of the program, and that includes on-court and off-court elements."
After sitting out the 2021-22 season, Miller was hired at Xavier in March. He returned to the school after previously serving as head coach for the Musketeers from 2004 to 2009.
Bennedict Mathurin Draft Scouting Report: Pro Comparison, Updated Pacers Roster
Jun 24, 2022
Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin brings the ball down court against Houston during the first half of a college basketball game in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday, March 24, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Arizona Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin was selected No. 6 overall by the Indiana Pacersin the 2022 NBA draft Thursday.
Bleacher Report Draft Expert Jonathan Wasserman's Scouting Report
Player: Bennedict Mathurin
Position: SG/SF
Height: 6'6"
Pro Comparison: Jason Richardson
Scouting Report: Explosiveness and shot-making are Mathurin's NBA moneymakers. He's still working on becoming a more efficient shot-creator, but he should immediately be able to score by drilling jumpers and picking up easy transition buckets.
The 20-year-old excelled in his second season at Arizona, averaging 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from deep in 37 games.
The Canadian helped lead the Wildcats to a Pac-12 championship and the Sweet 16 of the men's NCAA tournament under first-year head coach Tommy Lloyd.
Given his consistent scoring touch and ability to get separation, Mathurin will be a difference-maker for the Pacers during the 2022-23 campaign and beyond.
Former Arizona CBB Coach Book Richardson Says He Has 'Scarlet Letter' After FBI Probe
Jun 15, 2022
TUCSON, AZ - FEBRUARY 06: Assistant coach Book Richardson of the Arizona Wildcats talks to guard Gabe York #1 of the Wildcats during a time-out of a college basketball game against the Oregon Ducks at McKale Center on February 6, 2014 in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
Former Arizona assistant basketball coach Emanuel "Book" Richardson is trying to rebuild his reputation to return to the college game following his three-month stint in jail stemming from the 2017-18 NCAA men's basketball corruption scandal.
Speaking to The Athletic's Seth Davis, Richardson noted he has "a scarlet letter" attached to him but he wants "an opportunity to move on with my life."
In September 2017, Richardson was one of four assistant coaches in college basketball who was arrested as part of a federal investigation into bribery and corruption in the sport.
Auburn's Chuck Person, Oklahoma State's Lamont Evans and USC's Anthony Bland were also arrested. All four coaches were accused of taking bribes between $13,000 to $100,000 to steer athletes to managers and funnel payoffs to players' families in order to ensure they signed with particular schools.
In June 2019, Richardson was sentenced to three months in prison and two years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty to a federal funds bribery charge.
Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, FBI wiretaps intercepted conversations between Christian Dawkins, who was connected to a sports agency implicated in the scandal, and then-Arizona head coach Sean Miller.
In the conversations, Miller is heard discussing a $100,000 payment to ensure Deandre Ayton signed to play basketball for the Wildcats.
Evans also received a three-month prison sentence, and Dawkins received a prison sentence of one year and one day. Bland was placed on two years' probation.
The University of Arizona fired Richardson in January 2018. He hasn't been given another college job since being released from jail on Oct. 15, 2019.
According to Davis, Richardson expressed frustration that Miller, who was fired by Arizona in March 2021 and was hired as Xavier's new head coach in March 2022, got another job despite his reported involvement in the scandal.
"I don’t sit next to you as the victim. I’m flawed,” Richardson told Davis. “I’ve asked for forgiveness from God. I’ve asked for forgiveness from the people who I may have hurt. I didn’t just get fired. I was ostracized."
Richardson spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach in college basketball. He had a three-season run at Monroe College from 2001-04. The 46-year-old spent 10 seasons as an assistant on Miller's staff between Xavier (2007-09) and Arizona (2009-17).
Top International Basketball Prospect Henri Veesaar Commits to Arizona
May 25, 2022
VALENCIA, SPAIN - JUNE 06: Henri Veesaar, #13 of U18 Real Madrid in action during the Adidas Next Generation Tournament Championship Game between U18 Real Madrid v U18 FC Barcelona at La Fonteta on June 06, 2021 in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)
The Arizona Wildcats landed a major recruit in the 2022 class Wednesday.
Jonathan Givony of ESPN reported Henri Veesaar, who is from Estonia and "considered arguably the most promising European prospect" in this class, has joined the Wildcats.
"I believe in [Coach] Tommy Lloyd's philosophy and how he coaches," Veesaar said. "I've had my eyes on playing college basketball for some time now, and I believe that Arizona is a great fit to make a jump between youth and professional sport."
Givony noted the 7'0" big man first made waves as a 15-year-old at the FIBA U16 European Championship, played for Real Madrid's junior program and represented the Estonian senior national team as a 17-year-old.
Veesaar averaged 16.2 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 2.6 assists per game during last summer's FIBA U18 European Challengers.
He can protect the rim and control the boards on the defensive side while able to work in pick-and-pops and pick-and-rolls as a versatile shooter who is athletic enough to finish lobs.
Arizona is likely losing Bennedict Mathurin, Dalen Terry and Christian Koloko to the draft, so Veesaar could compete with Oumar Ballo and Azuolas Tubelis for playing time in the frontcourt.
He will also be one of eight international players on the Wildcats during the 2022-23 campaign, which seemed to play a factor in his decision.
"It helps to fit on the team not being the only foreigner and the play style is different because they are used to having different players from different continents," he said. "The basketball background varies a lot depending on where you grow up, so I think they have a nice mixture from different cultures."
He joins an Arizona program coming off a 33-4 season that included Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles. Yet it will be looking to take the next step in the NCAA tournament after losing in the Sweet 16 to Houston.
Veesaar has the skill set to help the Wildcats do just that.
No. 1 Arizona Survives No. 9 TCU's Upset Bid in OT, Will Face Houston in Sweet 16
Mar 21, 2022
Arizona players react on the bench after a dunk by guard Bennedict Mathurin against TCU during the second half of a second-round NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, March 20, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
The No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats survived a scare from the No. 9 seed TCU Horned Frogs en route to an 85-80 overtime win in San Diego on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin scored a season-high 30 points, including a three-pointer with 14 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 75.
That set up a chaotic final sequence in regulation.
TCU guard Mike Miles Jr. had trouble advancing the ball because of Arizona's defensive pressure. However, he appeared to get fouled as he lost the ball near half court by Wildcats guard Dalen Terry.
No call was made, and Terry picked up the loose ball and scampered to the hoop. He slammed the ball home as time expired, but he was a few tenths of a second too late.
On the next possession, Kerr Kriisa took a trio of three-point attempts but did not connect on any of them.
Koloko came up with the offensive rebound after the first two to keep the possession alive, but Mathurin grabbed the third and put it home for an 83-80 lead.
TCU forward Chuck O'Bannon Jr. missed a three on the other end, but Mathurin responded with a missed triple of his own. Koloko, however, skied to grab Mathurin's miss and sealed this game with a put-back dunk.
Koloko had 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting, 12 rebounds and three blocks. O'Bannon Jr. (23 points), Miles Jr. (20) and center Eddie Lampkin Jr. (20) paced the TCU offense.
Arizona has now made the Sweet 16 for the 20th time in school history and first since 2017. The Wildcats improved to 33-3 with the win.
TCU, which hadn't made the second round of the NCAA tournament since 1987 before this year, ends the season at 21-13.
Notable Performances
Arizona G Bennedict Mathurin: 30 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals
Arizona C Christian Koloko: 28 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks
TCU F Chuck O'Bannon Jr.: 23 points, five rebounds, four steals
TCU G Mike Miles Jr.: 20 points, three assists
TCU C Eddie Lampkin Jr.: 20 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks
Mathurin, Koloko Lead Wildcats to Win
All Wildcats not named Mathurin or Koloko scored just 27 points on 11-of-36 shooting. It was an off-night for that crew, but Mathurin and Koloko were up to the task of leading this team to a gritty win over a tough TCU squad.
Mathurin starred all night, especially in the second half and overtime. He arguably delivered the dunk of the tournament to put Arizona up 54-52.
It appeared Arizona was set to pull away after an 8-0 run to go up 67-58. Koloko hit a big shot during that span, putting in this layup plus the foul. That gave him a career high in points.
Mathurin and Koloko scored the rest of Arizona's points from there as the Wildcats outlasted the Horned Frogs in an instant classic.
It won't get any easier against a Houston team that just beat a stout Illinois squad 68-53, but the Mathurin-Koloko duo can keep the Wildcats in any game.
Tremendous Effort From TCU
It's easy to play the "What if?" game after this one following the uncalled foul near the end of regulation. Miles, a 77.3 percent career free-throw shooter, would have gone to the line for two shots with about three seconds left.
Far more likely than not, TCU would have won the game.
Alas, that did not happen. Still, TCU showed a lot of heart against a No. 1 seed largely considered the second- or third-best team remaining in the field.
O'Bannon Jr. punctuated a great start for the Horned Frogs, putting home this dunk for a 10-2 edge:
Arizona jumped out to a 67-58 advantage, but TCU fired back with a 12-0 run. O'Bannon Jr. scored the first five points before Lampkin hit this baby hook to cut the deficit to two.
Lampkin Jr. scored TCU's last five points in regulation, including a free throw following an offensive rebound as well as a layup with 37 seconds remaining that gave TCU a 75-72 lead.
The rest of the game didn't go in TCU's favor, but credit to the Horned Frogs for a valiant effort. Head coach Jamie Dixon's crew has a lot to be proud of after a great tournament appearance that started with a resounding 69-42 win over Seton Hall.
What's Next?
Arizona will play No. 5 seed Houston in the South Regional semifinals on Thursday at San Antonio's AT&T Center. The game will occur after the conclusion of the other semifinal between No. 2 seed Villanova and No. 11 seed Michigan, which tips off at 7:15 p.m. ET.
The semifinal winners will play Saturday at a to-be-determined time in San Antonio.
5-Star PF Kylan Boswell Commits to Arizona over Illinois, UNLV
Feb 28, 2022
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 29: A detail of NCAA Official Wilson basketballs are seen racked up on the court prior to Oregon playing against Louisville during the Midwest Region Semifinal round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 29, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Kylan Boswell, a 5-star point guard in the class of 2023, committed to Arizona on Monday.
Boswell chose the Wildcats over Illinois and UNLV.
A 6'1", 180-pound point guard who plays for Compass Prep in Arizona, he is ranked as the No. 2 point guard in the nation and the No. 11 player overall, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He transferred from Corona Centennial (Calif.) for this season because of the latter's national schedule against some of the top teams in the country.
247Sports recruiting analyst Brandon Jenkins describes Boswell as "a competitive and winning point guard with a strong and sturdy frame who sets the tone on the defensive end. One of the best on-ball defenders in his class, Boswell is aggressive in getting into opposing ball handlers and guarding with physicality."
Boswell blogged about his junior year for Sports Illustrated, writing in October how he had a "great time" visiting Arizona and "loved to see how the coaches were in live action."
Boswell had an excellent summer, helping lead his AAU squad Team Why Not (Calif.) to the E16 Peach Jam title and winning a gold medal as a part of Team USA's under-16 squad.
Boswell's commitment gives Arizona its first prospect in the 2023 class. He should be in line for a starting job in the Wildcats backcourt as soon as he steps on campus.
Bennedict Mathurin, No. 2 Arizona Upset by Unranked Colorado 79-63 in Pac-12 Action
Feb 27, 2022
Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin, left, goes up for a basket as Colorado forward Tristan da Silva (23) defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The second-ranked Arizona Wildcats were stunned Saturday in a 79-63 loss to Colorado at the CU Events Center.
Riding a nine-game winning streak that moved them up to No. 2 in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since November 2017, the Wildcats suffered their first loss since Jan. 25 against UCLA.
Arizona collapsed on both ends of the court in the second half. The Buffaloes had a 47-26 scoring advantage after halftime to earn their first win over a ranked opponent this season.
Tristan da Silva scored a game-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jabari Walker put up a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds in 33 minutes.
Bennedict Mathurin had one of his worst performances of the season. The Wildcats sophomore star scored 12 points and went 3-of-11 from the field.
Saturday was a bad day to be a ranked team in college basketball:
No. 2 Arizona: L at Colorado No. 3 Auburn: L at Tennessee No. 4 Purdue: L at Michigan State No. 5 Kansas: L at Baylor No. 6 Kentucky: L at Arkansas
That list doesn't even include top-ranked Gonzaga, which lost 67-57 to St. Mary's.
Arizona had been steadily moving up the rankings all season as it kept winning and other teams kept losing. Its only losses prior to Saturday were against UCLA and Tennessee, two teams ranked in the Top 20 of the current Associated Press poll.
Since their 75-59 loss to UCLA on Jan. 25, the Wildcats were averaging 81.6 points per game during their nine-game winning streak. They scored at least 83 points in four straight contests.
This game looked like it was going to be more of the same for Arizona in the first half. The offense dropped 37 points through the first 20 minutes.
Things fell apart quickly coming out of the intermission with Colorado scoring on back-to-back possessions to make it a 37-36 game. Da Silva's layup with 17:24 remaining put the Buffaloes up 43-42, a lead they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game.
K.J. Simpson scored five consecutive points early in the second half that helped Colorado open up an eight-point lead.
Simpson had 13 points total, with 12 coming in the second half. The sophomore guard had more points in this game than he did in the previous two combined (12).
Mathurin and Azuolas Tubelis were the only Arizona players who scored in double figures, but they shot a combined 6-of-20 from the field. The entire Wildcats team had 16 turnovers to 11 assists.
Things don't figure to get easier for Arizona with a game against No. 16 USC on Tuesday. The Wildcats won the first meeting between those two teams, 72-63, on Feb. 5 at McKale Memorial Center.
Colorado will wrap up the regular season on March 5 against Utah at the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
No. 7 Arizona Upsets No. 3 UCLA as Wildcats Exact Revenge Against Bruins
Feb 4, 2022
UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. drives past Arizona center Christian Koloko (35) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
No. 7 Arizona avenged its Jan. 25 loss to No. 3 UCLA, this time emerging with a 76-66 victory at the McKale Center.
Kerr Kriisa led all scorers with 16 points Thursday to help the Wildcats (18-2) earn an important Pac-12 win, improving to 12-0 at home this season.
Defense was on display early for Arizona as the squad built a 42-30 lead at halftime:
The home team led by as much as 17 in the first half before the Bruins made it respectable at intermission.
It was a closer battle in the second half with UCLA quickly getting within single digits. The Wildcats cooled offensively before a 7-0 Bruins run cut the margin to three with under four minutes remaining.
Arizona found a way to stay in front, however, with Kriisa hitting a clutch three to put the game away:
Mathurin had only six points at halftime, but the team scored 42 thanks to the quick movement getting everyone involved.
The pace slowed in the second half, but the team still got production from a lot of different sources. At different times there were several players who were seemingly the difference-maker for Arizona:
Kerr Kriisa was 0-for-12 at UCLA last week and Mick Cronin said there was no way he would play that poorly next time. Sure enough, Kriisa had 11 in the first half of the rematch.
Dalen Terry was especially impressive, playing solid defense on Johnny Juzang while filling up the stat sheet offensively.
In addition to the five players in double figures, Oumar Ballo and Christian Koloko played important roles in the low post with seven combined blocks.
It was a complete performance from a team that can beat anyone in the country when it plays at this level.
Poor Shooting Dooms UCLA
In the first meeting between these teams, Arizona struggled offensively with just a 30.7 shooting percentage and 25 percent mark from three-point range.
This time, it was UCLA that couldn't get anything to fall.
The Bruins were just 1-of-9 from three in the first half while facing an early deficit:
UCLA bricking every jumper — exact opposite result from the first matchup.
UCLA finished with 12 assists on 28 made field goals, much worse than Arizona's 18 assists on 24 makes.
With the Bruins also struggling at the free-throw line (7-of-12), a key road win was simply out of reach.
What's Next?
The schedule remains difficult for Arizona, which will host No. 19 USC on Saturday. UCLA will continue its road trip with a game against Arizona State on Saturday.
Tennessee forward Olivier Nkamhoua (13) saves the ball from going out of bounds during an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
Only five undefeated teams remain in NCAA Division I men's basketball after the No. 19 Tennessee Volunteers dispatched the visiting No. 6 Arizona Wildcats 77-73 on Wednesday in Knoxville's Thompson-Boling Arena.
John Fulkerson's 24-point, 10-rebound double-double paced the Vols, who also got 15 points from Santiago Vescovi and 12 more via Josiah-Jordan James.
Fulkerson dominated after the second half's under-four timeout, scoring six straight Vols points en route to seven total.
The super senior hit a short jumper to give Tennessee a 69-67 lead before adding a pair of free throws for a four-point advantage following an Arizona turnover.
Azuolas Tubelis then cut the Tennessee lead to 71-69 with a two-pointer, but Fulkerson responded with a putback layup for a 73-69 edge with 56 seconds remaining.
Tubelis made two more layups in the final minutes, but the Vols iced the game with four made free throws around those shots for the win.
Bennedict Mathurin scored a game-high 28 points alongside eight rebounds and five assists for Arizona, which also got 11 points from Kerr Kriisa.
Tennessee looked like it was going to run away with this game in the first half after opening up a 16-2 first-half lead en route to a 34-21 halftime advantage.
However, Arizona chipped away at the Tennessee lead thanks to 14 second-half points from Mathurin, who finished the game 8-of-16 shooting and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line.
Ultimately, Arizona fell largely because of 17 turnovers and foul trouble that affected the entire starting lineup.
Mathurin, Kriisa and Christian Koloko all fouled out, while Tubelis and Dalen Terry each had four. Tennessee ended up going 18-of-27 from the line, while Arizona was 12-of-18.
The Wildcats fell to 11-1 with the defeat. Baylor, Iowa State, USC, LSU and Colorado State are left among the unbeaten following Arizona's loss.
