Noel Johnson Considering Xavier

Noel Johnson, a prized 2009 recruit who was released from his LOI at USC, is said by some to be considering Xavier as a potential school for his services. When Johnson was initially on the recruiting trail he had narrowed his list down to three schools USC, Louisville, and Georgia Tech. With most major programs already set in their 09-10 rosters Xavier could potentially be a good option for Johnson. Johnson would be a huge pickup for the Musketeers, at 6'7" Noel has great range and an all around solid game. With Derrick Brown going to the NBA, the Musketeers could use a player of his caliber.

Potential Xavier Coaching Options

Below is a list of potential Xavier head coaches that was developed by Dustin Dow of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Chris Mack
Age: 39
Currently: Xavier assistant coach
Reasoning: Mack was Miller’s top assistant for five seasons and is a former Xavier player and graduate. He’s also a strong link of continuation whose hiring would make for an easy transition. Several players have spoken out in support of Mack, and he would be most equipped to retain recruiting commitments and current players, many of whom he was instrumental in recruiting. Miller said if Mack doesn’t get the Xavier job, then Mack would join Miller’s staff in Arizona.

Fran McCaffery
Age: 49
Currently: The head coach at Siena
Reasoning: McCaffery has taken three different teams to the NCAA Tournament, including Siena, which he led to a first-round upset of Ohio State this season. He is known for graduating his players, which is a key component at Xavier.

Brad Brownell
Age: 40
Currently: The head coach at Wright State
Reasoning: Brownell has taken both Wright State and UNC-Wilmington to the NCAA Tournament, and has won 20 or more games in five of seven seasons as a head coach. He’s never had a losing season and has finished worse than third place in his conference only once. Three times, he’s won a conference championship.

Brad Stevens
Age: 32
Currently: The head coach at Butler
Reasoning: He would be the youngest option certainly, but Stevens has proven himself to be an effective head coach, leading Butler to the NCAA Tournament in each of his two seasons in Indianapolis. He has Midwest recruiting connections and would fit the profile of Xavier’s most recent hires – Thad Matta and Sean Miller – who were young up-and-coming coaches whose success at Xavier benefited their career but also the XU program.

John Groce
Age: 37
Currently: The head coach at Ohio University
Reasoning: Groce was the recruiting architect under Thad Matta at Ohio State and a key assistant to Matta at Xavier. Now at OU, he’s establishing himself as a head coach, which may be a prerequisite for most candidates other than Mack.

Ken McDonald
Age: 39
Currently: The head coach at Western Kentucky
Reasoning: McDonald has been an assistant coach at Clemson, Georgia and Texas where he secured high-profile recruiting classes. After leaving Texas to take over at WKU a year ago, he led the Hilltoppers to a 25-9 season and a first-round NCAA Tournament victory.

Louis Orr
Age: 50
Currently: The head coach at Bowling Green
Reasoning: Orr has Xavier roots as a former XU assistant from 1991-94 and even deeper Cincinnati roots as a Withrow High School graduate. He was forced out of Seton Hall in 2006, but led Bowling Green to a Divisional title this season in the Mid-American Conference.

Jim Christian
Age: 44
Currently: The head coach at Texas Christian
Reasoning: Christian successfully led Kent State to six straight 20-win seasons from 2003-2008 before taking over at TCU this season. Bobinski noticed the job Christian did at Kent State with admiration. Christian, who has nationwide recruiting contacts, is reportedly well-compensated at TCU but would be in a more winnable position at Xavier.

Sean Miller to talk with Arizona Athletic Director

Recent Rumor: Xavier coach Sean Miller is expected to meet Arizona athletic director Jim Livengood in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sunday to discuss the Wildcats' opening, according to a source. The source said Miller was scheduled to board a private plane Sunday morning en route to Albuquerque, where he was expected to meet with Livengood about the Wildcats' opening.

Miller is currently earning in the neighborhood of $800,000 per season. Arizona, according to sources, has a multi-year deal worth more than $2 million per season on the table.

However, Xavier athletic director Mike Bobinski told the Cincinnati Enquirer on Sunday that the Musketeers were prepared to make a counteroffer -- if necessary.

Kentucky coach John Calipari, a good friend of Miller's, said the coach is wrestling with the same things Calipari was in deciding whether to leave Memphis for the Bluegrass state.
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Being a Xavier fan, I would have to be naive to think that Miller wouldn't leave the Muskies and the A-10 for Arizona and the PAC-10. I would like Miller to stay obviously as I think he's one of the best young coaches in the game today but I think he may leave for Arizona.... and would definitely leave if the Connecticut job opened up. Mike Bobinski better start looking for a replacement soon, I know that he's high on assistant Chris Mack but I still don't know if he's a long-term answer.

I know Miller will make the right decision but there's so many things you have to contemplate when deciding to switch schools. He's never really recruited out west and Arizona really doesn't have any big names set for the 2009 or 2010 class yet, plus they will probably lose several players from this years team to the draft.

If Miller leaves at least he will leave with the current team in a good situation, depending on whether his incoming class stays put if the move occurs. So many programs fall apart after coaching changes and have to start from scratch and although they'll run into some trouble I don't think it will have the same affect on them as other schools such as UK and UC have had after coaching changes.