Arizona, Sean Miller Reportedly Among Teams Under NCAA Inquiry After FBI Probe

Arizona Wildcats men's basketball head coach Sean Miller is reportedly facing a cloudy future.

According to a report from Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, Arizona is one of the schools under formal NCAA inquiry following the FBI's investigation into college basketball corruption. The report noted there is "a confluence of complications that cast a shroud over Miller's future" as a result.

Among those complications is the upcoming trial of Christian Dawkins—a former runner for agent Andy Miller—as well as "potential NCAA fallout from the recent felony plea in federal court by former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel 'Book' Richardson, which amplifies the question of how the NCAA will handle Miller's responsibility for the actions in his program."

In October 2018, Dawkins, James Gatto and Merl Code were found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Gatto and Code previously worked for Adidas, and all were accused of providing recruits benefits against NCAA rules in an effort to steer them toward Adidas programs.

Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com reported in February 2018 that FBI wiretaps caught Miller discussing a $100,000 payment to then recruit Deandre Ayton with Dawkins. Ayton went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA draft after playing at Arizona.

It should be noted the Yahoo report called ESPN's report on the subject "controversial" and pointed out Miller denied paying prospects after it came out.

Forde, Thamel and Wetzel noted Dawkins' next trial is scheduled for April, and his lawyer, Steve Haney, said they do not plan on entering a plea deal. That means Miller could be subpoenaed as the defense puts forth an effort to show Dawkins wasn't bribing coaches.

The Yahoo report cited sources who said Miller, Richardson and former Arizona assistant Joe Pasternack communicated with Dawkins on a regular basis. Dawkins even said he went to so many practices it was "like I'm on the team."

As a result of the FBI's probe, Arizona hired outside legal help to investigate Miller, per Yahoo. The report explained the school may have to proactively move on from Miller before anything particularly incriminating against the program comes out during the trial.

That is especially the case with NCAA rule 11.1.1.1 serving as a backdrop, which states "a head coach is presumed to be responsible for the actions of all staff members who report, directly or indirectly, to the head coach. The head coach will be held accountable for violations in the program unless he or she can rebut the presumption of responsibility."

Forde, Thamel and Wetzel even pointed to current Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton as a potential replacement for Miller should Arizona fire him in the wake of the FBI's investigation.

As for Richardson, he pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge after working for Miller. Previous federal court testimony also included reports of Pasternack offering $50,000 for recruit Brian Bowen to play for Arizona, as well as connections to former players Rawle Alkins and Ayton and former commit Jahvon Quinerly.

On the court, the Wildcats have struggled with inconsistency on the way to a 14-8 record this season. However, the decision on Miller's future could be complicated by an impressive 2019 recruiting class, which 247Sports' composite rankings lists as the best in the country.