Facing another barrage of questions about investigation-related issues Tuesday, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach Sean Miller stayed consistent.
That is, he didn’t comment. And he also told a Phoenix TV reporter to hit the road.
After Miller initially responded to Mike Pelton of Phoenix's ABC 15 by saying he wouldn’t comment about potentially being subpoenaed in April, he was asked how much he was looking forward to less turmoil and adversity.
Miller responded to that question by saying he had a 4-year-old nephew who had open-heart surgery two days ago and he was concerned about that. He said he was concerned that grad transfers Ryan Luther and Justin Coleman would finish up their careers with the best experience possible, that things go well with Brandon Williams and his family with his ongoing knee issue, and that he wanted to finish the season well.
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“That's all I'm going to say,†Miller said. “But you know that's something that I think deserves my attention and really deserves and my concern.â€
Pelton then followed up on his initial question, leading to the following conversation:
Pelton: “Well, coach, with all the scrutiny that has surrounded this programming and the university that you’ve faced…â€
Miller: “No comment. You can drive back to Phoenix.â€
Pelton: “You’re not going to answer the questions?â€
Miller was silent. Then the moderator asked if anyone had basketball-related questions, and Miller was asked if he’d accept an NIT bid (he said the Wildcats “weren’t there yet.â€)
One day after reports surfaced that ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Men's Basketball Coach Sean Miller will be subpoenaed for a federal trial related to college basketball, I tried to ask him about it 2x today. At one point he told me "No comment. You can drive back to Phoenix."
— Mike Pelton (@MikePeltonABC15)
Later in the news conference, Miller was asked how much he talks to his team about a negative press situation, and if he tells them it doesn’t concern them.
“They’re used to it,†Miller said. “We don’t. We just move on.â€
Miller was then asked if what he was saying meant a potential subpoena has no effect on how he coaches on the sideline.
“No comment,†Miller said.
Miller said Williams has had “zero pain†since playing 18 minutes against Stanford, though the Wildcats had not practiced yet since that game Sunday. Miller said there won’t be a minutes limit on Williams this weekend but that he will likely play more.
“I do think that there's probably a middle ground from maybe what he did against Stanford — and, again, assuming the next three or four days go by with him terms of no added pain or discomfort — that we’ll be able to count on him a little bit more," Miller said. "That's our hope.â€
Williams was averaging 30.9 minutes in Pac-12 games before his knee flared up after the Wildcats’ trip to Los Angeles last month, so it seems likely he’ll end up playing 23-27 minutes or so at Oregon State on Thursday.
Miller said acting assistant coach Austin Carroll won’t return to the team until at least next week, being in Massachusetts with his parents after his father, John, was hospitalized.
“He's still in Boston with his mom and his dad and his dad’s recovery is moving in a positive direction,†Miller said. “You know, it's not up to me to get into what he's dealing with. It’s a private matter with this family. I'll let them address that whenever the time is right but it certainly serious enough where he's been hospitalized and, you know, Austin's priority right now is his dad and his mom.
“I think he'll rejoin us, maybe at the earliest, next week after the Oregon trip. But he will remain there in Boston through the remainder of this week.â€