Miller staying in the desert

TUCSON, Ariz. – Sean Miller was rumored to be a candidate for the head coaching job at North Carolina State and most recently was mentioned as a replacement for Gary Williams at Maryland.

Turns out, he's not going anywhere.

Miller signed an extension to remain at Arizona late Saturday night, quashing any speculation that he might be leaving the desert. Terms of the extension weren't disclosed.

"Over the last two days, the amount of inaccuracies that surrounded this entire process has been very disappointing," Miller said in a statement. "Hopefully, this will put an end to such speculation. Believe me when I tell you, our administration has done everything to keep me here and ensure that this will be among the elite programs in the nation."

Miller completed an impressive turnaround in a short period of time, taking the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament's West Regional final this season after the program saw its 25-year run in the tournament come to an end last year.

Arizona had been mired in a funk before Miller arrived in the desert from Xavier, beginning with the leave of absence and subsequent retirement of former coach Lute Olson. Miller had a decent recruiting class in 2009, but a late-season slide kept the Wildcats out of the NCAA tournament.

Arizona rebounded this season with a solid bounce-back season, winning 30 games for the fourth time in school history on the way to the Pac-10 regular-season title. Miller was the Pac-10's coach of the year and the Wildcats came within a few seconds of reaching the Final Four, losing to Connecticut in the regional final.

The turnaround led to plenty of speculation that Miller would move on, but he remained committed to the program he's led to a 46-23 record over the past two seasons.

"Sean and I have had many positive conversations and have been working on a revised contract for some time," Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said. "I'm pleased to confirm that we have agreed to an amendment to Sean's contract that we hope will keep him in Tucson for many years to come."

Miller said recent developments within the Pac-10 played a role in his decision to stay.

The conference, which will become the Pac-12 next school year, announced a 12-year deal worth about $3 billion with ESPN and Fox on Wednesday, paving the way for the conference to start its own television network in 2012.

"I've said many times that I really liked the direction the new Pac-12 Conference is heading, and Wednesday's announcement says without a doubt that we are entering a new era of increased exposure and competitive excellence," he said. "I fully expect Arizona to be a leader for many years to come, and, with the help of our administration, continue to rise to the challenge in meeting the needs of our elite-level program."