Names to watch as the next head coach for the Ohio State basketball program

2. Sean Miller, Xavier

Back in 2017, Sean Miller was another name that could be coming to coach the Ohio State basketball team. He’s spent a lot of time in the past coaching in or around the state of Ohio either as an assistant or head coach, so he’s no stranger to the area. 

Like McDermott, Miller is another Big East coach that’s currently at Xavier. The Musketeers are sitting on the bubble fighting for their NCAA Tournament lives. They are fifth in the Big East right now with a 7-6 conference record, and 13-11 overall. 

Last season at Xavier, Miller had an excellent team as they were a three seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament making it to the Sweet 16. He also coached at Arizona from 2009-2021 and made multiple deep runs in the tournament during his time with the Wildcats. 

Miller has a coaching style of wanting to play fast and shoot a ton of threes. However, he also prides his teams on having great defenses as Xavier currently ranks 27th in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. If he were to come to Ohio State, I think Buckeye fans would really enjoy his style of play. 

Miller had issues at Arizona with the NCAA, though. Arizona faced Level I violations while Miller was there because of two assistant coaches who were wrapped up in an FBI probe. That might make the Buckeyes uneasy about bringing him to Columbus.

The final name to keep an eye on is coaching a former Ohio State basketball player right now.