If you tuned in Thursday to watch Sean Miller’s press conference, you probably heard the name Austin Carroll thrown around.
Carroll, in the wake of the Emmanuel “Book” Richardson FBI indictment, has been promoted to a courtside position next to Miller as an assistant coach.
However, Miller was mum on whether Carroll would be Richardson’s successor, and dodged discussing the team’s plans on hiring additional assistants in the near-distant future.
“We’re just not there yet,” Miller said. “Right now, we’re in the moment, and how we’re doing things is Austin’s able to be out on the court.”
Carroll, who was hired as an assistant director of basketball operations with the Arizona Wildcats before the start of the 2016 season, previously spent the 2014 and 2015 campaigns as one of Miller’s graduate assistants.
“In his current position (as assistant director of basketball operations), Carroll oversees Arizona’s video scouting efforts and is responsible for the organization, breakdown, scouting and presentation of game film,” reads his UA bio. “He will also handle player edits for individual players’ use, creates recruiting videos and cuts recruiting film for coaches’ evaluation.”
Carroll played college basketball at Rutgers for two years, before transferring to finish his career at American University in Washington D.C., where he was a part of the Eagles 2014 Patriot League championship team.
Carroll has a strong basketball background, but replacing Richardson’s recruiting prowess will be the biggest challenge facing Miller and the Wildcats if/when they hire a permanent replacement.
In the meantime, Carroll is set to be one of Arizona’s three assistants when the team kicks off its 2017 season with the annual Red-Blue Game on Oct. 20.
Follow Christopher Boan on Twitter at @cgboan