"It was very difficult': HC Sean Miller explains his decision of leaving Xavier for Texas 

Sean Miller left Xavier in March after three seasons to become the head coach at the University of Texas. Miller led the Musketeers to two NCAA Tournament appearances and an NIT berth.

During an interview with Jeff Goodman of "The Field of 68" on Monday, Miller opened up about his decision to leave Xavier.

"It is very difficult on the Xavier side of things," Miller said. "I don't know if the people in Texas would want a coach who doesn't care about the place that he left. And in my case, as you know, I was at Xavier for 11 years. I was there as an assistant, I became the head coach, and that was a different day and age in the Atlantic 10.

"Then, given the opportunity that they gave me to return to coaching in the Big East and being there ... My thought process with my family was to be at Xavier for the long haul. It's family, it's friends, it's a place that I love. And the Big East Conference — look, it's the best of the best. When you talk about basketball," he added.

Sean Miller was an assistant coach at Xavier from 2001 to 2004 before becoming the head coach. He held that position for five seasons before leaving for Arizona in 2009. In his first stint in Cincinnati, Miller led the Musketeers to three Atlantic 10 regular-season titles and one tournament championship.

Miller was let go by Arizona in 2021 after an NCAA investigation into the program. A year later, he returned to Xavier.

Sean Miller emphasizes value of returning players over new recruiting hype

Though nine players from last season's squad departed the team, Sean Miller was able to retain some key players, including Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark. Miller believes continuity is essential in today’s college landscape, as teams heavily rely on transfers and recruits.

"Most of the time, when you think about success on the court, it stems from those who played last year and had success," he said on the "3rd & Longhorn" show. "They combine this amazing blend of great talent with experience — experience within your system, experience in the SEC, experience in winning. And when you have that, that's it. But getting those guys back matters."

Miller continued that convincing targeted players to return was a huge deal for the team, as they have choices to leave for better opportunities. Four players are expected to run it back next season, while Texas also added five players from the transfer portal and two freshman recruits.