Sean Miller has been fired by Arizona. Could BYU’s Mark Pope be a possible candidate to replace him?

BYU Cougars coach Mark Pope celebrates after beating Portland at the Marriott Center in Provo on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. Pope has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Sean Miller at Arizona after Miller was fired on Wednesday. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

For a while now, talk has been swirling that Arizona could fire men’s basketball head coach Sean Miller this offseason with one year remaining on his contract, and in the midst of turmoil within the program on multiple fronts, Arizona opted to do just that on Wednesday.

Now comes the question of who will replace Miller at a program that is still one of the best in the Pac-12 Conference despite the turmoil. BYU Cougars head coach Mark Pope is someone who multiple insiders consider a potential candidate, although there are likely a number of others who will be considered before him.

While naming Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd as the front runner for the job (that’s been a common refrain), ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote Wednesday, “Another name outside the Arizona family that had been linked a few months ago is BYU’s Mark Pope.”

Early last month, Borzello previewed the annual college basketball coaching carousel and wrote at the time, “Pope is going to be on the radar for most available high-major jobs until he takes one. ... I could see him getting a call if Arizona opens — but he could also opt to wait and see what else comes open the next couple seasons.”

Stadium’s Jeff Goodman (an Arizona alum), meanwhile, said on his daily podcast with Rob Dauster Wednesday that Lloyd would be a front-runner, but soon after said, “I mentioned Mark Pope months ago. I think he’d be really good. A-list personality. Done a great job at BYU so far.”

SEAN MILLER HAS BEEN FIRED! What's next for Arizona? https://t.co/4xDKQ6TXNj

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) April 7, 2021

Dauster interrupted to say, “Helluva coach, too. Helluva coach.”

Continued Goodman: “I think Mark Pope should be in the equation if they’re going outside the family.”

That said, Goodman figured there’s a good chance Arizona will “keep it in the family” and hire someone with deep ties to the program such as former players Damon Stoudamire or Miles Simon (Stoudamire is currently the head coach at Pacific and Simon is an assistant with the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers) or former assistant Josh Pastner, who is now the head coach at Georgia Tech.

Pope has a career record of 121-71 in six combined seasons at UVU and BYU. In two campaigns leading the Cougars, Pope has gone 44-15. BYU was a surefire bet to make the NCAA Tournament in 2020 before it was canceled, and the Cougars qualified this season, falling in the first round to eventual Final Four qualifier UCLA.

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