Archie Miller (left, background) and his brother Sean, the head coach at Arizona, lead the Wildcats into the NCAA tournament Friday against Memphis (US Presswire photo/Chris Morrison)

How long it will take for mid-major and high-profile programs to get a piece of the Sean Miller coaching magic?

That does not include hiring Miller. He has too much of a good thing going at Arizona, the least of which his lucrative $2 million-a-year contract through 2014. Miller should become a fixture in Tucson, especially after landing a top five recruiting class (with many more like it to come) after winning the regular-season Pac-10 title a year ahead of schedule.

Miller, 42, is the second-coming of Lute Olson and I don’t mean that in a grandiose way. He became the leader of a national championship-caliber program at the right time. Olson’s leave of absence, abrupt retirement and two seasons of interim coaches preceded Miller’s opportune arrival. It is in the same realm of Olson’s hire from Iowa after Ben Lindsey almost sent the program back to the Ice Age with a 4-24 record in 1982-83.

This is ascension time for Miller at Arizona, but with consequences. With coaching vacancies an annual occurrence — this year’s lot includes openings at Oklahoma, Arkansas, North Carolina State and Georgia Tech to name a few — athletic directors will come calling, not for him, but his staff.

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