Pac-12 fines Sean Miller $25,000 for conduct following loss to UCLA

The Arizona Wildcats are set to make their second tournament appearance under Sean Miller later this week, but it’s not all good news for the UA head coach.

Sunday, the Pac-12 conference announced that it fined Miller $25,000 and reprimanded him for his conduct following the Wildcats’ 66-64 loss to UCLA Friday night.

In his post-game press conference, Miller was visibly upset about a technical foul officials gave him in the waning moments of the contest. Miller noted that he was given the technical for simply saying “he touched the ball” after senior guard Mark Lyons was whistled for a traveling violation.

The fine, however, was not levied for his remarks but rather two incidents that occurred separately from the presser.

Miller was seen confronting an official on the court directly after the conclusion of UA’s two-point loss and then acted inappropriately toward a staff member in the hallway of the arena.

“The conference has a formal system of evaluation and feedback in place for coaches to express concern about officiating,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a press release Sunday night. “Coaches play a significant role in the overall officiating program and are expected to address concerns through the structure provided. Threatening, intimidating and unprofessional conduct will not be tolerated.”

According to the conference’s press release, Miller had been previously warned about inappropriate, post-game conduct aimed at officials.

In response to Miller’s fine, Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne took to Twitter to show his support for the head coach.

We are aware of the reprimand by the PAC-12.We are now solely focused on the NCAA tournament & I’m glad Sean Miller is our coach.

— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) March 18, 2013

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