This assistant got a little overzealous and then his boss gave him the business.
Texas coach Sean Miller berated assistant Ryan Anderson after he ran far onto the court following Tramon Mark’s game-winning shot with one second remaining Tuesday in a 68-66 win over NC State in the First Four.
Anderson presumably thought the clock had run out following Mark’s jumper when he dashed onto the court, roughly reaching the area of the paint, only to dash back to the sidelines since he could have been hit with a technical foul that could have negated the two-point advantage.
The coach made his way so far onto the court that he could have been considered a sixth defender.
A courtside video showed Anderson scooting back while the one coach waved him back like a third base coach sending a runner, and one NC State player motioned to the referee about Anderson’s actions.
Once Anderson returned to the sideline, an irate Miller seemingly screamed in his face.
Miller then turned away before quickly doing a 180 and then pointing and attempting to move closer to his assistant while another staffer held him back.
As this unfolded, one fan in the area screamed: “Technical! (T) him up!”
NC State (20-14) called timeout after the basket, which forced Miller to stop unloading on his coach and draw up a defense for a potential final desperation 3 attempt.
The Wolfpack did not get a shot off, allowing Texas (19-14) to advance to meet No. 6 BYU on Friday.
Miller and Anderson have a long history together, with Anderson playing for the longtime coach at Airzona before becoming an assistant on his staffs.
Anderson began his coaching career by joining Miller at Xavier for the 2022-23 season, and he spent three seasons with the Big East program before following the head coach to Texas.
The Longhorns are small 1.5-point underdogs for Thursday’s West Regional tilt, with the winner facing the victor from the clash between third-seeded Gonzaga and No. 14-seeded Kennesaw State.
