Indiana hires Dayton's Archie Miller as new coach
Indiana has its man.
Dayton coach Archie Miller, who turned the Flyers into a consistent winner and grabbed at least a share of the last two Atlantic 10 regular-season titles, was confirmed Saturday as the 29th men’s basketball coach in IU history.
Miller’s hiring broke after lunch on Saturday, and was confirmed by the program within minutes. His arrival ends a coaching search that lasted 10 days and, despite rampant speculation about candidates like Billy Donovan and Steve Alford, was conducted quietly and efficiently.
For athletics director Fred Glass, it paid off with perhaps the hottest young coach in America.
Win-win: Archie Miller's patience pays off, Indiana gets proven winner
Reaction to IU hiring Archie Miller
“It’s an awesome hire,” said ESPN college basketball and recruiting expert Jeff Borzello. “Archie has been one of the hottest names in coaching for several years now, with his name attached to a variety of openings. But he wanted an elite-level job, and that’s what Indiana is.”
A formal introduction is expected Monday afternoon.
The brother of Arizona coach Sean Miller, Archie Miller is widely viewed in much the same way his brother was when Sean moved west from Xavier in 2009 — as one of college basketball’s most promising young talents.
Archie Miller played for his father, a legendary high school coach in Pennsylvania. He starred collegiately at North Carolina State and coached under Thad Matta at Ohio State before moving to Dayton, giving him deep roots in the Midwest.
“Having those resources, his father and his older brother, I think has made it less imperative for him to have an older coach on his bench,” said Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News. “One of the things I would say, in talking about Archie, when he got to Dayton, you watch who a coach hired as his assistants, and he put together a really impressive staff for his first time out, and all of them are still with him.
“He’s aware enough to make sure that’s he’s surrounded by really good people.”
Miller annually passed on open coaching jobs, common wisdom suggesting he planned to stay at Dayton until the right one came along. Apparently it did.
“IU is one of the greatest basketball programs and academic institutions in the country and I cannot wait to get started,” Miller said in a press release. “With peerless fan support, outstanding facilities and tradition, a beautiful campus, and located in one of the most fertile recruiting areas in the country, IU is a dream destination for me and my family.”
Indiana will likely feel the same.
The phrase “winning culture” came up more than once Saturday, canvassing for opinions about Miller’s hiring.
Dayton averaged more than 25 wins per year over the last four, winning consecutive Atlantic 10 conference titles in 2016 and 2017. The Flyers finished with a winning record in conference in five of Miller’s six years in charge, and won at least 13 games per year in each of the last three.
And recruiting?
“Indiana’s recruiting is going to be fine,” Borzello said. “The brand itself will get the Hoosiers in the door, and Archie is going to work on the trail. He’s already recruited the Midwest plenty during his time at Dayton, and he’s also got experience getting players to Arizona, NC State, Ohio State, Arizona State — all regions of the country. Indiana is obviously a different animal in recruiting, but hey, his brother hasn’t had an issue with the step up.”
In some ways, it is difficult to separate Miller from his brother, and that’s understandable. There is no more high-profile family now in college basketball, given that Sean and Archie run two of the most prominent programs in the country. Archie even worked under Sean at Arizona, before taking over in Dayton.
But there is separation there. Miller isn’t the flavor of the month. He’s built and maintained a program at the mid-major level, to the point that many don’t even consider Dayton a true mid-major any longer.
Now, he gets his shot on the big stage he’s been waiting for, Said one southern Indiana AAU coach: “Great young basketball mind that is his own man. Great hire for IU. Great hire for the state.”
Which is what Fred Glass aimed for all along.
Zach Osterman writes for the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network.
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