Miller time: Indiana hires Dayton's Archie Miller as head coach
Fred Glass wanted to hire a proven winner for Indiana's next coach. The athletic director didn't have to wait long -- or travel far to find what he was looking for.
On Saturday, less than 24 hours after UCLA coach Steve Alford pulled his name out of the sweepstakes, Glass announced he had hired Archie Miller from Dayton. Miller replaces Tom Crean, who was fired March 16 after missing the NCAA Tournament five times in nine seasons.
"Archie Miller was on my short list from the very beginning," Glass said in a statement. "The more I learned about him, the more convinced I became that he is the coach we need to meet our high expectations for many years to come."
Miller will be introduced at a Monday afternoon news conference.
The 38-year-old Miller comes from a basketball family and put together a solid track record in six seasons with the Flyers -- earning a school-record four straight NCAA Tourney bids, winning 24 games in each of those seasons and claiming the last two Atlantic 10 regular-season titles.
Miller's older brother, Sean, coaches at perennial powerhouse Arizona, and the younger Miller is considered one of the brightest young coaches in America.
"IU is one of the greatest basketball programs and academic institutions in the country and I cannot wait to get started," Miller said. "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."
Miller's teams are known for their disciplined, hard-nosed play. Glass also dubbed Miller a tireless recruiter in the Midwest and a "noted developer of talent."
Indiana fans wanted all of those features in their new coach -- and they expect postseason success, too.
Alford, a former Indiana star, might have been a candidate for the job, but he reiterated Friday night that he wanted to remain at UCLA.
The move comes at an opportune time for Miller. The Flyers are losing at least five players from the school's incredible four-year run.
"We did everything we could to keep Archie at UD, but now our sole focus turns to continuing to build the quality of our nationally competitive program," athletic director Neil Sullivan said in a statement.
Before taking the Dayton job in 2011, Miller worked as an assistant for his brother at Arizona and as an assistant under Thad Matta at Ohio State. He also has been an assistant at Arizona State, North Carolina State, his alma mater, and Western Kentucky. And he worked on the staff with USA Basketball's under-19 team, which won the FIBA world championship gold medal in 2015.
Miller's father, John, was a high school coach.
Sean, Archie and Lisa Miller all played Division I basketball, and now it's the youngest of the three children who finds himself leading a program that has won five national championships.
"I cannot wait to connect with former players, current players, and future players and all of Hoosier Nation," Miller said. "I want to thank all of the great people and players at the University of Dayton who have supported me along the way. I look forward to outlining my vision for IU basketball."
Miller is 139-63 in his career.