Ryan Joseph "Archie" Miller (born October 30, 1978) is an American men's
college basketball
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
coach for the
Rhode Island Rams
The Rhode Island Rams are the intercollegiate athletic programs that represent the University of Rhode Island, based in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. The Rams compete in the NCAA's Division I as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conferenc ...
.
Miller played point guard for
North Carolina State
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...
from 1998 to 2002 and ended his career among the school's leaders in free-throw percentage, three-point field goal percentage, and total three-pointers. From 2011 to 2017, he was the head coach for the
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...
and won the conference regular season championship in 2016 and 2017, when he was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. He left Dayton to be the head coach of the
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the demonym for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...
in 2017, but was relieved of his duties after only four seasons following the conclusion of the 2020–2021 season. After not coaching a team during the
2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, he was named the head coach of the
Rhode Island Rams men's basketball
The Rhode Island Rams men's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was recently under the direction of head coach Archie Miller. The Rams play their home games a ...
team on March 18, 2022.
Early years and playing career
Miller was born and raised in
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Beaver Falls is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 9,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Pittsburgh, the city lies along the Beaver River (Pennsylvan ...
, just northwest of
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. His given name is "Ryan" but garnered the nickname "Archie" at an early age due to his personality being similar to that of
Archie Bunker
Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional character from the 1970s American television sitcom ''All in the Family'' and its spin-off '' Archie Bunker's Place'', played by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker, a main character of the series, is a World War II ...
, the grouchy TV character from ''
All in the Family
''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...
''.
Miller grew up in a basketball family. Both he and his older brother
Sean Miller
Sean Edward Miller (born November 17, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who currently serves as head coach at the Texas Longhorns men's basketball, University of Texas at Austin. He previously served as head coach at the Arizona Wil ...
played for their father, John Miller, a former coach at
Blackhawk High School, who went 657–280 in a 35-year coaching career, including 104–29 in the postseason, before retiring in 2005. He won eight Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League championships, the second most in history, and four Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association titles.
Miller noted how much he learned from his father, saying, "He's really teaching you how to be a coach, and you don't even realize it. He knew what hard work was. He knew what dedication was. He knew what preparation was. He knew how to communicate. It starts to come naturally to you. It's all you do. It's all you're around, and it's all you talk about.”
In addition to his father's connection to the game, Miller's brother, Sean, was a point guard who went on to play the position at
Pitt. Archie views Sean, who is 10 years older, as more of a mentor than a rival. Sean, then an assistant at
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
, recruited Archie to play as a point guard. Sean later also hired Archie as an assistant at Arizona when he got the job in 2009. “We didn’t grow up in the house together two years apart and the backyard,” Archie said. “... I basically look at him sort of as the role model, the guy whom to be like, the guy who to call when you need something, the one that helped you get to where you wanted to get to."
Miller's sister, Lisa, also played Division I basketball at Toledo and Elon.
Following high school, Miller played point guard for
North Carolina State
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina sy ...
from 1998 to 2002. As a senior, he helped lead the Wolfpack to the championship game of the ACC Tournament, and was named to the all-tournament team. He finished his career there with an 84.6% free-throw percentage, a 42.9 three-point field goal percentage, and 218 three-pointers, which were all marks that ranked in the top 10 in school history.
["Archie Miller"](_blank)
daytonflyers.com. Retrieved March 1, 2015. He graduated from NC State in 2002 with his bachelor's degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism.
. gopack.com. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
Coaching career
Assistant coaching positions (2003–2011)
Miller spent time at several programs as an assistant coach, spending a season at
Western Kentucky (2003–04), two at NC State (2004–2006), one at
Arizona State
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is one of the largest ...
(2006–07) under former coach
Herb Sendek, two at
Ohio State
The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...
(2007–09) under
Thad Matta
Thad Michael Matta (born July 11, 1967) is an American college basketball coach who is currently in his second stint as head coach of the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team, having been head coach of the Bulldogs for the 2000–01 season. Fro ...
, and two at
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
(2009–11) under his brother Sean.
While at Arizona, Miller shined as a top recruiter, helping secure Arizona's top 10 recruiting class for 2011 recruits. He also excelled as a game strategist and designed the Wildcats' upset of eighth-ranked Texas to get them to the Sweet 16.
University of Dayton (2011–2017)
Miller became the head coach of the
Dayton Flyers men's basketball
The Dayton Flyers men's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) representing the University of Dayton in Ohio. The Flyers play their home games at UD Arena, University ...
team in 2011 and turned around a program that had back-to-back disappointing seasons.
His first season with Dayton saw Miller take the school to 20 wins. In his third year, 2014, he had the Flyers in the Elite Eight with 26 wins; to get there, Dayton upset three higher seeded teams. After the Elite Eight run in 2014, Miller faced replacing three starters and four seniors from that team. Despite having a depleted roster featuring just six players who were recruited to Dayton and no active player taller than 6-foot-6, Miller led his Flyers to a 27–9 overall record and to the third round of the 2015 NCAA tournament.
In the following three seasons, Miller averaged over 25 wins and each year coached the team made to the NCAA tournament. The latter two the Flyers also earned regular season Atlantic 10 champion titles.
The Flyers' 78 wins in from 2013–16 matched the best three-year period in school history.
Due to his coaching abilities, Miller was named a finalist for the 2015
Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award.
In April 2015, he joined his father and brother in the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame.
Indiana University (2017–2021)
On March 27, 2017, Miller was named the 29th head coach in the history of the
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball
The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Big Ten Conference. The Hoosiers play at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on the Branch McCracken Court in Bl ...
team. Miller's
first season involved rebuilding the program and laying the foundation of a pack-line defense and valuing possessions. Early in the season, Miller stated practices were 75% defense and 25% offense. With an early second round loss in the
2018 Big Ten tournament and no invitation to either the NCAA tournament or NIT, Indiana's first season under their new coach came to a disappointing close with an overall record of 16–15 and 9–9 in the Big Ten. Nevertheless, Miller got off to an impressive recruiting start, including the commitment of five star recruit
Romeo Langford, a
McDonald's-All American, 2018
Indiana Mr. Basketball, and (according to ESPN) the six ranked player in the nation.
Despite getting off to a strong start of 12–2, including three conference wins, the
2018–19 Hoosiers struggled down the backstretch of the season. Riddled with injuries and poor shooting, Indiana lost 12 of 13 games before turning things around and finishing the regular season with a four-game winning streak. Indiana failed to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament but earned a 1-seed in the
NIT, where they lost in the quarterfinals, ending the season with an overall record of 19–16 and 8–12 in the Big Ten.
For the
2019–20 season, the Hoosiers started off 11–1 before ending their season with an overall record of 20–12 record including a conference record of 9–11. They won their first game of the
Big Ten tournament before it was announced that the rest of the tournament was to be cancelled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. The
NCAA tournament was later cancelled; the Hoosiers were expected to make the tournament for the first time in Miller's tenure.
The
2020–21 season proved to be the most disappointing of Miller's tenure with the Hoosiers ending the season on a six-game losing streak, including a first round loss in the Big Ten tournament against Rutgers. Indiana finished the season with a 12–15 record and a 7–12 Big Ten record. The Hoosiers lost to Purdue twice during the season, making Miller's record against Purdue 0–7. The Hoosiers failed to receive a bid to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. On March 15, 2021, Miller was fired by Indiana. He finished his four seasons at Indiana with a 67–56 record, a 33–43 Big Ten record, and no NCAA tournament appearances.
Rhode Island
On March 18, 2022, Miller reached a deal to be the new head coach at
Rhode Island
Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...
.
Coaching philosophy
Miller employs a structured transition offense intended to open up games, create foul trouble for opponents, and score before the defense can get set. His offensive approach has been called "one of the most complete transition offensive systems you will find." He frequently uses a "Phoenix fast break" with players pushing the ball off of rebounds and turnovers in a flexible system that can take on a variety of alignments. He will modify the Phoenix break based on personnel to accommodate five guards or two post players on the floor at once. If an opponent scores, Miller employs a "Carolina transition offense" to create scoring opportunities which flow right into a motion offense.
The identity of Miller's teams are rooted in defense. He employs a "pack line defense", which is a variation of man-to-man defense invented by
Dick Bennett
Richard A. Bennett (born April 20, 1943) is an American former college basketball coach who is best known for building the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix men's basketball program into a mid-major power and revitalizing the Wisconsin Badgers basket ...
at
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
and also employed by
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...
at
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
and
Tom Izzo
Thomas Michael Izzo (, ; born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Izzo has le ...
at
Michigan State
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...
, among others.
Instead of the off-ball defenders pressuring their player and denying the pass, everyone except the player guarding the ball must be inside an imaginary line 16 feet from the rim. At all times a defender pressures the player with the basketball, while the other four defenders play in gap/help positions. However, if the offensive player picks up the dribble, all players go out and deny looking for the steal. The pack line defense is intended to discourage penetration, getting inside the paint, and forces opponents to win with a well executed offense and good outside shooting.
Personal life
While attending NC State, Miller met Morgan Cruse, who was also a student and athlete for the Wolfpack. Morgan was on the NC State track and field team. The couple dated during college and married in 2003. In 2004, they had a daughter, Leah.
His brother
Sean Miller
Sean Edward Miller (born November 17, 1968) is an American college basketball coach who currently serves as head coach at the Texas Longhorns men's basketball, University of Texas at Austin. He previously served as head coach at the Arizona Wil ...
is the head basketball coach at the University of Texas.
Head coaching record
References
External links
Indiana profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Archie
1978 births
Living people
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball coaches
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania
Basketball players from Pennsylvania
Dayton Flyers men's basketball coaches
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball coaches
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball coaches
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players
Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball coaches
People from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Point guards
Rhode Island Rams men's basketball coaches
Sportspeople from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball coaches