When Indiana fired men’s basketball coach Tom Crean earlier this month, some observers wondered whether the Hoosiers would be able to find someone as qualified to replace him.
Well, it turns out they have.
Indiana announced Saturday that it has lured Archie Miller, one of the top young coaches in the country, away from Dayton. According to reports from ESPN and The Vertical, Miller’s contract is for seven years.
A new era of Indiana Basketball begins now.
Welcome @Archie_Miller!!! #iubb ⚪️?⚪️? pic.twitter.com/Gf2UDEbZDr
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) March 25, 2017
Here’s Miller’s statement on taking the Indiana job:
“I am honored to be the head coach at Indiana University,” Miller said Saturday in a statement. “IU is one of the greatest basketball programs and academic institutions in the country and I cannot wait to get started. 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.”
Only 38 years old, Miller’s resume is truly sparkling. In his six seasons at Dayton, the Flyers went 139-63 and made the NCAA Tournament four straight years, reaching the Elite 8 in 2014. Miller took a school that made the Big Dance only seven times since 1970 and turned it into a perennial tournament team.
Given that NBA coaches Brad Stevens and Billy Donovan had no interest in returning to college to coach the Hoosiers, Miller is about as qualified a coach as Indiana was going to find. While he’s not as big a name or as much a local hero as Steve Alford, he has a better reputation and a more impressive track record.
Terrific hire for Indiana. Archie Miller is a smart hoops mind, great recruiter.
— Dana O'Neil (@ESPNDanaOneil) March 25, 2017
Archie Miller is sharp, smart and a winner. Great hire for Indiana & great decision to stay at Dayton until a job of this caliber opened.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 25, 2017
Miller also has experience in the Big Ten, having served as an Ohio State assistant from 2007-09. Given his recruiting success at Dayton, he should have no trouble drawing kids to Indiana—another mid-sized city in a midwestern state but one with a deep basketball history and some of the most devoted fans in college basketball.
Firing Crean, a polarizing coach who had seen some pretty significant success, was only a good idea if the Hoosiers could find a suitable replacement for him. On Saturday, they certainly did.