The Indiana Hoosiers have seemingly found their guy. On Saturday Indiana hires Dayton head coach Archie Miller.
It only took 10 days after Indiana fired Tom Crean to find their next head coach. After a copious amount of speculation, unconfirmed rumors, and ridiculous reports, Indiana hires Archie Miller.
Archie Miller understands the expectations in Bloomington. Winning at the highest level is the number one priority. Miller understands the bar that was set by Athletic Director Fred Glass during the initial search. Indiana fans are also the first to mention the five banners hanging in Assembly Hall. Problem? the last banner to hang in the Hall was in 1987.
Indiana Athletic Director Fred Glass believes that Archie Miller is the coach to return the Hoosiers to glory. Glass said in a statement, “While there was great interest in this position, Archie Miller was on my short list from the very beginning.” He also said the more he learned about Miller, the more he believes Indiana made the right choice. “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.”
In six seasons with Dayton Archie Miller delivered a 139-63 record, two regular-season Atlantic 10 Conference titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. Miller was an assistant coach at NC State, Arizona State, Ohio State and Arizona before taking on his first head coaching role at Dayton. Archie Miller took the Flyers to one Elite Eight appearance in 2014.
"“… Archie is a proven leader, proven winner, proven recruiter, and a proven player developer with a defense-first mentality that will help us win championships. Perhaps most importantly, he understands and embraces the special stature of Indiana University basketball and the critical relationship it must have with its former players, Indiana high school players and programs, and the entire State of Indiana.” – Indiana Athletic Director Fred Glass"
Indiana fans believe wholeheartedly that the Hoosiers should contend for Final Four appearances on a regular basis. They believe that the name Indiana still holds a major presence in recruiting households. Fred Glass believes Archie Miller is the kind of guy to revitalize the program. A coach that can successfully put Indiana back in the conversation year in and year out with other blue-blood programs such as Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina.
“I am honored to be the head coach at Indiana University,” Archie Miller said after word was made of Indiana’s hire. “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.”
The national media seems to love the hire. The Indiana fan base? Well, per usual, there are mixed feelings about Archie Miller. Some of those fans may have been misled by reports that Billy Donovan was interested in the position. There were unconfirmed, ambiguous reports of Donovan being in Bloomington on Friday to meet with Indiana officials. Many verified sources refuted that report.
Next: Clifton Moore, Al Durham ask for release from Indiana
I’ll say this, Archie Miller is about to have the national spotlight looking at his every move. Indiana fans will expect Miller to win and do it quickly. Time can only tell whether or not Miller will be able to handle the pressure that comes with being the head coach of Indiana basketball. I can say, we all should be happy the program did not decide to hire UCLA head coach Steve Alford.