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Miller adjusting to demands on time
Normalcy is starting to return to Archie Miller’s life. His wife and child moved to Dayton for good this weekend, even though they haven’t bought a home yet but are living in temporary housing.
That’s still better than trying to see them in Arizona while working non-stop in getting established as the Dayton Flyers’ head coach.
He went back to Tucson last weekend and took a red-eye flight to Dayton on Sunday night so he could be in his office Monday morning.
That’s a killer commute.
“I can’t sleep on planes,” he said.
The biggest adjustment for him so far is the demands on his time. Or rather, the constant conversations the job requires.
He pointed to a hands-free mobile phone clipped to his ear and said: “What you do is spend three hours or four hours in a day talking on a cell phone. I’ve never had one of these things in my life. But I can’t sit here with a cell phone on the side of my head all day.”
I joked that if studies ever show for certain that mobile phones actually are hazardous to our health, he’s in trouble. He laughed and said, “I won’t be the only one.”
Six weeks into the job, Miller discussed the difference in having been assistant for the last 10 years to taking over a prominent program: “You’re not in the back anymore. When you’re walking in and see three guys from the medical staff, you talk to them. You’re constantly talking. … You’re ‘on’ all the time. That’s a good way of putting it.
“I would say that and the balancing of the total program. One thing you worry about as an assistant in the summer is you’re constantly re-energizing recruiting. You’ve also got players in summer school, and you’re worrying about that.
“As a head coach, you have a spring caravan. You have to talk to people and know who you’re talking to. And scheduling is arriving and camp is around the corner and recruiting is around the corner. You can’t be specific and deal with just one. You have to be really organized and deal with it all. As any head coach who took over would tell you, it’s not just coaching games and drawing up plays.”
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By Fifties Fan
May 29, 2011 11:24 PM | Link to this
Good to hear Archie’s family is in town. Welcome to the community. Hope your stay is a long one! We are rooting for you.
By Vegas
May 30, 2011 12:55 AM | Link to this
We are all rooting for you coach. Take us to the next level.
By hey nyc
May 30, 2011 8:29 AM | Link to this
Speaking of no life you must be the poster child for it. Real people with real lives don’t post the way you do. Now prove me right and respond, know you’re just sitting there with lots of idle time.
By Fifties Fan
May 30, 2011 11:49 AM | Link to this
nyc: I am praying for the healing of your mind. You do need hellp.
By midwestern
May 30, 2011 12:01 PM | Link to this
Thankfully your first coaching job was in the midwest and not a cesspool like NYC where nothing makes people happy. Hope you have a long and happy career here
By George R. Malone
May 30, 2011 1:24 PM | Link to this
Good luck Coach. UD has a long history of great basketball, and one of the finest facilities of any University.
By Bubba
May 30, 2011 1:54 PM | Link to this
I wish you nothing but success at UD Archie. And I really believe that you will do well. However, it bothers me that if you have the success that we all hope you do, UD will be looking for a new head coach again in just a few short years.
By THE NUTS
May 31, 2011 2:52 AM | Link to this
Starting the basketball season with 2 open bench seats could be a blessing in disguise.That’s two less players to complain about “playing time”.Please don’t waste any scholarships on players not ready for “prime time”and tell every recruit that “X” is the evil empire and not to fall for their false sense of pride..Real tradition and fan support happpens at the UD arena (proof is in the numbers)…
By Raider Ron
June 1, 2011 5:12 PM | Link to this
Hope you didn’t actually buy a house in the Dayton area, Archie. The housing market in Dayton is tanking and you might not be around in a couple of years anyways. Better to lease a place for now. Maybe you could rent Brian Gregory’s old house since it hasn’t sold yet.