Miller was never going to stay at Dayton forever, though he loved the program and community dearly. He was never going to leave for just any job or just any money grab, either — because if that’s all he was interested in, this hot, rising star in the profession would have left years ago.
But, no, Miller spent these last six years at Dayton, pouring all his energy into the giant binder he keeps filled with notes and tips and practice schedules, taking the Flyers to four NCAA tournaments including that magical Elite Eight run back in 2014. He stayed put that offseason, and the two that followed as dozens of Power Five jobs opened and his name appeared on nearly everyone’s wish lists.
He stayed for this — the opportunity to go to a place like Indiana.
He’s walking into a situation that’s ripe for success; Tom Crean, fired after nine years, did not leave a bare cupboard here. Miller, a native of western Pennsylvania who played at North Carolina State, is a sharp recruiter with strong Midwest ties (he was an assistant coach at Ohio State). From Indiana’s perspective, the hire makes total sense.
It makes total sense from Miller’s side, too, assuming he had larger aspirations someday — which, obviously he did. Much like his brother, Sean, at Arizona, Miller can now compete for national championships on an annual basis — something he couldn’t have done at Dayton, no matter how much talent he could recruit there in the Atlantic 10, or how experienced a group of veteran players could be in the postseason.
Dayton’s brass understands that, too.
"I want to extend our deepest gratitude and sincere thanks to Archie for an incredible run,” Dayton athletic director Neil Sullivan said in a statement. "He is a first-class person and coach and has made incredible contributions to our men’s basketball program, the University and the community. He has made a lasting impact on the student-athletes he has served.”
Said university President Eric F. Spina: “We appreciate Archie’s contributions in strengthening our program and returning it to national visibility, and we wish Archie and Morgan well.”
And so Miller goes, into a program with sky-high expectations and into a city in Bloomington that will at times feel like a fishbowl. But Miller knows both his personal and teams’ ceiling is higher now — and that’s what was worth waiting for.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACHING CAROUSEL
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