URI Coach Miller Is Confident as He Enters His 4th Season of a 5-Year Contract

URI Coach Miller Is Confident as He Enters His 4th Season of a 5-Year Contract

University of Rhode Island men's head basketball coach Archie Miller, the son of a coach, was comfortable and confident during the one-on-one media interview this week. He needs to be. He is entering his fourth season in a five-year contract. And, the first three years have fallen far short of the goals for the program. The Rams have been a revolving door of players, and the combined record over the past three years has been a losing one.

READ ABOUT MILLER'S CONTRACT HERE

Miller is grounded and up for the challenge, he says. He comes from a basketball family, and his father has been a major influence. The Miller's story bears a striking resemblance to the Hurley family.

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Miller’s father was a respected and highly successful high school basketball coach at Blackhawk High School in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Both Archie Miller and his older brother Sean (head coach at Texas) played youth and high school basketball for their father John Miller.

 

A coach who is a coach’s son

There is a perception that a coach who is a coach’s son is more knowledgeable about the game, more strategic in their thinking, and commands a deeper understanding of what it takes to win. In speaking about playing for his father, Miller has said, “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.”

I asked Miller how he felt about being referred to as a coach’s son. He responded, “I wear it as a badge of honor.”

 

Chip off the old block

Miller agreed that his father was an “old school”, hard-driving, task master coach. When asked if he was like his father, Miller said he was a “chip off the old block”.

Miller has coached college basketball for 21 years, including 13 years as head coach at three Division 1 Universities – Dayton, Indiana, and URI.

The word is that Miller has softened his approach somewhat over the past few years in response to the players’ newfound leverage due to the transfer portal. He was reluctant to admit this, saying, “Every year you need to change and adapt to the players and team that you have.”

 

Money paid to players drives success

During Miller’s three years at URI, the world of college basketball has changed dramatically, with players now being paid and having unrestricted transfer rights. Miller and all college basketball coaches have had to navigate this new paradigm where the pool of money available to pay players is a significant factor in the talent level they can recruit and, therefore, the success of their team.    

Miller’s overall record at URI for his three years is 39-55. The number of wins has increased every year from 9 to 12 to 18. However, his teams have struggled in A-10 Conference play, posting records of 5-13, 6-12, and 7-11. Last year, after a fantastic 11-1 start, the team struggled in Conference play, particularly at the end of the season, winning one of the last six games. Miller’s teams have lost in the first round of the A-10 Tournament in each of his three years.

As stated, Miller is in the fourth year of a five-year contract. With Rhody Nation hungry for greater success, Miller was asked if this was an important year for the program, and he pointed out, “They all are.”

 

Miller had more money to spend this year

Miller is comfortable with and confident about this year’s team. The word is that he had more NIL money to spend than in the past and was able to bring in a higher talent level than he has had since coming to URI. Miller said he was very thankful for the NIL budget he had to work with.

When asked if a college coach’s job now has similarities with a general manager of a professional sports team in that they have to manage and allocate a fixed budget for players, he responded, “Absolutely. You have to manage your budget cap and allocate resources, making decisions on finances. You need to set values on positions and allocate resources. Point guards and centers are the most expensive players.”

 

Another year, another new team

Of the five returning players on the 16-man roster, only Drissa Traore saw playing time last year. The others were either redshirts or walk-ons. There are 11 new players on this year’s team – eight transfers and three freshmen. This year’s Rams are essentially a new team, just as last year’s team was.

Miller is aware that the transient nature of players in the portal era, resulting in roster turnover every year, brings with it ramifications for the program. Players do not have the connection to the school, community, and fan base that develops when a player is with a school for three or four years. The fans’ connection to the players does not develop, as the fans do not know who the players are. The revolving door of players could hurt fan support, attendance, and financial giving. The program is working on ways to get the players more visible and connected to the fan base.

 

What can we expect from this year’s Rams?

Miller said he was “Excited about the team and excited about the season. This team is different from last year, very different. Our strength by far is speed.”

Several times when discussing the team, Miller mentioned the speed, quickness, and athleticism of the players. He described it as “top notch”. He said, “We have great quickness, which will allow us to play an aggressive style on defense and turn defense into offense.”

Last year’s team played up-tempo on offense, and the tempo was the fastest in the league. The ball was predominantly in Sebastian Thomas’s hands, and he pushed the pace. For this year, Miller said, “We will be up tempo in a different way.  We have more people who can handle the ball and pass. We have more guys who can play, more versatility, more skill, and we will have better spacing. We are quick and will definitely be way more up-tempo.”

Miller also noted that the team has more length at the wings, and a lack of it was a shortcoming last year. He pointed out he was not talking about mussel and meat. He was talking about length and quickness.

 

Roster management

Last year, Miller tried a unique roster strategy where he redshirted three players, leaving the team with only 10 available scholarship players. When the year started, he acknowledged the risk of being shorthanded if multiple injuries occurred. That concern developed into reality. A player left the team, and injuries compounded, leaving the team with only 7 or 8 players for a few games.

When asked if he was going to employ that roster management strategy this year, he said, “No, last year we experimented. We may have some redshirts this year, but you need enough bodies. Every player has a role they signed up for. You need to fulfill that as there will be problems if you don’t.”

 

Style of play

Miller said, “In addition to playing up tempo, we are moving into the mode of positionless basketball. We will have different people handling the ball and different people cutting to the hoop. We may play five guards at times. We may play nine or ten players.”

 

The starting lineup has not been determined yet.

Since arriving, Miller has emphasized pounding the ball inside and getting to the foul line. He has not emphasized the three-point shot. This year, he does not have a true center. Moek Icke, the seven-footer who redshirted last year, is still recovering and has not yet been cleared for full activity. The roster has two 6’ 9” forwards (Mo Sow and Keeyan Itejere) who are slender and athletic.

When asked if the lack of a big man would change his approach, he said, “There are different ways to get the ball inside. Not just pounding it in from passing. There is spacing, having different people handle the ball, and having different people cut to the hoop.”

 

Miller has never been asked this question

In his 21 years of coaching, Miller has never been asked this question. Here it is and his answer.

Question: “If I gave you the keyboard and asked you to add something to the story, what would you write?”

Miller’s answer, “I would write about loyalty. Loyalty to the school, loyalty to the players, and to the people who supported you.”

 

Dad’s advice

Miller discussed how challenging it was to play for his dad, particularly in navigating the distinct roles of father and coach.  When asked about the advice from his father that has stuck with him the most, he said his father told him, “You are going to learn and realize one day that there will be hard times and that family is the only one you can count on. Never forget that.” Miller told me he never has.