When NC State parted ways with Mark Gottfried after six seasons last month, Dayton coach Archie Miller was a name many linked to the opening. Miller, a point guard for the Wolfpack from 1998-2002, had the opportunity to return to his alma mater. But according to his father, he wasn’t seriously interested.
“Yeah, everyone thought NC State, but I knew that wasn’t gonna happen,” John Miller told myDayton Daily News. “He knows that place too well. You gotta have trust in the people above you that they’ll stand by you.”
Miller was among the hottest names in the country when programs like Washington, Indiana, Oklahoma State and NC State came open. He led the Dayton Flyers to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2014-2017, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2014 -- a sign of an incredible coaching acumen to be done at an Atlantic 10 school. So it should come as no surprise that given the opportunity to coach at a premier program like Indiana, he jumped at the opportunity earlier this week. It certainly didn’t surprise his father.
“When [Arizona] lost to Xavier, we got back to the hotel and I was sort of in shock,” John said. “And all of a sudden Arch goes, ‘Guess what, Dad? I got a shot here [at the Indiana job]. Whaddya think?’
“I’ll tell you I was almost in tears, just like when my other guy left [Sean, who left Xavier to coach at Arizona]. Oh, man, I hated that. I loved Xavier. And now here it is eight years later and I’m in the same exact boat.
“I know in his heart Arch hates to get out of [Dayton], but that’s how it was with Sean leaving Xavier too. He turned Arizona down the first time, and I remember John Calipari calling him up and saying, ‘Are you outta your mind? You gotta take that Arizona job!’”
Miller will be formally introduced as Indiana coach at a press conference on Monday. He replaces Tom Crean, who led the Hoosiers to three Sweet 16 appearances during his tenure that began in 2008.
