Officially official: It's Miller's time in Murray
MBB: The longtime assistant coach is the 18th head coach in Racer history
Four days after the news broke nationally, Murray State officially confirmed on Monday that Ryan Miller will be the 18th head coach in Racer Basketball history.
Miller, who is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Creighton, will finish the season with the Blue Jays, although he’s working both jobs at the moment. Creighton will play Louisville in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday in Lexington.
"Coach Ryan Miller stood out among a talented field of worthy candidates for a number of reasons,” Murray State Director of Athletics Nico Yantko said in a statement. “We knew our next leader of the Racers needed to be someone who can evaluate and develop talent, is a proven winner, is a relentless recruiter and can build positive relationships. Coach Miller has proven throughout his career that he can accomplish each of those objectives at an elite level, and that is why he is our new Murray State men's basketball head coach. He is a nationally-renowned recruiter and coach. His fiery competitiveness and infectious personality make him the perfect leader to guide us toward competing for and winning championships. We will support him as he continues to cement Murray State as one of the premiere basketball programs in the nation. We are excited to welcome Coach Miller, his wife Marna, and their daughters Melia and Halle, to the Racer Family."
In the news release, no date has yet been announced for Miller’s official introduction in Murray.
"It is a tremendous honor to have been named the next head coach of the Murray State Racers," Miller said in a statement. "I want to thank Director of Athletics Nico Yantko, University President Dr. Bob Jackson, and all those involved in this process, for putting their faith in me to lead this storied program. The winning tradition set over the last 100 years is a testament to the outstanding people that have poured so much into this team. I am committed to recruiting highly-talented players and staff to return us to those winning ways. My wife, Marna, daughters Melia and Halle, and I are beyond excited to be a part of Racer Nation, and we are ready to get to work."
Miller has spent the last four years at Creighton working for Greg McDermott. Prior to going to Creighton, Miller had coaching stops at Memphis, Pepperdine and New Mexico, and then was Associate Head Coach at Auburn, UNLV and TCU. Miller is the brother of Mike Miller, the former NBA player, who is now the agent for Ja Morant.
It will be interesting to see how many of the current roster (excluding the graduating seniors) in and recruits will stay at or come to Murray State for the new coach. Recruiting may be tough, considering the circumstances.
Has he got to meet the team yet?