Eastern Illinois University Athletics

Mike Miller

Eastern Illinois University head coach Mike Miller has a history of turning programs around and as he enters his fifth season at the helm of the Panthers program he appears to have the fortunes of the EIU program headed in the right direction as EIU returns 11 players from last season’s team including four starters. 

In 2008, the Panthers returned to the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for the first time since the 2005 season falling in the final seconds to No. 3 seeded Austin Peay. The Panthers posted their highest win total since the 2005 season and most OVC wins since the 2003 season. 

Hired in mid-April of 2005 after five years as the associate head coach at Kansas State University, Miller has already produced two Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in his short tenure at EIU. In addition his first full recruiting class in 2006 was rated as the best in the OVC by HoopScoop.com while also ranking in the Top 100 recruiting classes nationally. The Panthers 2008 recruiting class was ranked second in the OVC by HoopScoop.com and 61st nationally. 

Among the seven new faces Miller and his staff were able to bring in among that top class were the school’s first freshman to lead the program in scoring in the NCAA Division I era in Romain Martin and only the second freshman to lead the team in rebounding as a NCAA Division I school in Ousmane Cisse. 

Originally from Monmouth, Illinois, Miller has always had ties to the deep tradition of basketball in the State of Illinois and surrounding region. He and his staff (all local products themselves) have emphasized getting the best talent in the area that fits their system. In 2007 they have once again accomplished that with two top recruits from Michigan and Wisconsin. In 2009 EIU signed an All-State product from the Chicago area giving them ten players on the roster from the surrounding area. 

His first EIU team finished with a 6-21 record but the team improved over the course of the season winning five of its six games in Ohio Valley Conference play including a win over conference champion Murray State University. 

Despite battling injuries in his second and third season, Eastern Illinois closed out each campaign strong making two late runs at the OVC Tournament. In 2008, EIU capped the season winning three of their final four conference games including a season ending sweep of Jacksonville State and Samford that gave the program some momentum heading into the 2009 season. 

During his tenure at Kansas State, Miller helped the team improve from an 11-18 record his first season to a 17-12 mark in 2004-05. That season the Wildcats started three sophomores and a “true” freshman, and had six wins over teams that advanced to post season tournaments. During that same time frame 10 of 14 seniors who completed their eligibility earned degrees with five players earning Academic All-Big 12 honors. 

Miller also served as one of K-State’s top recruiters with the Wildcats having three straight Top 25 recruiting classes as named by Hoop Scoop magazine. The 2002 class was rated No. 1 in the nation. 

No stranger to building programs, Miller helped revitalize the program at Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State) during nine years of association with the program. He started as an assistant in 1991-92 as the Bobcats won only 7 games. The team finished above .500 his second year on the staff and went 25-7 in 1993-94 during his third season setting a school record for wins and a spot in the 1994 NCAA Tournament. 

The next season Miller was named the head coach at Texas State becoming the second youngest Division I head coach at the age of 29. Over the next six seasons as the Bobcats head man, Miller won two conference championships in 1997 and 1999 and finished second in 1998. The 1997 team advanced to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Southland Conference Tournament, Miller winning SLC Coach of the Year honors. 

Six players would earn Academic All-Southland Conference honors during his tenure and in 1999 Jeff Foster would be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. Miller’s teams led the Southland Conference in defense five of six seasons and ranked third in the NCAA in 1999 allowing opponents to shoot only 37.3 percent from the floor. 

Miller also has assistant coaching stops at Sam Houston State in 1991 and Western Illinois in 1990. 

A graduate of Monmouth (IL) High School, Miller played basketball at East Texas State. He was a member of the East Texas State team that won the 1984 Lone Star Conference championship. Miller graduated from East Texas State in 1987. 

He and his wife, Kelly, have two sons, Matt and Joey.