RYAN MILLER HIRED AS UNLV ASSISTANT COACH
Former Auburn, New Mexico and Memphis assistant joins Rice’s coaching staff
Ryan Miller has been hired as an assistant coach for the UNLV men’s basketball program, head coach Dave Rice announced Wednesday.
Miller, 38, joins the UNLV staff after spending the last two years as associate head coach at Auburn under Tony Barbee. Prior to that, he spent five years (2007-12) as an assistant coach at New Mexico under Steve Alford.
During Miller’s time with the Lobos, the team went 126-46, made five consecutive postseason appearances, including a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, and won two regular-season Mountain West championships and one league tournament crown.
Miller is widely recognized as one of the top recruiters in college basketball. In addition to his contacts throughout the United States, he also has had success recruiting foreign countries including Australia, where he also played competitively.
“I’m excited to have Ryan join our staff,” Rice said. “He is an experienced coach and has been an important part of a number of successful Division I programs. He is excellent at scouting opponents, a terrific recruiter and great with skill development.”
Miller was also a basketball operations assistant at Memphis under John Calipari from 2004-06. During his three years with the Tigers, they went 78-28 and made three postseason tournament appearances, including two NCAA Tournaments. Miller also spent one year (2006-07) as an assistant coach at Pepperdine before joining the New Mexico staff.
“I’m excited to join the program at UNLV, which has experienced a great deal of success under Coach Rice, and has an incredible amount of history and tradition,” Miller said. “I am looking forward to getting started in Las Vegas and helping build on the successful foundation that Coach Rice and his staff have put together during their first three years.”
A native of Mitchell, S.D., Miller attended Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D., where he was a two-time Northern Sun All-Conference selection.
He finished his career eighth on Northern State’s all-time scoring list after leading his teams to four straight conference championships and the 1998 regional title. He was named a Division II All-American and an Academic All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference member as a senior in 1997-98.
In the 1998 North Central Region Championship, Miller scored 45 points, including nine 3-pointers, leading Northern State to an 88-82 victory over South Dakota State to advance to its first Elite Eight in Louisville, Ky.
Miller was drafted by the CBA in 1999 and played professionally for the Fargo-Moorhead Beez of the International Basketball Association that season.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Northern State in 2000. He attended Mitchell (S.D.) Senior High School where he was a two-time all-state selection, leading the school to the 1994 state championship. His brother, Mike, is a 14-year NBA veteran who won the 2012 and 2013 NBA Championship as a member of the Miami Heat.
Miller and his wife, Marna, have one daughter: Melia (12).