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Anonymous Coach: 'Great Hire' For IU In Archie Miller

With the news of Indiana hiring (now former) Dayton head coach Archie Miller on Saturday, TheHoosier.com spoke with an assistant coach from a NCAA tournament team to gauge reaction on the hire.

His anonymous quotes are transcribed below.

Archie Miller coached for six seasons at Dayton before taking the Indiana job.
Archie Miller coached for six seasons at Dayton before taking the Indiana job. (USA TODAY Sports)

TheHoosier.com: Given the reputation IU has in the industry, what kind of quality hire do you think this is for them?

Coach: "Oh it's a great hire. They got a guy who has been successful at every level. He relates to kids and knows basketball, knows the area. I think it's a big-time hire for them."

TheHoosier.com: Given your interactions with him, what kind of person is he? What qualities does he show?

Coach: "He's a great guy. He's very down to earth. He's the same guy - he's never changed from being an assistant to a head coach. He gets guys to play hard and he has a great defensive philosophy. I just think they're getting a winner."

TheHoosier.com: When you watch his teams, what are things you notice that stand out?

Coach: "Style of play. They play fast - they're fun to watch. Defensively they guard you well, and they're tough. They're very fundamentally sound. He's had a lot of success in the tournament - and he's done it with a lot of pieces. He was down to like seven guys a couple years ago and made the tournament and won a game. I mean he gets it done."

TheHoosier.com: Right, just how difficult of a situation is that? I feel like a lot of teams would flame out but he ended up finishing just fine.

Coach: "Yeah that's a heck of a year. And he's done it in other years. He's all about sustained success. The IU job is different as far as one of the more tradition-rich jobs in the country, but I think he'll be just fine with his pedigree and everything he's learned."

TheHoosier.com: Obviously he gets compared to his brother Sean a lot. Do you think that's fair?

Coach: "I think they're different people but I think he'll be very successful at IU. People should be happy to have him. I can't say he'll get to 'X' amount of Elite Eights or whatever, but I think people in Indiana will be very happy with the hire, and a few years from now they could really be back to an elite level."

TheHoosier.com: Do you foresee any issues with recruiting? This is obviously a stepup in that department.

Coach: "IU is a brand that sells itself. He's had success already - and he works at it. The thing about recruiting is you have to be able to work at it, whether you're a head coach or an assistant, but especially as the head coach."

TheHoosier.com: What kind of reputation does he have on the recruiting trail?

Coach: "He's a very good evaluator. He gets guys that fit his program, but I think he does a really good job of developing guys too. At Dayton he got some guys that are maybe two, three-star guys and is developing them into all-conference players. You have to be able to get program guys and turn them into really good players."

TheHoosier.com: Have you ever gone head-to-head with him for a recruit?

Coach: "We did a couple times. He does his job well - does due diligence. He's not a guy that's going to negative recruit. Like I said earlier, he really works at it. I have tremendous respect for him and think he's going to do great there."

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