Archie Miller: ‘My time at Dayton seems like a lifetime ago’

“I’m on a different stage from what I was (at Dayton),” Miller said. “I’m far removed. My time there has been well documented. We had a great run. And it’s a credit to the university, the administration, the fans and the players that played there at the time that I was there. It wasn’t me. There was a total commitment, and there still is a total commitment there, which is why their program is so successful.

“My time there, obviously I’m very grateful, I’m humbled. I was given an opportunity at 32 years old, and I don’t take that lightly. It changed my family and myself’s life really to be given that opportunity. A lot went into creating a culture of winning there. It’s something that I aspire to do here. I feel like we have the same commitment level, and I think we have the same opportunity to build a great program here as well.

“My time at Dayton seems like a lifetime ago. Anthony (Grant) has been a fantastic coach. They have a championship pedigree now. Everything about what they’re doing is done in a very similar way in terms of their commitment level, their administration, their fans. They have a fantastic program. They always will.

“I had a great experience. Credit that to the people there. I had very little to do with the level that they were at before I got there, and I have very little to do with the level they’re at now. But my time there was greatly appreciated. All the way down to the players that played for us, they did an unbelievable job. And I look forward to building that here. Anthony, like I said, he’s a fantastic coach, great person, got a great staff and they’ve done an incredible job. ... I suspect that they’ll have a tremendous finish to their season.”

In addition to that long answer to a question about facing Dayton, Miller also had several other things to say about his time at UD. These quotes were shared on Twitter by Bill Koch, of the Providence Journal.

• On building a NCAA tournament team at Dayton: “We fought like hell. We weren’t an Elite Eight team when we first got there. Our second year we kind of struggled through a tough conference. We were able to break through. And I think it gave us great credibility.”

• On the importance of basketball at UD: “Their basketball program means more than just wins and losses. It’s the lifeblood. It’s a way of life for their community.”

• On Dayton’s current team: “We have a heck of a challenge on Wednesday. I think Dayton is a team that possesses tremendous size. They play extremely hard. One of the best defensive teams in the country.”