Archie Miller 'excited for the opportunity' to coach Rhode Island

A 2022-23 season that has the potential to be a memorable one for the Dayton Flyers now has another fascinating subplot.

One year after being fired by Indiana and five years after leaving Dayton, Archie Miller is returning to the Atlantic 10 Conference as the head coach at Rhode Island. Dayton and Rhode Island have played in the regular season twice seven seasons in a row, so Miller likely will coach a game at UD Arena, where he spent six seasons, in 2023.

Reports of Rhode Island hiring Miller, 43, first surfaced on Wednesday, and Rhode Island confirmed the news Friday.

“My family and I are beyond excited for the opportunity lead the men’s basketball program at the University of Rhode Island,” Miller said in a press release. “President Marc Parlange and the Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn are aligned in a strong vision for URI Basketball, which was everything for us. URI is a diverse, world-class university. We are excited to be a part of it in every day.

“URI is synonymous with success on the basketball court. It hasn’t been just one coach. It has been several who have led this program into March Madness. Jim Harrick, Al Skinner, Tom Penders and most recently Dan Hurley all had their runs. I want to credit David Cox as well. He was the Head Coach but also a pivotal part of the last two teams that went and advanced in back-to-back NCAA tournaments.

“I want our Rams fanbase to know we are going to do things in a certain way on and off the court. In transition, it doesn’t always take off smooth. WE will IMPROVE ... WE will be good again ... and then WE will be REALLY GOOD! Honoring the process takes time, but we will be relentless in our quest to develop an identity that all of New England will be proud of.”

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Miller replaces David Cox, who was fired on March 11 after posting a record of 64-55 in four seasons. Rhode Island failed to make the NCAA tournament in Cox’s four seasons after earning berths in the final two seasons of Dan Hurley’s six-year tenure. Hurley left Rhode Island for the Connecticut job. Prior to 2017 and 2018, Rhode Island had not been to the NCAA tournament since 1999.

Cox was one of three A-10 coaches to lose their jobs after the season. Massachusetts announced Matt McCall wouldn’t return on March 1, and he coached the team until it lost to Dayton in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament. George Washington fired Jamion Christan, who was 29-50 in three seasons, on Monday.

Miller coached in the A-10 from 2011-17 with Dayton and guided the Flyers to four straight NCAA tournament appearances and A-10 regular-season championships in last two seasons. He had a record of 139-63 in six seasons. He was 6-4 against Rhode Island.

Miller left Dayton in March 2017 to take the head coaching job at Indiana. He had a 67-58 record in four seasons and was fired last March after failing to make the tournament three times. The 2020 tournament was cancelled because of the pandemic.

Since losing his job at Indiana, Miller has provided college basketball analysis, along with his brother Sean Miller, who lost his job at Arizona last season, for The Field of 68, a podcasting network with live shows on Twitter and YouTube.

“I am thrilled to welcome Archie Miller and his family to the University of Rhode Island,” Bjorn said in a press release. “Archie has an incredible track record of success. He is very familiar with the Atlantic 10 and is a great recruiter. Archie’s goals for this program are the same as mine. Not only do we want to win Atlantic 10 championships, but we want to build a program that competes late into March each year. His passion and enthusiasm are contagious. I am so excited to partner with him in showcasing URI basketball on the national stage.”