BLOOMINGTON – Indiana University has fired men’s head basketball coach Archie Miller.
Miller finishes his IU career with a 67-58 record. He went 33-44 in Big Ten play. This was Miller’s fourth season as head coach of the Hoosiers. The Hoosiers did not win more than two Big Ten games consecutively across his last two seasons.
Scott Dolson, Indiana University vice president, and director of athletics wrote the following statement:
“As the Director of Athletics, I wanted to wait until the conclusion of the season before evaluating the leadership of our men’s basketball program. In the days following the completion of our season in the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, I have spent a great deal of time evaluating our recruiting, student-athlete development, leadership development, and playing philosophy and strategy. That review, combined with the on-court results, ultimately led me to conclude that a change in leadership of our program is warranted at this time. I shared my assessment with Indiana University President Michael McRobbie, and he accepted my recommendation.
“I want to thank Archie Miller, his staff, and their families for their service and commitment to IU and for his unwavering commitment to our student-athletes, the men’s basketball program, and Indiana University. We wish Archie and his family all the best in the next steps of their journey.
“Given the university’s very tight financial situation in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, private philanthropic funding has been obtained for all transition costs and obligations related to the change in leadership. We worked to secure the necessary private support following my recommendation to President McRobbie, ensuring that there would be no charges to the university budget.
“Indiana Basketball has a long, rich history of success that dates back generations. Our five national championships and 22 Big Ten titles make us one of the most accomplished programs in college basketball history. I have high expectations for our program, and we have not competed at a level within the conference or nationally that I believe we should.
“While I will not establish a formal search committee, I will consult within the University and with trusted experts in the state and around the country as I seek out and recruit a new coach. The work to find the next leader of Indiana Basketball will begin immediately, and I will seek a chief executive that I can partner with to re-establish the brand and national presence of Indiana Basketball.”
The team is expected to be told this afternoon by the athletic director of Miller’s firing.
Miller’s contract buyout was $10.3 million. It’s the 15th-richest in the country, per USA TODAY’s coaches’ salary database. According to the terms of his contract, signed upon his hiring in 2017, Archie Miller would be owed 100 percent of the remaining base, deferred and outside, marketing and promotional income, were he to be terminated without cause before March 31, 2022.
