I mentioned this move back on 4/2 (DAILY DIRT). It’s now official…Central Michigan assistant Brooks Miller has been named as the new head coach at Ferris State. Here’s the release from the college:
Two-Time National Coach of the Year and national champion Brooks Miller has been selected as Ferris State University’s 15th head men’s basketball coach, capping a nationwide search for the next leader of the Bulldog men’s basketball program.
Miller, who served this past season as the Associate Head Coach at NCAA Division I Central Michigan, previously led Trine University to the 2024 NCAA Division III National Championship and was twice selected as D3’s top coach in the country while building one of the nation’s top D3 programs. He brings experience at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels along with the junior college ranks and has also worked under four coaches who have won national championships at various levels of college basketball.
An introductory press conference, which will be open to the media and public, will be held on Wednesday, April 15, starting at 2 p.m. (ET) in the Gold Room at the Ewigleben Sports Complex.
“I am thrilled to bring Coach Miller to Ferris State and believe he is the right person at this time to lead our men’s basketball program,” said FSU Athletics Director Steve Brockelbank. “Brooks has a tremendous resume and been highly-successful as a head coach. His experience at nearly every level of college basketball along with his connections and familiarity with our league and program will be extremely beneficial. We look forward to continuing the proud tradition of Bulldog Basketball under his leadership.”
Miller also brings strong ties to the Ferris State program, having coached with or played for a pair of former FSU head coaches in Bill Sall and Andy Bronkema in addition to Ed Douma, who served on the Bulldog staff as an assistant coach under Sall. One of Miller’s assistant coaches at Trine was also a former Bulldog All-American who led FSU to a GLIAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearance as a senior in Drew Lehman.
“I’m extremely grateful to Dr. Bill Pink, Steve Brockelbank and the hiring committee for choosing me to be the next head basketball coach at Ferris State University,” said Miller. “I am honored to be a part of the championship tradition that began many years ago under Coach Jim Wink and was continued by two of my closest colleagues and mentors in Bill Sall and Andy Bronkema. My family and I couldn’t be happier to be joining the Big Rapids community and representing Ferris State.”
This past season, Miller served as the top assistant coach on the D1 level at Central Michigan under Bronkema, who guided FSU to the 2018 D2 National Championship. He arrived at CMU following a 14-year tenure that included a national championship of his own at Trine. Overall, Miller has more than 22 years of collegiate coaching experience, including serving as Trine’s head coach from 2011-25. The Ohio native guided the Thunder to the 2023-24 NCAA Division III national championship, three Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) regular season titles (2019, 2021, and 2024), one MIAA tournament title (2021), one undefeated season (17-0), and a combined 247-121 overall record and 142-73 MIAA mark. For his efforts, he was twice named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year (2020-21 and 2023-24) and also honored as the 2020-21 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.
Regarded as one of the top defensive coaches in the country, Miller’s career at Trine culminated with a national title in 2024 when he was named NCAA DIII National Coach of the Year for the second time, receiving accolades from D3Hoops.com, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as well as being named the Glenn Robinson CollegeInsider.com National Coach of the Year. He previously was chosen as the 2020-21 NCAA D3 National Coach of the Year by both Hoopdirt.com/Just Play Sports Solutions and Basketball Times Magazine.
In Miller’s tenure, Trine was the only MIAA program to finish in the top four in the conference in each of his 14 seasons. Within the MIAA, the Thunder had three Most Valuable Players, four Defensive Players of the Year and 35 honored as all-conference choices under Miller’s leadership. The list includes three MIAA MVP’s in Nick Bowman, Pete Smith, and Ian Jackson. Five players received All-American recognition under Miller’s guidance at Trine, including Emmanuel Megnanglo, Cortez Garland, Nick Bowman, Reed City native Jared Holmquist and Jackson.
Trine University student-athletes also flourished in the classroom under his leadership. Holmquist was named Academic All-America Player of the Year in 2015-16 and the Trine men’s basketball team received NABC Team Academic Excellence Awards in 2014-15, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23. Additionally, a total of 19 players were named to the NABC Honors Court.
Miller led Trine to both MIAA regular season and tournament championships in 2020-21, climbing as high as #2 in the D3Hoops.com national poll which earned them a postseason contest against top-ranked Randolph Macon College in Virginia for the D3Hoops.com poll championship during the COVID campaign. The squad finished the year with a 17-1 overall record and climbed as high as #7 nationally the following season in the national poll in 2021-22. Trine’s 2019 MIAA title was the school’s first-ever MIAA regular season championship and marked the first outright MIAA title by a school other than Hope or Calvin since 2005. His final team at Trine in 2024-25 squad finished with a 21-5 record, marking the third consecutive season that the program surpassed the 20-win mark, fifth-straight year where the Thunder made an appearance in the D3Hoops.com top-25 and four consecutive years ranked in the top-10 nationally.
Prior to becoming the head coach at Trine, Miller worked as an assistant men’s basketball coach under three Hall of Fame coaches that amassed seven combined national championships. His first collegiate coaching stop was working for his college coach, Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan Hall of Fame coach Ed Douma (one national title), who he previously played for at Hillsdale. In 2007, his career took him to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he served as a graduate assistant coach for Naismith Hall of Famer Bobby Knight (three national titles) and was involved with on-campus recruiting and player development. In 2009, he became the Head Assistant Men’s Basketball coach and national recruiting coordinator at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas, where he worked for Junior College Hall of Famer Steve Green (three national titles). While at South Plains, Miller coached and/or recruited nine players that would transfer on to NCAA Division I universities.
Miller’s collegiate basketball career began as a player at NCAA Division I Toledo and later at later in the GLIAC at Hillsdale College. While at Hillsdale, as a senior in 2003, Miller was selected team captain, academic all-conference, and the team’s Defensive Player of the Year. Hillsdale reached the NCAA Division II national tournament in back-to-back years for the first time in school history during Miller’s sophomore and junior seasons in 2001 and 2002. During his time at Hillsdale, along with playing under Douma, Miller was also recruited by and played for another former Bulldog men’s basketball head coach in Sall, who he later coached against in the MIAA.
Miller and his wife, Gretchen, have two children, Champ and Jordan.
The Ferris State men’s basketball program has a long track record of success that includes more than 1,300 all-time victories, 17 GLIAC Championships and 18 NCAA Tournament appearances along with a national championship in 2018. Since 2004, the Bulldogs have reached the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen five times and won 13 GLIAC regular season or tourney titles. FSU reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time in 11 years in 2024-25 and has won 20 games or more 10 times in the last 11 full seasons of action. This past season, the Bulldogs made their 12th consecutive and 26th overall GLIAC Tournament appearance in program history.
THE MILLER FILE
Hometown: Metamora, Ohio
Family: wife Gretchen, son Champ and daughter Jordan
Education:
Bachelor of Science, Education, Hillsdale College (Mich.), 2023
Master’s degree, Exercise Sport Science, Texas Tech University, 2009
Coaching Career:
Associate Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Central Michigan University, 2025-26
Head Men’s Basketball Coach/Assistant Athletics Director, Trine University, 2011-25
Head Assistant Coach, South Plains College, 2009-11
Graduate Assistant, Texas Tech University, 2007-09
Assistant Coach, Hillsdale College, 2004-07
Coaching Accomplishments:
2023-24 NCAA Division III national champions … three-time MIAA regular season championships (2019, 2021, 2024) … one MIAA tournament championship (2021) … D3 Poll Championship game appearance (2021) … two-time NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year (2020-21 and 2023-24) … 2020-21 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.
Playing Career:
Three-year letterwinner at NCAA Division II Hillsdale College (2001-03) … served as team captain as a senior in 2003 … helped guide Hillsdale to the NCAA Division II national tournament in back-to-back years for the first time in school history (2001 and 2022).
