Former Kansas University standout guard Aaron Miles has been named the FGCU men’s basketball team’s new assistant coach, head coach Joe Dooley announced on Friday. Miles will officially begin his duties with the Eagles on July 18.
A four-year starter at KU from 2001-05, Miles was coached and mentored by Dooley – then an assistant coach with the Jayhawks – his final two seasons. Miles, who holds the Big 12 Conference record and ranks 9th in NCAA history with 954 career assists, spent the 2015-16 season on KU’s men’s basketball staff as an assistant director of student-athlete development.
“My family and I are extremely excited about joining the FGCU family,” said Miles, who played professionally from 2005-15. “I want to thank coach Dooley for this great opportunity. I’m also very grateful and appreciative of the Kansas staff, players and in particular head coach Bill Self for allowing me to learn from them the past year and helping prepare me for this position.
“FGCU was the perfect fit for me,” Miles continued. “Having the chance to work with coach Dooley is a great honor as I’ve seen first-hand the passion and knowledge he has for the game. I’m looking forward to working with our student-athletes and helping them improve and succeed on and off the court every day.”
A 2005 KU graduate and two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection, Miles ended his collegiate career with 1,183 points (36th on the KU career list), 264 steals (3rd) and 105 3-pointers (tied for 21st). His 137 career starts are 2nd on the KU all-time list, while his 16 NCAA Tournament games played are tied for the most in school history.
As a Jayhawk, Miles competed in two Final Fours – 2002 in Atlanta and 2003 in New Orleans. In his junior season, KU advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regional Final in St. Louis. Miles won three Big 12 regular-season championships, his third coming in his senior year in 2004-05, the first of the current 12-straight titles held by KU. In 2002, Miles was the starting point guard on the only team in Big 12 history to go undefeated (16-0) in league play. Additionally, he appeared on All-Big 12 teams his freshman (All-Freshman), sophomore (Honorable Mention), junior (Third Team) and senior (Second Team) seasons.
“I’m excited Aaron and his family are joining FGCU,” commented Dooley. “He’s got a bright future in coaching and he’ll make a big difference in our players’ skill development. Aaron is experienced, hard-working and played for a Hall of Fame coach (Roy Williams) and a future Hall of Fame coach (Self). He has experience professionally, especially oversees, and is someone who will be a tremendous mentor to our players.”
Following his KU career, Miles competed for the Golden State Warriors and the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA Development League during the 2005-06 season. He then played in the Euroleague, where he appeared for several teams from 2006-10. He competed for Elan Bearnais Pau-Orthez, which won the French Cup in 2007. The following season he participated with the Spanish ACB team Cajasol Sevilla. Miles played two seasons in Greece – with Panionios in 2008-09 and Aric BC in 2009-10. While with Panionios, he was selected to the HEBA Greek All-Star Game in 2009 and 2010.
Miles played the 2010-11 season for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League and then returned to Europe, winning the Russian Cup in 2012 and 2013 while playing for BC Krasnye Krylya. In 2013 he was the Most Valuable Player of the Russian Cup and his Russian team also won the 2013 EuroChallenge. His last stop professionally before tearing his labrum which required surgery was with Russia’s Lokomotive Kuban.
“FGCU just hit a home run with the hiring of Aaron Miles,” added Self. “He’s experienced beyond his years with his playing background and his ability to teach. He will work well under Joe (Dooley) and the system he has put in place. I think Aaron has the chance to be one of the stars in our profession moving forward.”
Miles and his wife, Mikki, have four sons: Aaron Jr., Adonis, Asaiah and Avion. He replaces Senque Carey, who left FGCU after one season for an assistant coach position on his native West Coast with Long Beach State.
He joins an FGCU program which has cemented itself as the preeminent team in the Atlantic Sun Conference and a mid-major force nationally. The Eagles are coming off their fourth-straight 20-win season and subsequent postseason appearance in 2015-16 with an ASUN Tournament title and a third NCAA Tournament victory in four years. The Green and Blue return nearly 90 percent of their total points, rebounds and assists from last year’s team as Dooley and his staff have one of the most talented groups in program history.
