Following up on a story that HoopDirt.com first reported back on 6/25 (DIII DIRT)…
The Penn State Berks Athletic Department has officially announced the hiring of Rich Miller as the new head men’s basketball coach. Miller becomes just the third head coach in program history since the Nittany Lions became an NCAA Division III member in 2004.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to coach at Penn State Berks,” said Miller. “I have been very impressed with the campus, the athletics department staff, and the players that I have spoken to so far. My expectations are to improve every day this season. We want to get better from practice to practice and game to game. We want to develop a culture of having a group of self-motivated, hardworking, student-athletes that want to excel on the court and in the classroom.”
Miller began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Division II Mansfield University in 1999. At that time, he was the youngest assistant men’s basketball coach in all of Division II. In 2006, Miller was promoted to head coach and he maintained that position until 2016.
He amassed a career record of 130-139 overall and was 73-87 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Miller guided the Mounties to five trips to the PSAC playoffs and led the team to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 14 years during the 2010-11 campaign. The 2010-11 squad finished 18-9 overall and saw Miller receive the PSAC East Coach of the Year award.
Under Miller’s guidance, MU had 15 members earn All-PSAC East recognition, which includes seven on the 1st team. In addition, the Mounties had two PSAC East Rookie of the Year recipients and one PSAC East Player of the Year honoree during Miller’s time at the helm.
A native of Harrisburg, PA, Miller graduated from Bucknell University in 1996 where he was a four-year starter for the Bison’s football team as a kicker and punter, earning All-Patriot League honors. He also played two seasons of junior varsity basketball for the Bison. Miller earned his MS from Mansfield in 1999.
Miller began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater Lower Dauphin High School in 1996-97. A 1993 graduate, Miller received all-conference honors in basketball, baseball and football during his junior and senior seasons and is the second leading scorer in the school’s basketball history.
Coach Miller and his wife Julie recently moved into the Reading area with their daughter Ellie and sons Evan and Joshua. In addition to his coaching duties, Miller is currently the General Manager for the Wankawala Organization at the Hampton Inn by Hilton Reading-Wyomissing.
