UNCG Director of Athletics Kim Record announced that men’s basketball head coach Wes Miller has received a contract extension that will carry him through June 30, 2022. Miller’s extension adds three years to his current contract and updates all of the terms of his previous deal, encompassing the next five years.
“Coach Miller has created a championship culture during his time at UNCG” Record said. “He has set the standard for UNCG basketball by recruiting student-athletes who not only compete at a high level, but who value the degree that comes with a scholarship. Wes and his coaching staff have laid a foundation for success and the future of our program has never been brighter.”
Miller is entering his seventh season at the helm of the Spartans in 2017-18 and has built a championship culture in the men’s basketball program. The Spartans are coming off the most successful season in program history during 2016-17, leading the Spartans the program’s third Southern Conference regular season title all-time and the first-ever No. 1 seed in the SoCon Tournament. He guided UNCG to a program-record 25-10 overall record and a 14-4 mark in SoCon play.
“There are incredible things happening at UNCG.” Miller said. “It is a university and campus on the rise. I am pleased that I will continue to have the opportunity to represent UNCG as our basketball coach. I am proud of what we are building and look forward to continuing to lead the program forward with our staff and players.”
The 25 wins are the most for UNCG in the 50-year history of men’s basketball while the 14 wins are the most for the Spartans in their SoCon history and ties the program record for conference wins in a season. UNCG advanced to the SoCon Tournament Championship game for the third time in program history and the first time since 2005. The Spartans and ETSU played one of the best championship games in tournament history with UNCG falling in the final seconds.
Miller led the Spartans to a final NCAA RPI ranking of No. 98 in NCAA Division I, the second-highest in the SoCon and the highest during his tenure. The Spartans improved 135 spots in the RPI rankings and were the eighth most improved team in all of NCAA Division I last year, improving by +9.5 wins.
Miller led the Spartans to their second-straight postseason appearance and just the fifth appearance in program history as UNCG earned the SoCon’s automatic bid into the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). The Spartans made their second appearance all-time in the NIT and first since 2002 when they traveled to Atlantic Coast Conference foe Syracuse.
The 2016-17 Spartans set a program-record with a nine-game winning streak, the longest winning streak for UNCG at the NCAA Division I level. Additionally, the Spartans became the first UNCG team to post three winning streaks of at least six or more games. UNCG posted a 7-2 record on the road in SoCon play, marking the best record of any team on the road in league play that season and setting a new UNCG record for road wins in league play at the NCAA Division I level.
Miller also led the Spartans to individual success in 2016-17 with senior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) and sophomore guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) earning Second Team All-SoCon honors while senior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) was named Third Team All-SoCon. Alonso set a UNCG single-season record with 102 made 3-pointes and freshman forward James Dickey (Raleigh, N.C./Word of God) was named to the league’s All-Freshman Team. Miller, the 2012 Southern Conference Coach of the Year during his interim season, has led the Spartans to double-digit wins in five out of the last six years breaking a streak of three-straight seasons with eight or less wins (2008-2011). When he took over during the 2011-12 season, he led the Spartans to a 10-8 SoCon record and the SoCon North Division title as he was 11-11 overall that year.
In 2015-16, he led the Spartans to a 15-19 overall record – their highest win total since the 2007-08 season. He guided UNCG to just its fourth postseason appearance in program history as the Spartans took part in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), advancing to the quarterfinals. UNCG picked up its first-ever postseason win in program history with a 69-65 win over Houston Baptist at home at the Greensboro Coliseum
The Spartans finished the regular season with a 10-8 record in SoCon play, matching their win total in the league from 2011-12. UNCG was especially strong at home posting a 12-4 record, the highest win total since moving to the Greensboro Coliseum and the top mark for home wins since the 2000-01 season (12-6).
Miller is no stranger to the state of North Carolina, having been associated with basketball in the state his entire career as both a coach and student-athlete. In three seasons as a player at North Carolina under head coach and mentor Roy Williams, Miller helped the Tar Heels to the national championship in 2005, two Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championships and one ACC Tournament title. He was team captain as a senior in 2006-07, leading UNC to 31 wins and the NCAA Elite 8 as well as the ACC regular-season and tournament titles, and a final No. 3 national ranking.
