In just two seasons, Curt Miller took a lowly, six-win women’s basketball program and turned it into one of the final four remaining undefeated teams in the nation.
In just two seasons, Miller took a team that hadn’t been ranked during the entire lives of most of his freshmen and sophomores and lifted it to No. 22 in the nation.
In just two seasons, Miller oversaw a program that increased home attendance by more than 50 percent per game. He made the Bloomington community rally around a group of women that, in other places, might have gone overlooked.
Which is why after just two seasons, Miller’s sudden departure from IU stuns those who followed the program.
In a resignation letter dated July 24, Miller wrote it was a difficult decision to leave Bloomington, but he was doing so for personal health and family reasons.
First and foremost, I hope Miller’s health is fine. The 55-year-old Miller suffered a mild stroke during a game in January 2012 when coaching at Bowling Green. He had implied during an introductory news conference with IU that it was a result of stress.
But on a purely basketball level, Miller’s short tenure at IU will be remembered as the time during which the culture of IU women’s basketball was changed and the program was resurrected.
Shortly after getting introduced on March 28, 2012, Miller began diagnosing the problems throughout his team and began work to turn the weaknesses into strengths.
He implemented his near-patented ball-screen offense and turned a sluggish offense into a high-octane attack capable of running up the score on any defense.
His recruiting prowess brought one of the nation’s most talented freshmen classes — led by now-sophomore phenomenon Larryn Brooks — to Assembly Hall.
But above all else, Miller took a locker room that older players admitted was slightly broken years ago and turned it into a cohesive unit.
He meticulously brought in talented, good-hearted transfers such as Bloomington native Kaila Hulls and former-Valparaiso standout Tabitha Gerardot to the team. The transfers joined the likes of seniors Simone Deloach and Sasha Chaplin in mentoring the young players, teaching them to play basketball the right way — the Curt Miller way.
The team’s chemistry and genuine admiration for one another was obvious. When Chaplin was moved out of the starting lineup, she was always the first one off the bench to cheer for her teammates. When Brooks exploded for a 30-point night, she would pass credit off to teammates such as Taylor Agler.
That support and respect throughout the team was obvious in games, at practice and on YouTube. Just go and look at the team’s “Happy” music video or watch as players sing Christmas carols.
They played for one another day in and day out.
You wouldn’t see that type of friendships on just any team. It was a cornerstone of Miller’s teams.
My lasting memory of Curt Miller at IU comes from Jan. 19 in an 83-78 overtime win against Minnesota. During the second half, Miller was coaching with his usual passionate outbursts on the sidelines when suddenly he began to look out of place.
By the end of the game, Miller was running up and down the sidelines without his suit coat, his dress shirt untucked and his tie struggling to stay around his neck. He was completely immersed in the game and had no regard for his own appearance.
Miller coached with that passion and intensity for every second of every game, no matter the score.
When IU was being blown out by Purdue on the road, he kept coaching as if it was a tie ball game with 10 seconds remaining. When IU was ahead by 14 points against Marquette in the WNIT, he coached the same.
He demanded the most out of his team.
And more often than not, he got it. That’s just how Curt Miller operates.
Where IU goes from here remains to be seen. Miller leaves IU head and shoulders above where the team was when he arrived. The Hoosiers are poised to make another postseason run in 2014-15.
In two short seasons, Curt Miller revitalized women’s basketball at IU. And despite only two short seasons, his impact won’t be forgotten any time soon.
