IU Athletic Director Scott Dolson fired Archie Miller on Monday — just less than four years after he was hired to take over as IU men’s basketball’s head coach, according to a release from IU Athletics.
“I have high expectations for our program, and we have not competed at a level within the conference or nationally that I believe we should,” Dolson said in the release.
This comes after Miller failed to take the Hoosiers to the NCAA Tournament during his four seasons as IU’s head coach. He will leave Bloomington with an overall record barely over 0.500 at 67-58.
Dolson said he wanted to wait until the season was over to evaluate the head coaching situation. He said he has spent the days since IU finished its season in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday evaluating the team’s recruiting, student-athlete development, leadership development and playing philosophy strategy.
“That review, combined with the on-court results, ultimately led me to conclude that a change in leadership of our program is warranted at this time,” Dolson said.
Miller came in to replace former head coach Tom Crean nine days after he was fired March 16, 2017. Now he’s leaving less than four years after taking over.
IU will pay Miller $10,350,000 per the buyout in his contract. Miller’s buyout includes 100% of his remaining base salary of $550,000, his “outside, marketing, and promotional income” which is $1,850,00 for the 2022 season and $1,900,000 in 2023 and $1,950,000 in 2024, along with his $1,000,000 annual deferred compensation.
Given the tight financial situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dolson said the university has obtained “private philanthropic funding” for the transition costs and obligations related to the leadership change.
“We worked to secure the necessary private support following my recommendation to President McRobbie, ensuring that there would be no charges to the university budget,” Dolson said.
Despite talented teams and bringing in three Indiana Mr. Basketballs in three years in a row, Miller still couldn’t find a way to make his team a contender in the Big Ten. Inconsistent perimeter and free throw shooting, turnovers and a lack of effort were just a few of the number of issues that held Miller’s teams back.
The Hoosiers came up short for the third season under Miller this year after missing out on March Madness again. IU was projected to make the tournament last season before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020-21 season was the first season during the Miller era where IU finished with a losing record at 12-15. IU closed out its season in its first game of the Big Ten Tournament, falling to Rutgers for the third time this season Thursday.
Dolson said he has not established a formal search committee but will consult with the university and trusted experts as he looks for a new coach.
“The work to find the next leader of Indiana Basketball will begin immediately,” Dolson said. “I will seek a chief executive that I can partner with to reestablish the brand and national presence of Indiana Basketball.”
