Wes Miller

"When you have some success and things are going well, how do you respond to that? Do you get complacent? Or do you work even harder?"

We mic'd up @CoachWesMiller. ?? pic.twitter.com/Ds3JayTGcM

— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) July 24, 2024

Video: Couch Talk with Students
Video: Win Big. Celebrate Big.
Video: Wes Miller's go-to 90s artist
Contract Extended
Video: Student Open Gym Highlights
Best GPA in Program History
Video: 200th Win Celebration

Wes Miller is in his fourth season as the University of Cincinnati's men’s basketball head coach, poised to take the Bearcats to the next level in their second year of the nation's best basketball conference, the Big 12.

The 42-year-old Miller already boasts 14 years of head coaching experience. He spent a decade at UNC Greensboro, posting five-straight 20-win seasons and appearances in the 2018 and 2021 NCAA Tournaments before taking the helm of the Bearcats.

Miller boasts seven 20-win seasons (two at Cincinnati) and a 267-194 overall record. He has mentored 25 All-Conference players as a head coach, including six over his first four seasons at UC. 

A former walk-on at North Carolina, Miller became a national champion and team captain for the Tar Heels. He is also one of seven head coaches in 2024-25 to have won a national title as a player. Miller has quickly molded the Bearcats in his own image of toughness and resilience.

MILESTONE MAN

Miller earned 217 wins by his 40th birthday, which ranked him 15th all-time and seventh among head coaches after 1970. Five of the names ahead of him are Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Famers as well. His 41 over his first two years at UC trail only Ed Jucker, who won national titles in 1961 and 1962, for most at the school, and he has won 20-plus games in six of his last seven seasons.

CINCINNATI SEASON SUMMARIES

Cincinnati's 2024-25 season saw 19 wins, including an 18-point victory over Sweet-16 BYU. The Bearcats also defeated Xavier in the Crosstown Shootout and blew out Georgia Tech on the road, the program's ninth-straight win over the ACC. Sophomore Jizzle James earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades. Miller and the staff signed Shon Abaev and Keyshuan Tillery for the 2025-26 season. Abaev became the first McDonald's All-American to sign with UC since Lance Stephenson in 2009 and eighth overall, as well as the 12th to suit up for the Bearcats, which included Dillon Mitchell in 2024-25.

The 2023-24 season saw Cincinnati rattle off four ranked wins out of 22 overall in its first Big 12 campaign. The last of those was a 72-52 win over No. 16 Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament, with the others against No. 12 BYU, No. 15 Texas Tech (both on road) and No. 19 TCU. Dan Skillings Jr. and Aziz Bandaogo gained All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades, while John Newman III made the All-Defensive Team. Cincinnati advanced to the NIT Quarterfinals and were 37th in the NET.

Cincinnati's 2022-23 squad claimed its 40th, 20-win season while returning to the postseason with a trip to the NIT Quarterfinals, highlighted by an 81-72 first-round win over Virginia Tech. Cincinnati also improved its league-win total by four games. Miller's squad finished in the top-30 for turnovers for the second-straight season after coming in below 267 the previous two. UC's 77.1 ppg marked its highest since 2001-02 and up 7.7 from Miller's first year. Landers Nolley II produced career-highs in every category en route to First-Team honors, while David DeJulius made the Third-Team for the second-straight year as he finished third nationally in assist-turnover ratio and third in UC single-season history with 192 assists. Cincinnati also broke its three-point records in each of his first two seasons.

The 2021-22 season saw Miller become the first UC coach to start his tenure 5-0, and the fifth win was a 71-51 dismantling of No. 14 Illinois in Kansas City. It marked the Bearcats' largest margin-of-victory over a ranked opponent since 2011. DeJulius earned Third-Team All-AAC honors as well. The team improved in many categories following its 12-11 campaign the year before, including its national rankings in turnovers per game (27 from 267) and field-goal defense (35 from 186) among many others. Not only that, UC set a program record in the fall semester with a 3.484 GPA, seeing nine student-athletes earn Dean's List accolades as well.

ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS

Miller has coached 24 All-Conference players over his career, including the below five from Cincinnati. UNCG's Isaiah Miller was a repeat Southern Conference Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021, while Tevon Saddler (2014) and Keyshaun Langley (2020) earned Freshman of the Year honors.

2024: Dan Skillings and Aziz Bandaogo (Big 12)
2023: Landers Nolley II and David DeJulius (AAC)
2022: David DeJulius (AAC)

NATIONALLY-PRAISED

Regarded as one of the top young coaches in college basketball, Miller built UNC Greensboro into perennial championship and NCAA Tournament contenders, was named as ESPN.com’s No. 1 Coach Under 40 in May 2020 and also was tabbed for The Athletic’s 40 Under 40 list a year ago. His 185-career wins going into the 2021-22 season also put him in the national lead for coaches under 40, ahead of LSU's Will Wade (177) and New Mexico's Richard Pitino (159).

Miller's collegiate head coach and mentor Roy Williams had high praise for his former player.

"Wes Miller is one of the most outstanding young coaches in our game and what he did at UNC Greensboro makes me believe he is THE most outstanding. As a player at North Carolina he came closer to reaching his full potential than any player I’ve ever coached. His energy, his determination, his intelligence and his care for young people convinces me that he will continue at that level. I am so happy for him and the University of Cincinnati Basketball program and I look forward to being in the stands!”

AT UNCG

• The Spartans all-time winningest head coach, Miller totaled 185 wins in 10 seasons with four Southern Conference Regular-Season Championships. Over the last five years, UNCG had five-straight 20-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament appearances, two NIT appearances, two Southern Conference Tournament Championships, 125 wins and 70-20 record in conference play.
• UNCG won 21 games during the 2020-21 season along with the SoCon regular season and tournament championship and earned its second NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
• The Spartans won 20 or more games in each of the last five seasons, including a program record 29 in 2018-19. Miller led UNCG to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2017-18 and 2020-21. 

AS AN ASSISTANT COACH

• Miller, who also spent the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach at UNCG, also spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Elon and High Point. Miller also ran his own basketball camps in Charlotte and Greensboro for two summers.

PLAYING DAYS

• In three seasons as a player at North Carolina under Coach 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.
• A fan favorite at UNC, Miller authored a book entitled The Road to Blue Heaven, which was published as a diary of his experiences as a North Carolina basketball player. 
• In addition to his success on the floor, Miller excelled off the court, earning ACC Academic Honor Roll recognition and the UNC Athletic Director’s Scholar Athlete-Award. He earned his degree in political science from North Carolina in 2007.
• Upon his graduation from North Carolina, Miller played one season of professional basketball for the London Capitals of the British Basketball League, where he averaged 19.6 points per game to rank eighth in the league.
• Miller was a prep standout at the New Hampton School in New Hampshire. He earned a scholarship to James Madison University, where he played one season before transferring to North Carolina to become a walk-on for Coach Williams’ squad.
 
Follow Coach Miller on Twitter @CoachWesMiller.

THE MILLER FILE
Born: Jan. 28, 1983
Hometown: Greensboro, N.C.
Education: North Carolina (B.S. 2007)
Year In Coaching: 14th
 
PLAYING CAREER
2002-03: James Madison
2004-07: North Carolina
2007-08: London Capitals (British Basketball League)
 
COACHING CAREER
2008-09: Elon – Assistant Coach
2009-10: High Point – Assistant Coach
2010-11: UNCG – Assistant Coach
2011: UNCG – Interim Head Coach
2011-21: UNCG – Head Coach
2021-: Cincinnati – Head Coach
 
CHAMPIONSHIPS
AS A PLAYER
2005: NCAA Championships (North Carolina)
 
AS A COACH
2017: Southern Conference (Regular Season)
2018: Southern Conference (Regular Season & Tournament)
2021: Southern Conference (Regular Season & Tournament)
 
NCAA Appearances: 2018, 2021
 
AWARDS
2012: Southern Conference Coach of the Year
2018: Southern Conference Coach of the Year
 
CAREER RECORD
AS AN ASSISTANT
2008-09: Elon – Assistant Coach (12-19)
2009-10: High Point – Assistant Coach (15-15)
2010-11: UNCG – Assistant Coach (7-24)
2011-12: UNCG – Assistant Coach (2-8)
 
AS A HEAD COACH
2011-12: UNCG – Interim Head Coach * (11-11)
2012-13: UNCG – Head Coach (9-22)
2013-14: UNCG – Head Coach (14-18)
2014-15: UNCG – Head Coach (11-22)
2015-16: UNCG – Head Coach (15-19)
2016-17: UNCG – Head Coach (25-9)
2017-18: UNCG – Head Coach (27-8)
2018-19: UNCG – Head Coach (29-7)
2019-20: UNCG – Head Coach (23-9)
2020-21: UNCG – Head Coach (21-9)
2021-22: Cincinnati – Head Coach (18-15)
2022-23: Cincinnati – Head Coach (23-13)
2023-24: Cincinnati – Head Coach (22-15)
                                                      
CAREER RECORD: 248-178 (.582)
 
* - Miller named Interim HC on Dec. 13, 2011
 

Thank you to the students who came out to @CoachWesMiller's open gym last night. Your support means everything to our program! ?? pic.twitter.com/gJdSVu1ISp

— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) February 3, 2022

Last night was special. Thanks to everyone who came out to Fifth Third for @CoachWesMiller's open gym! pic.twitter.com/H9sVpZfToA

— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) February 3, 2022

????

Congratulations, @CoachWesMiller! pic.twitter.com/09AKivB9TU

— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) January 30, 2022

It’s @Skyline_Chili night at Oscar Watch, with the special delivery by @CoachWesMiller!

These students are diehards! ?? pic.twitter.com/8cXIATsqVb

— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) December 9, 2021

The highest team GPA in program history. ??

??: https://t.co/Hs4RIQyxHS pic.twitter.com/tnWnX9ZULS

— Cincinnati Men’s Hoops (@GoBearcatsMBB) January 7, 2022