In watching the University of Dayton closely over the Archie Miller years, I formed quite a few opinions/perspectives on his coaching and his teams.
1. It appeared, albeit just the UD sample, that his teams got better throughout the year. Mixed results at Indiana. But, certainly, last year they got better.
2. He emphasized team over individual play. Check, same at IU. But one could discuss the Romeo situation and make a case otherwise.
3. He was flexible relative to the personnel that he had in each season and made adjustments during games. Not too sure about this at Indiana. One could look at the performance and make a case that if he makes adjustments, that they are not really effective. But, one should acknowledge that injuries to Phin, Romeo, TJD, others played a large part in reducing alternatives with the already short bench.
4. He really did recruit ballers at UD. Well, this has been kind of mixed at Indiana. Where are the players that refuse to lose?
5. The cupboard was bare when he came in to UD. The cupboard was similarly stressed if not bare when he came in to Indiana.
6. The support in the state of Ohio and especially in the greater Dayton area is topnotch. There was a lot of baggage at Indiana. Recruiting was uphill for Archie but Indiana is a draw inside the state if you respect the high schools, etc.
7. Coach did not oversell preseason and didn't B. S. everyone. Still doesn't overhype. Straight shooter, mostly.
8. Exceeded expectations at UD from early in the season to post-season. Has not exceeded expectations at Indiana, to say the least.
9. At UD coach got more from the team than the sum of the players. Not so at IU.
10. Archie Miller emphasizes good point guard play....got good ones at UD. Uhm...how to say this? Archie did not want to bring the PG recruit from UD to IU. So, the first year was a struggle. And then freshman Rob Phinesee was up against the best of the B1G. And he got hurt, then hurt again. Where are the ball handlers? The assist makers? The shooters?
11. UD capitalized on free throws. Indiana hasn't lately; but, coach is clearly not happy about this.
12. At UD, coach had a meeting with the team and laid it all out. It was up to them to perform like a winning team. They did. At IU it just hasn't clicked. Some cite chemistry, compatibility, favoritism, OID vs 3 or 4 year players, locker room disfunction that spills onto the floor, floor leadership, coaching. Deal with it, coach.
I am an Archie Miller fan. But, he needs to put the team in position to win big. Rob Phinesee and the other guards are one key. If Rob cannot play like the best PG in the B1G this season, then coach has to do something about that. Has to. He already may have by recruiting Lander. That goes for shooting, too. And speeding up the offense. And wins. B1G is going to be really tough. Well, isn't that true every. single. year? The other key is coaching.
I hope that the transition from UD to IU and coach's learning curve issues are behind him and us. This freshman platoon looks good, really good. Phin, good luck, best wishes, will do his best, I know. And the team really looks like they enjoy playing. I have loads of hope for this team. If the guards step up, then the rest of the team may really have an opportunity.
