UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma
On watching Curt Miller evolve from assistant coach at Syracuse to head coach at Bowling Green:
“He was young like we all were at one time and you knew he was going to be good at whatever level he coached at. When he went to Bowling Green, I wasn’t surprised and neither was anyone else with the success he had there. Not just in his own league, but beating the bigger schools and getting to the NCAA tournament and building a program. All those things at schools like that are not easy. You have to recruit the right kind of kid and be a really good coach. I think everybody recognized at that point that he was one of the best young coaches in the country.”
On what makes Miller successful:
“I just think he deals with players really well. He gets them to commit to a certain style of play. There’s a little bit of variety in his system of play. I think it makes players better and I think that is something that I’ve always been impressed with and I think that is something that is going to help him in the WNBA. He makes players better. The Sun have a young roster. He’s a great teacher and I think that is going to be a good match between him and the young players on the roster.”
Los Angeles Sparks head coach Brian Agler
“He is extremely hard working, extremely focused and competitive. He has a system and he believes in it and he knows how to coach it. It’s been proven to be successful and I think it will carry over into this league. A big part of coaching is really selling what you are doing and believing in what you are doing and knowing how to coach it. And he definitely can do that.”
New Mexico Athletic Director Paul Krebbs
On watching Miller develop at Bowling Green, where Krebbs was the athletic director:
“I’ve always felt like Curt was and is an outstanding coach. He’s hard working, he’s passionate about the sport of basketball, he’s very caring and nurturing with the player, and in my mind, he kind of maximizes the players’ potential. He gets the most out of his players through great technical ability, and caring with the players. I think he will do a great job.
“He was really good at relating to the players. Developing them and challenging them. I thought he was a nice combination of toughness and tenacity, and caring. He had a really great relationship with his players but could be demanding. We did great things at Bowling Green.”
DePaul women’s basketball coach Doug Bruno
“Curt did a great job at Bowling Green and the success there would not have happened without the leadership of Curt Miller. He did a great job of assembling talent. He did a great job of coaching on both sides of the ball. Curt Miller-coached teams are always very strong and efficient offensively. When you think of coach Miller, you think of his ability to get good shots for his players.
“He’s one of those coaches who understands the importance of relations hips with each and every player. Sometimes, with intercollegiate women’s basketball, unless you’re at the Final Four, people don’t realize there are a lot of really great coaches out there. Curt is one of those coaches. Had he been able to get the level of talent at Bowling Green that some of the more prestigious name schools get, you would have seen Curt coach for a national championship.”
Xavier Athletic Director Greg Christopher
“Quite simply, Curt Miller is a terrific basketball coach. A great mind for the game and a masterful motivator. Curt is a winner and will have the Sun moving in the right direction quickly.”
Xavier assistant women’s basketball coach Kate Achter, who played for Miller at Bowling Green
“Connecticut Sun fans should be very excited about this hire. Curt is one of the best basketball minds in the game. The style of play he brings will excite an already passionate fan base – I couldn’t be more happy for him.”