The Eastern athletic department announced Thursday afternoon that men’s head basketball coach Mike Miller signed a one-year contract extension until the 2009-2010 basketball season.

Miller said he and athletic director Barbara Burke began talking about the extension about seven days ago.

“We believe in what we are doing here and through our administration including Barbara, and (President Bill) Perry and (Dan Nadler, the vice president for student affairs) everyone believes in what we are doing,” Miller said. “As coaches and as a team, we feel we are doing things the right way. A lot of times success comes when you are doing the right thing, and I think that’s what we are doing.”

Miller said the team has had some success this season, and although they have some ways to go he said they are moving in the right direction. Miller is 33-74 overall and 24-47 in the Ohio Valley Conference in his Eastern career. The Panthers are currently 10-11 and are in fourth place in the OVC with a record of 7-4 with seven games remaining.

Nadler said there was no salary increase with the contract extension.

The seven OVC wins match the highest conference win total since the 2003 season.

This is Miller’s fourth year with the team and senior forward Billy Parrish is the only remaining recruit of former head coach Rick Samuels. The Panthers have eight first year players on this year’s team including four freshmen and four transfers.

This has been the second time Miller’s contract has been extended. It was extended after the 2005-2006 season after he went 6-21.

In a press release, Burke said Eastern is excited to grant Miller the extension.

“It is important that we provide stability for our program to continue to make progress and be successful,” Burke said. “He has demonstrated a commitment to our program and we appreciate his positive attitude and the direction that the program is headed.”

Freshman guard Jeremy Granger said he is glad Miller will be his coach next season.

“I think coach is a great coach, (because) he just makes you better,” Granger said. “This is the coach that I came here with, and this is the coach I want to stay here with so I am glad he got the one year extension.”

Sophomore guard Tyler Laser said he is happy Eastern re-signed Miller.

“He is a good recruiter,” Laser said. “He has brought good players in here. It is hard to get eight new guys and try to teach them what we are trying to do and have them show progress out of that. He has done a good job getting a group of guys that have one common goal.”

Miller was able to do this despite five seniors graduating last season. Also then-junior guard Mike Robinson transferred to Lewis to play basketball during the middle of the season.

Miller also dealt with then-sophomore forward Justin Brock transferring to Quincy University after the season was completed to play basketball.

Then red-shirt freshman guard Brandon D’Amico transferred to Cardinal Stritch to play basketball during the middle of last season. Then-sophomore forward Bobby Jolliff also transferred to Huntington University in Huntington, Ind., to play basketball at the NAIA school.

Miller came to Eastern in March 2005 after serving as the associate head coach at Kansas State.

Prior to Kansas State he was the head coach at Texas State taking the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 and winning the conference title during the 1999 campaign.

He was also an assistant coach from Sam Houston State and Western Illinois.

Miller is a 1987 graduate of East Texas State.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or at dscusack@eiu.edu.

Eastern men’s basketball coach Mike Miller talks to some of his players during the Eastern men’s basketball game on Jan. 15 game against Eastern Kentucky in Lantz Arena. Eastern athletic director Barbara Burke announced Thursday afternoon that Miller’s co

(more…)