With the announcement that head men’s basketball coach Mike Miller’s contract would not be renewed, some players have already voiced their reactions.

Red-shirt junior James Hollowell, one of the players originally recruited by Miller, said he was disappointed in the decision.

“I was pretty upset, disappointed,” he said. “I mean, Miller brought me in here. Me and him, over the course of my four years, we grew a close bond with each other.”

Red-shirt seniors LC Doss and Nick McFarlin each said they were disappointed with the way the season ended and with Miller’s contract not being renewed.

 “It’s not the way we wanted to go out, missing the tournament and having our coach get fired,” Doss said.

McFarlin acknowledged the rumors that Miller might be let go at the end of the season and said the team had been struggling all season.

“Obviously we had been hearing rumors of him not coming back or not having his contract renewed and stuff like that,” he said.

Hollowell said though he was disappointed, he had a lingering feeling that it might come to this for Miller.

“I was pretty disappointed, but at the same time, you kind of had a feeling in the back of your mind, you can’t help but think that this is going to happen,” he said. “Dealing in the sports industry and the college industry, the emphasis is on winning, so I kind of had it in the back of my mind, but I just didn’t really accept it until today. It’s been kind of tough just trying to put it in perspective, really what happened.”

Despite the absence of a head coach, both Doss and McFarlin both said with the right direction, the Panthers can be a great team.

McFarlin said with the amount of returning players the Panthers have, the team should be in good shape for next season. 

“I think the team could be good,” he said. “As long as those guys just keep working hard, I know the off-season’s right around the corner, they’ll have quite a few returning guys back, so they get a new coach in here and get things headed in the right direction.”

Still one question mark for the team’s future is the status of freshman guard Joey Miller, the son of the now former head coach Mike Miller. Doss said he hadn’t heard from Joey, but thinks he’s a good player, who, even if he doesn’t return to Charleston, will land at a good school.

“I actually haven’t had the chance to talk to Joey (Miller), but he’s a good player, I’m sure he’ll wind up at a good school,” Doss said.

Hollowell said with Miller also being Joey’s dad, it puts him in a particularly tough spot.

“It’s a tough situation for Joey. For everybody else, that’s our coach, but that’s his dad, so I’m sure he’s in a tough spot right now,” he said. “If he wants to come back, we’re going to embrace him. We’re not going to treat him any differently. If he comes back or if he leaves, he’s still going to be a friend of ours. I’m just trying to support him and his family right now.”

The Eastern athletic department said in a press release that it will not have any further comments on its men’s basketball coaching position at this time. According to the press release, a national search for Miller’s replacement is already underway.

Dominic Renzetti can be reached at 581-7942 or dcrenzetti@eiu.edu.