Archie Miller good at tuning out the noise

Dayton coach dealing with rumors regarding his future once again

The Dayton Flyers have reached the stretch run of a special season. How special will be determined in the coming weeks.

The Flyers are 20-5. Every game they win adds to a school record for career wins for the senior class. They share first place with Virginia Commonwealth in the Atlantic 10 at 11-2 with five games to play. They are not a lock for the NCAA Tournament but are on track to play in the big dance for the fourth straight season, a first in UD history.

The last thing coach Archie Miller wants to talk about three weeks before Selection Sunday is a rumor about his future, yet that’s the situation he finds himself in after his alma mater, North Carolina State, announced it will part ways with coach Mark Gottfried after this season.

Mark Armstrong, of ABC 11 in North Carolina, reported Monday N.C. State had already sent out "preliminary feelers" to Miller. Right after Armstrong's report, N.C. State AD Fred Demarest released a statement calling the report that N.C. State had reached out to anyone "incorrect" and "blatantly irresponsible."

Miller responded to that report for the first time Thursday at UD’s Cronin Center.

“I haven’t heard anything from anybody,” Miller said. “Not very many people talk to me at this time of year, other than my own family, and our coaching staff, our players and our recruits.”

Gottfried is 122-82 in six seasons at N.C. State. The Wolfpack reached the NCAA Tournament in his first four seasons but were 16-17 last season and are 14-13 this season.

Miller played at N.C. State from 1998-2002 and was an assistant coach there from 2004-06. He said it remains a special place for him.

“It’s a lot like our guys playing at Dayton,” Miller said. “The experience they have playing in front of tremendous fans, the experience they have going to school and all the great people around them who help them. I’m no different. I went to N.C State, played there, had a great experience. So many of those people have helped me along the way. As everybody else, you go into real life and as you get into real life, you go along your own path. That’s sort of where I am now.”

Miller was asked Thursday how he deals with the noise that comes with reports like that. He’s used to dealing with rumors after the season. This is the first time he has been linked to a job during the season. The Flyers are in the middle of preparing for a 2 p.m. game Saturday against St. Bonaventure at UD Arena.

“If I’m the best at anything, I’m the best at not dealing with anything but the task at hand,” Miller said. “My concern is our players. My concern is our practice habits. Those things keep you focused. There’s really not a lot to think about other than our group. You can’t ever take your eyes off that prize. We’ll try to put them in a situation Saturday where they can be at their best.”

Hall of Fame induction: Former Dayton Flyers star Brian Roberts will be inducted into the UD Hall of Fame on Saturday along with three other former Flyers: Faye Barhorst Barlage (volleyball), Walt DeAnna (hockey) and Erin Showalter Justice (soccer). They will be honored at halftime of Dayton's game against St. Bonaventure.

Roberts played for the Flyers from 2004-08 and is the fourth-leading scorer in school history (1,962 points). He’s in his fifth season in the NBA and in his second stint with the Charlotte Hornets. He has appeared in 20 games this season, averaging 2.6 points in 7.3 minutes per game.


SATURDAY’S GAME

St. Bonaventure at Dayton, 2 p.m., NBC Sports Network, FM 95.7, AM 1290 WHIO

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