Coach Mike Miller enters into his fifth season at the helm of a burgeoning men's basketball program. The program has grown in rebounds and slam dunks from its rocky start in 2005 turning out two OVC Freshman of the Year athletes, top-ranked OVC recruiting classes and two OVC Conference Tournament appearances.

We sat down with Coach Miller to see what makes him love the sport that has been a part of his life for decades.

When did you first latch onto basketball?

Growing up in Monmouth, Ill., basketball practices, games, and tournaments held a constant presence in young Miller's life. “I played the YMCA league circuit for years and then continued playing for Monmouth High School. There I got my first taste of understanding the expectations of success. During my high school years, our team lost only nine times and had a 31-3 record my senior year.”

During his senior year season in 1982 the Monmouth team played in the state championships, which coincidentally aired on WGN. With WGN's wide-reaching viewing audience, the broadcast brought Miller's hoops talent to the attention of the coaching staff at East Texas State.

The program's rough and tumble coaching methods – the men wore weighted shoes to condition their jumping muscles during practices – elevated Miller's play. The team would go on to win the Lone Star Conference championships in 1984.

How did your path lead you to EIU?

After graduating from East Texas State, Miller was faced with the common debacle of what's next? A position opened at Cistercian Preparatory School near Dallas, Texas. Throughout his tenure there, he learned to enjoy the practice and preparation most and thrived on the moments where it all “clicked.”

“When I see an athlete that has that identifiable bounce in their step that comes when they make a leap in skill progression, it makes it all worth it,” Miller shares.

After Cistercian, Miller headed to Western Illinois for a position as the third assistant, to Sam Houston State and then to Southwest Texas State, now Texas State. At the time of his arrival in San Marcos, Texas, the program had never had a winning season. All that was about to change.

During the nine years Miller coached the program, he rose through the ranks as his team did. In his fourth season, at 29 years of age, he was named head coach, at that time amongst the youngest Division I head coaches in the country.

The team moved from a meager existence to a force to be reckoned with, culminating with a 1997 NCAA appearance after a Southland Conference Tournament Championship.

Following Texas State's rise to Division I prominence, Miller left the program to pursue an associate head coaching experience at Kansas State, a nationally-ranked Top 15 program.

“I'll never forget my first taste of what Kansas State basketball was like. I was in the San Antonio Airport waiting for a delayed flight and called the (head) coach to let him know I'd be late. He told me to stand by the pay phone and wait for his call. A few minutes later, the phone rang. His instructions were for me to hang in there and that the Kansas State plane would be there in about an hour to bring me to the university. Sure enough, a plane with Kansas State branding wrapped entirely around it landed about an hour later.”

While at Kansas State, Miller's recruiting prowess proved invaluable as he brought three straight Top 25 recruiting classes to the university. His 2002 class was rated No. 1.

When the opportunity to take over the Eastern Illinois University program arose, Miller jumped. Given his roots in the Midwest, it was the perfect opportunity to leverage his connections to the betterment of the Panthers.

What game first comes to mind as the one where you were on the edge of your seat?

“The 1997 Texas State game versus Louisiana Monroe to earn the right to play in the NCAA Tournament was amazing. Everything clicked and all the things we'd rehearsed over and over fell into place. The thing I remember was that we won the game in a way that we could all be proud of. We played fundamentally solid basketball.”

Choose ONE element of coaching that you could only do for the rest of your coaching tenure.

“The amazing thing about coaching is that the one thing you get into the profession to do – coaching – is the thing that you get to do the least. There are few hours, between the trip planning, recruiting, game preparation, and so on, that are left to pure coaching.

If I did pick just one facet, it would be the preparation: the details and rehearsals that lead up to the ability to perform.”

Who would you say your mentor is?

“I have learned so much from so many people. I'm very fortunate to have had many great coaches and administrators help me.”

Getting to know Mike Miller in seven questions:

- Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston: Jennifer Aniston. (Laughs.) Man, you're going to get me in trouble.

- Favorite commercial: I don't watch too many commercials, mostly just ESPN or the Movie Channel.

- What are you allergic to? Quitting.

- Do you like Sushi? NO! Makes me think of food poisoning…

- Top three entertainment releases: The Sopranos, Band of Brothers, and the Edge of Darkness

- Have you ever sung in front of the mirror? No.

- Dream job: Supervisor of officials… you're always right!