Miller will take over a program that finished 29-4 last season, winning the Region 8-AAA title before having its postseason cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Charlie Leonard, Houston's previous coach, announced his retirement from coaching.
"This
year, we were 29-4 and we’ve done it with super kids and super players," Leonard told Varlas.
"We have a program that’s the envy of everybody in Memphis. When people
start taking shots at you, you know you’re doing things right. And now I
can hand it off to the next guy, look him in the eye and say, 'The
program’s in great shape. Don’t screw it up.'"
Miller won a pair of NBA titles as a player with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, spending a total of 17 seasons in the league with seven different teams.
He is a high school legend in South Dakota, where he became the first player ever from that state to be selected for the McDonald's All-American Game in 1998. An annual showcase event held in his hometown of Mitchell as well as Sioux Falls carried his name (the "Mike Miller Classic") as recently as 2017.
For the last two years, Miller has been an assistant at the University of Memphis under head coach Penny Hardaway.
The move will allow Miller to coach his son,
Mason Miller, for his senior year of high school basketball next season. Mason is regarded as the No. 60 overall prospect in the Class of 2021, leading a strong returning group for the Mustangs.
Houston is expected to play a tough national schedule that is headlined by a trip to Fort Myers, Fla., for the City of Palms Classic in December.
Mason Miller is regarded as a Top 100 prospect in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports.
Photo by Chris Evans
