It's Miller Time

You may notice I don't post about the school where I work much. I work at UNCG and am a season ticket holder for men's basketball, but despite seeing that program live more than any other team I follow, I remain silent by design. Why? To some degree, I'm too close to the situation. I work closely with the folks in Athletics, I co-advise the now-resurgent student spirit group, and every now and again I may even be privy to some sensitive information. Moreover though, I make it a point not to badmouth my employer or our students, and I don't think I'm overstepping my bounds to say that until recently, on the subject of men's hoops, there wasn't much to say that wouldn't be construed as such.

Back in December, the Spartans and then-Coach Mike Dement parted ways. Assistant Coach Wes Miller became the interim head coach, and in doing so, became the youngest coach in Division I at 28 years old. Prior to the change, the Spartans had two wins on the season: One against D-II UNC Pembroke, and one that fed the losing streak that Towson only recently broke. While it took Coach Miller a few games to get his legs under him--and, admittedly, a couple of those were games we had no business winning anyway--the Spartans are currently riding a seven game win streak, including five straight at home in the Greensboro Coliseum. While it's not over, and not quite a worst-to-first tale, the Spartans are sitting atop the Southern Conference's Northern Division under Miller's leadership. Watching the team, they have a new energy about them, and attending Spartan games is far less of a funeral and far more of a party. Time will tell if this holds up, or if Miller will be invited to remove the "interim" tag from his title, but right now there is more excitement surrounding Spartan basketball than I've ever seen.

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