Greensboro-native Wes Miller has been announced as the new head coach at Charlotte. Miller had spent the last five seasons at Cincinnati following a very successful tenure at UNC Greensboro that included four SoCon titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances.
“Wes Miller is a proven leader with a deep understanding of the game and strong ties to basketball in our state,” said AD Kevin White. “Throughout this process, what stood out most was his passion, competitive energy, and clear vision for building a championship culture here at Charlotte. He embodies the toughness, resilience, and commitment to the total student-athlete experience that we value, and he understands the opportunity we have to build something special for our university and our city. Charlotte Basketball has a proud history and tremendous potential, and with Wes leading our program, I am confident we will return to consistently competing for conference championships and postseason appearances.”
Miller played for Roy Williams at North Carolina, notably working his way up from walk-on to starter and winning a National Championship with the Tar Heels in 2005. Prior to his Cincinnati tenure, Miller had spent his entire coaching career in his home state. He started with assistant roles at Elon and High Point before arriving at UNCG.
He was elevated to interim head coach in 2011 at just 28 years old and quickly turned that season around – after starting out 2-14 (0-4), the Spartans went on to win 10 of their last 14 games to earn a share of the SoCon North title. Miller would coach the team for the next nine full seasons, ending on a streak of five-straight 21+ win seasons that included trips to the Big Dance in 2018 and 2021.
While his time in Cincinnati wasn’t quite as successful, he did leave with an overall winning record (100-74) and three postseason appearances (2 NIT and 1 CBC). This move marks a return to the Tar Heel State and Charlotte campus located just about an hour and half drive from where he grew up.
“I’m incredibly honored to lead the Charlotte Basketball program,” Miller said in the release. “This is a university with tremendous momentum, a passionate city behind it, and deep basketball roots in the state of North Carolina. From the moment I began talking with Kevin White and Chancellor Gaber, it was clear there is a shared vision to build a program defined by toughness, passion, and relentless energy. We’re going to pour everything we have into developing our student-athletes, competing at the highest level, and building a team that our campus and this city are proud to rally around. The foundation is here for something special, and I can’t wait to get to work because Charlotte’s stock is rising.”
Charlotte parted ways with previous head coach Aaron Fearne after three seasons earlier this month. Fearne had been a coach in his native Australia for many years before arriving at the school in 2018 to be an assistant coach under Ron Sanchez. He wasn’t able to build off his predecessor’s success and finished his tenure with a 47-51 overall record and zero postseason appearances.
credit to Charlotte Athletics for the image