By Steve Klamkin WPRO News

Archie Miller was introduced as the University of Rhode Island’s 21st men’s basketball coach on Monday, just over a year since he was fired as head coach at Indiana University.

Miller said he was “beyond excited” to join URI.

“This is a championship caliber program,” Miller said. “This is a program that can advance in March. The reason I say that is it’s been done numerous times.”

Miller signed a five-year contract, worth a reported, $8.5 million. URI head basketball coaches are traditionally the highest paid state workers.

“It’s market value, right?” said Gov. Dan McKee who attended Miller’s introduction and spoke with reporters afterward.

“That’s what you have to do, you want to compete, we want to be the best that we can be”

“The market sets the level and you have to meet the market,” McKee said.

Miller was introduced just days after URI fired David Cox as coach on Friday, who compiled 64 wins and 55 losses over four seasons, finishing the 2021-22 campaign with a record of 15 wins and 16 losses.

Miller’s record at Indiana was 67-58, but the team did not advance to the NCAA Tournament during his four seasons there. In its announcement, URI focused on his previous coaching stint at Dayton, including four straight NCAA appearances drom 2014 to 2017, and winning recognition as Coach of the Year in 2017.

Miller said he had visited Rhode Island four or five times before as an opposing coach, and said the team’s arena helped convince him to accept the job.

“The Ryan Center’s a spectacular place,” Miller said. “I know that Newport’s great, the area is the ocean, it’s got a lot of stuff to sell but my reference as a basketball coach is … where do we play?… and the Ryan Center is terrific.”