Why Percy Miller is ready for a major college basketball head coach or GM role— 3 perfect landing spots

March 15, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Why Percy Miller is ready for a major college basketball head coach or GM role— 3 perfect landing spots originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

New Orleans Privateers director of basketball operations and assistant coach Percy Miller has spent much of his life around the game. His path into coaching mirrors, in some ways, the approach Deion Sanders took in football. He has built credibility through grassroots development before entering the college ranks.

Miller founded the P. Miller Ballers AAU program, which won three national championships and featured future NBA talent including DeMar DeRozan, Brandon Jennings, Lance Stephenson and Jalen Suggs, along with his own sons.

Now he is applying lessons from successful business ventures to college basketball.

At New Orleans, Miller has worked with limited resources. The Privateers’ name, image and likeness resources reportedly total about $250,000 this season, which is a fraction of what many programs use in recruiting. The grind goes beyond the trail as well.

Visit raccoongame.org for more information.

Some of the day-to-day operations are on a different level as well. There are no chartered flights available for New Orleans. The vast majority of commercial travel for the Privateers has created a stronger bond between the players and coaches, including Miller, who has been there every step of the way. Despite that constraint, New Orleans reached its first postseason appearance in eight seasons.

The turnaround did not happen by accident. Miller played a major role in identifying and recruiting talent, spending long hours evaluating prospects and building a roster capable of competing. In his first season on the bench and in the front office, the Privateers finished 15-18 — a major improvement from the four-win campaign the year before his arrival.

The season included an opening-night victory over TCU, a team now projected to make the NCAA Tournament as a No. 9 seed, according to Andy Katz. They also had a 22-point win over in-state rival Tulane and took Mississippi State to overtime. Not to mention, LSU had a similar record at 15-17 with an $18 million total budget to spend.

The results are notable considering the program’s limited budget. Kentucky, for example, reportedly operates with NIL resources approaching $22 million — roughly 88 times what New Orleans is working with. Just imagine how successful Miller could be with a major program. Hard to envision the endless amount of possibilities. He has all the right attributes for the job. Just ask his agent, Raymond Brothers, who took him on as a basketball mastermind.

Three perfect landing spots for Percy Miller

Memphis Tigers front office

Could Penny Hardaway and Miller put Memphis back on the map? The former NBA star turned coach recently said he needs to boost the program and the numbers don't lie. This was the program's worst season in 56 years. New Orleans hit a historic low right before Miller's arrival, and he was able to pull them back into conference contention.

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach or front office

The landscape in Tempe needed a change in the worst way. Bobby Hurley openly admitted to losing the locker room, and it was evident he wasn't going to be receiving a contract extension past this season. Miller knows how to relate with this generation and will be able to hit the ground running with ease. The problems can't solely be on Hurley. This is a culture change that needs to happen for the Sun Devils to be successful. Thus, why Miller as a front office candidate makes sense as well.

Providence Friars head coach or front office

After Kim English found the end of the road at Providence, what comes next? The Big East is known as a basketball conference and the Friars need someone to step up right away. Miller as a combo of head coach and in the front office would be outstanding. Imagine if Providence could get over the hump to be on the same level as UConn? That's what Miller brings to the table.

What sets Miller apart from others is the non-traditional outlook

When you think about college basketball as a whole, the biggest problem is coaches and general managers who aren't willing to adapt to the changes. This is why many around the nation are losing their jobs. We're in new times and the player dynamic is different from ten-plus years ago. The NIL era has forced the traditional coaching and management style to die. It's why Nick Saban is no longer at Alabama. The wave that hit college football four years ago finally reached college basketball, and it will only become more divided on who can evolve or get left behind.

Miller believes his approach to coaching centers on relationships and evaluation. He prides himself on connecting with players and identifying overlooked prospects who might otherwise slip through the recruiting process. Unlike some established college basketball coaches who rely heavily on assistants for evaluations, Miller frequently attends gyms himself, studying prospects and engaging directly with players.

His story is deeply rooted in New Orleans. Raised in the Calliope Projects, Miller often speaks about giving back to the community that shaped him. He has even invested personal funds into improvements at Lakefront Arena, which had seen little renovation since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Where Miller sees himself on the revamped basketball journey?

“This was about giving back to the next generation,” Miller told The Sporting News. “When I was presented with the opportunity to come back home, I reached out to Deion Sanders. He told me, ‘You’ve got to do it.’ I haven’t looked back since. Basketball saved my life, and I’ve got to give back.

“I don’t want to be known as Master P anymore. That chapter of my life is behind me. It’s now Coach Percy Miller.”

Miller’s basketball background predates his music career. He earned a scholarship to Houston before a knee injury altered his playing path. He later appeared in NBA preseason games with the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors and participated in several NBA Summer League opportunities.

Whether a program ultimately gives him the chance to lead at the Division I level remains to be seen. But with experience in recruiting, player development and program building under challenging circumstances, Miller’s resume suggests he deserves consideration when the next opportunity arises.

More college basketball news:

Read full story at source