Miller hired as head boys' basketball coach at Hamilton County

It's a decision that is never easy, but one Doug Miller had to make.

The Hamilton County alum and native had an opportunity to go back home, but it meant leaving the one place he's called and considered home for the better part of six years.

On Wednesday morning at 1:15 a.m., Miller's decision was made a little easier for him when he was hired by the Hamilton County school board to become the Foxes new head men's basketball coach.

Miller has spent the last four years at Gallatin County High School, compiling a record of 69-45 with a winning percentage of .652 and has one regional win to go along with three Greater Egyptian Conference Tournament titles.

Miller, replaces Jeremy Varner, who in three years was 17-64 with his best season being this past year when the Foxes were 7-16 overall.

Miller also becomes Hamilton County's third coach in the last seven years after the school parted ways with longtime coach Curt Reed following the 2010-2011 season.

Miller played for Reed and then McLeansboro High School from 1988-1992 and said despite the circumstances, is looking forward to bringing back some life into the Hamilton County basketball program, which hasn't had a winning season since 2009-2010 when the Foxes finished 16-14.

"One of the things they asked me in my interview was why I wanted to come to Hamilton County," Miller said. "They knew I was going to have a chance to win 20-plus games at Gallatin County next year be one of the better 1A teams in the south and my answer  was pretty simple: A) I wanted to be the guy that brings the program back to the status we once had and B) my kids, Addison, Jordan and Miley. This job and new position, will give me a chance to see my wife and kids more and at this point in my career, that's something that is really important to me."

Miller got his coaching start at Thompsonville in 1998 and three years later, left for Norris City-Omaha-Enfield, where he coached for eight years. When Miller came to Gallatin County in the 2012-2013 season, he called it one of the best decisions he ever made.

In his time at Gallatin County, Miller and the Hawks took fourth place in the Eldorado Holiday Tournament in 2016 and last season he was named 1A IBCA Coach Of The Year. This past season he won his 200th career game.

"For the first time in my career, it felt like home. I had the right kind of player that I could coach. They were guys that were hard-nosed and blue collar. They loved to overachieve and I'm going to miss this school. I've had so many great assistant coaches, players and this community as a whole is something I will never forget."

Michael Dann covers prep and college sports for the Southern Illinois Local Media News Group. Follow him on Twitter: @spydieshooter.