Now the former Tar Heels guard is a coach, working as an assistant on Ernie Nestor's staff at Elon.

Miller, who joined the Phoenix program in June, quickly discovered that he likes to recruit and said he especially "enjoys" on-court work with players.

He arrived at Elon with a strong basketball education, having studied the style and methods of Hall-of-Fame UNC coach Roy Williams.

Asked what he would take from his coach, Miller said he hopes to incorporate the "passion, enthusiasm and competitiveness" that he saw in Williams.

"Another thing is the way he cares about his guys,'' Miller added. "He genuinely cares about them. I hope I will [always do] that."

Miller transferred to UNC from James Madison and became a significant contributor and fan favorite.

His assists-to-turnover ratio (2.67-1) ranks as the best in the past 25 years among Carolina players who dished out at least 100 assists.

He also posted a career 39.7 shooting percentage from 3-point range, won UNC's defensive player-of-the-game award 16 times, and garnered the club's Scholar-Athlete Award last year.

All the while, Miller was preparing to coach, which he has dreamed about doing "as long as I can remember."

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