Brooks Miller Named Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach
5/1/2025 10:39:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Miller joins Andy Bronkema’s Central Michigan men’s basketball staff as its Associate Head Men’s Coach.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich.—Coming off a 14-year tenure that included a national championship at Trine, Brooks Miller has been named the Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach at Central Michigan University, Head Coach Andy Bronkema announced on Thursday.
Miller joins the Central Michigan men's basketball program with 21 overall years of coaching experience including serving as the head coach at Trine from 2011-25. Miller guided the Thunder to the 2023-24 NCAA Division III national championship, three Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association regular season titles (2019, 2021, and 2024), one MIAA tournament title (2021), one undefeated season (17-0), and a combined 247-121 overall record and 142-73 MIAA record. For his efforts, he was twice named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year (2020-21 and 2023-24) and 2020-21 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.
"Brooks is one of the brightest minds in college basketball," Bronkema said. "His energy and passion are contagious. Coach Miller always puts people and players first and that approach has helped add national champion and national coach of the year to his resume. Brooks is known for his defensive system, and we look forward to utilizing those principles. I am thrilled that the Miller family believes in the vision we have for Central Michigan. They will be great members of the Mount Pleasant community."
"Andy is a winner plain and simple," Miller said. "We have spent countless hours over the years discussing what we feel it takes to give our players the best chance at success each and every day. I will work relentlessly to assist him in executing his vision of bringing a MAC championship to Mount Pleasant. My family and I are thankful and excited to be joining the Chippewa community!"
Miller's career at Trine has been highlighted by being named the 2020-21 NCAA D3 National Coach of the Year by both Hoopdirt.com/Just Play Sports Solutions and Basketball Times Magazine. In March 2024, Miller was again named NCAA DIII National Coach of the Year for the second time receiving those accolades from D3Hoops.com, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), as well as being named the Glenn Robinson CollegeInsider.com National Coach of the Year for NCAA DIII.
In Miller's tenure, Trine was the only MIAA program to finish in the top four in the conference in each of his 14 seasons years and have had 15 First Team All-MIAA members with 21 total selections. The list includes three MIAA MVP's Nick Bowman, Pete Smith, and Ian Jackson. Five players have received All-American recognition under Miller's guidance as well including Emmanuel Megnanglo, Cortez Garland, Nick Bowman, Jared Holmquist, and Ian Jackson. Jackson was named third-team All-American by the NABC in 2013. In 2016 senior Jared Holmquist was named the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year and DIII News National Player of the Month for November. Jared was also a two-time First Team All-MIAA performer. The Thunder have had four players named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year including Emmanuel Megnanglo in 2021 and 2024, Marcus Winters in 2019, Maurice Hunter 2018, and Ellis Cummings in 2017. Will Dixon is the lone Thunder player during Miller's tenure to be named First Team All-MIAA on three separate occasions and leads a list of nine players that have scored over 1,000 points during their Trine careers with 1,799 points.
His final 2024-25 squad finished with a 21-5 record, marking the third consecutive season that the program has surpassed the 20-win mark, fifth straight year where the Thunder made an appearance in the D3Hoops.com top-25 and four consecutive year ranked in the top-10.
The 2023-24 Trine national championship team included a record five All-MIAA performers including D3hoops.com Fifth Team All-American Cortez Garland. Cortez became the fourth player to earn All-America honors during Coach Miller's tenure at Trine. Emmanuel Megnanglo was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in 2024. Both Cortez and his brother Fred Garland were named to the MIAA's First Team, while Aidan Smylie & Brent Cox were tabbed as Second Team All-MIAA performers. Cox's recognition marks the third time he received All-MIAA accolades throughout his highly decorated career as he was named First Team in both 2021 and 2023.
In 2021-22, the Thunder posted an 18-9 overall record for the season and saw them appear as high as No. 7 in the D3hoops.com national poll. Trine's 10-4 MIAA mark was good enough for a third place finish and included having three players named to All-MIAA teams: Nick Bowman (second straight First Team All-MIAA honor) and Bryce Williams and Mitch Geller both received Second Team recognition.
The 2020-21 team completed its regular season undefeated at 17-0 with a 15-0 record versus MIAA opponents which led to the Thunder being crowned the MIAA regular season and MIAA Tournament Champions for the first time in school history. The 2021 season also saw the Thunder climb as high as number two in the D3Hoops.com National poll which earned them a postseason contest against the top-ranked Randolph Macon College in Virginia for the D3Hoops.com poll Championship. Although the Thunder came up short in that contest they finished the season ranked number six nationally and completed the year with a 17-1 overall record. The 2020-21 Trine squad was a highly decorated group with junior Nick Bowman being recognized by both D3Hoops.com & Basketball Times Magazine as a First Team All-American. Bowman was also named the Great Lakes Region Player of Year by D3Hoops.com as well as being named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player. Freshman Emmanuel Megnanglo was voted as the MIAA Defensive Player of Year, sophomore Brent Cox also garnered First Team All-MIAA accolades, while junior Bryce Williams rounded out the group claiming Second Team All-MIAA honors. Trine's 2019 MIAA title was the school's first-ever MIAA regular season championship and marked the first outright MIAA title by school other than Hope or Calvin since 2005. The team was led by senior Pete Smith who was named the MIAA's MVP as well as Marcus Winters who would earn the MIAA's Defensive Player of the Year award.
Prior to becoming a head coach at Trine, Miller worked as an assistant men's basketball coach under three Hall of Fame coaches that amassed seven combined national championships. His first collegiate coaching stop was working for his college coach, BCAM Hall of Fame coach Ed Douma (one national title), who he previously played for at Hillsdale. In 2007, his career took him to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he served as a graduate assistant coach on Naismith Hall of Famer Bob Knight (three national titles) and was involved with on-campus recruiting and player development in. In 2009, he became the Head Assistant Men's Basketball coach and national recruiting coordinator at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas on Junior College Hall of Famer Steve Green (three national titles). While at South Plains, Miller coached and/or recruited nine players that would transfer on to NCAA Division I universities.
Miller's basketball career began when he was a player at Toledo and then later at Hillsdale College (Mich.). At Hillsdale as a senior in 2003, Miller was selected team captain, Academic All-Conference, and his team's Defensive Player of the Year. Hillsdale reached the NCAA Division II national tournament in back-to-back years for the first time in school history during Miller's sophomore and junior seasons in 2001 and 2002.
Miller relocates to Mount Pleasant with his wife Gretchen and two children Champ and Jordan, and dog Rambo.
THE MILLER FILE
Date announced as CMU Associate Head Coach: May 1, 2025
Hometown: Metamora, Ohio.
Family: wife Gretchen, son Champ and daughter Jordan, dog Rambo
Education
Bachelor of Science, Education, Hillsdale College (Mich.), 2004
Master's degree, Exercise Sport Science, Texas Tech University, 2009
Coaching Career
Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach, Central Michigan University, 2025-current
Head Men's Basketball Coach/Assistant Athletics Director, Trine University, 2011-24
Head Assistant Coach, South Plains College, 2009-11
Graduate Assistant Coach, Texas Tech University, 2007-09
Assistant Coach, Hillsdale College, 2004-07
Coaching Accomplishments
2023-24 NCAA Division III national champions … three-time MIAA regular season championships (2019, 2021, 2024) … one-time MIAA tournament champions (2021) … D3 Poll Championship game appearance (2021) … two-time NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year (2020-21 and 2023-24) … 2020-21 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.
Playing Career
Three-year letterwinner at NCAA Division II Hillsdale College (2001-03) … served as team captain as a senior in 2003 … helped guide Hillsdale to the NCAA Division II national tournament in back-to-back years for the first time in school history (2001 and 2022).
YEAR-BY-YEAR WITH BROOKS MILLER AT TRINE (2011-24)
Miller joins the Central Michigan men's basketball program with 21 overall years of coaching experience including serving as the head coach at Trine from 2011-25. Miller guided the Thunder to the 2023-24 NCAA Division III national championship, three Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association regular season titles (2019, 2021, and 2024), one MIAA tournament title (2021), one undefeated season (17-0), and a combined 247-121 overall record and 142-73 MIAA record. For his efforts, he was twice named the NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year (2020-21 and 2023-24) and 2020-21 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.
"Brooks is one of the brightest minds in college basketball," Bronkema said. "His energy and passion are contagious. Coach Miller always puts people and players first and that approach has helped add national champion and national coach of the year to his resume. Brooks is known for his defensive system, and we look forward to utilizing those principles. I am thrilled that the Miller family believes in the vision we have for Central Michigan. They will be great members of the Mount Pleasant community."
"Andy is a winner plain and simple," Miller said. "We have spent countless hours over the years discussing what we feel it takes to give our players the best chance at success each and every day. I will work relentlessly to assist him in executing his vision of bringing a MAC championship to Mount Pleasant. My family and I are thankful and excited to be joining the Chippewa community!"
Miller's career at Trine has been highlighted by being named the 2020-21 NCAA D3 National Coach of the Year by both Hoopdirt.com/Just Play Sports Solutions and Basketball Times Magazine. In March 2024, Miller was again named NCAA DIII National Coach of the Year for the second time receiving those accolades from D3Hoops.com, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), as well as being named the Glenn Robinson CollegeInsider.com National Coach of the Year for NCAA DIII.
In Miller's tenure, Trine was the only MIAA program to finish in the top four in the conference in each of his 14 seasons years and have had 15 First Team All-MIAA members with 21 total selections. The list includes three MIAA MVP's Nick Bowman, Pete Smith, and Ian Jackson. Five players have received All-American recognition under Miller's guidance as well including Emmanuel Megnanglo, Cortez Garland, Nick Bowman, Jared Holmquist, and Ian Jackson. Jackson was named third-team All-American by the NABC in 2013. In 2016 senior Jared Holmquist was named the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year and DIII News National Player of the Month for November. Jared was also a two-time First Team All-MIAA performer. The Thunder have had four players named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year including Emmanuel Megnanglo in 2021 and 2024, Marcus Winters in 2019, Maurice Hunter 2018, and Ellis Cummings in 2017. Will Dixon is the lone Thunder player during Miller's tenure to be named First Team All-MIAA on three separate occasions and leads a list of nine players that have scored over 1,000 points during their Trine careers with 1,799 points.
His final 2024-25 squad finished with a 21-5 record, marking the third consecutive season that the program has surpassed the 20-win mark, fifth straight year where the Thunder made an appearance in the D3Hoops.com top-25 and four consecutive year ranked in the top-10.
The 2023-24 Trine national championship team included a record five All-MIAA performers including D3hoops.com Fifth Team All-American Cortez Garland. Cortez became the fourth player to earn All-America honors during Coach Miller's tenure at Trine. Emmanuel Megnanglo was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in 2024. Both Cortez and his brother Fred Garland were named to the MIAA's First Team, while Aidan Smylie & Brent Cox were tabbed as Second Team All-MIAA performers. Cox's recognition marks the third time he received All-MIAA accolades throughout his highly decorated career as he was named First Team in both 2021 and 2023.
In 2021-22, the Thunder posted an 18-9 overall record for the season and saw them appear as high as No. 7 in the D3hoops.com national poll. Trine's 10-4 MIAA mark was good enough for a third place finish and included having three players named to All-MIAA teams: Nick Bowman (second straight First Team All-MIAA honor) and Bryce Williams and Mitch Geller both received Second Team recognition.
The 2020-21 team completed its regular season undefeated at 17-0 with a 15-0 record versus MIAA opponents which led to the Thunder being crowned the MIAA regular season and MIAA Tournament Champions for the first time in school history. The 2021 season also saw the Thunder climb as high as number two in the D3Hoops.com National poll which earned them a postseason contest against the top-ranked Randolph Macon College in Virginia for the D3Hoops.com poll Championship. Although the Thunder came up short in that contest they finished the season ranked number six nationally and completed the year with a 17-1 overall record. The 2020-21 Trine squad was a highly decorated group with junior Nick Bowman being recognized by both D3Hoops.com & Basketball Times Magazine as a First Team All-American. Bowman was also named the Great Lakes Region Player of Year by D3Hoops.com as well as being named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player. Freshman Emmanuel Megnanglo was voted as the MIAA Defensive Player of Year, sophomore Brent Cox also garnered First Team All-MIAA accolades, while junior Bryce Williams rounded out the group claiming Second Team All-MIAA honors. Trine's 2019 MIAA title was the school's first-ever MIAA regular season championship and marked the first outright MIAA title by school other than Hope or Calvin since 2005. The team was led by senior Pete Smith who was named the MIAA's MVP as well as Marcus Winters who would earn the MIAA's Defensive Player of the Year award.
Prior to becoming a head coach at Trine, Miller worked as an assistant men's basketball coach under three Hall of Fame coaches that amassed seven combined national championships. His first collegiate coaching stop was working for his college coach, BCAM Hall of Fame coach Ed Douma (one national title), who he previously played for at Hillsdale. In 2007, his career took him to Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, where he served as a graduate assistant coach on Naismith Hall of Famer Bob Knight (three national titles) and was involved with on-campus recruiting and player development in. In 2009, he became the Head Assistant Men's Basketball coach and national recruiting coordinator at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas on Junior College Hall of Famer Steve Green (three national titles). While at South Plains, Miller coached and/or recruited nine players that would transfer on to NCAA Division I universities.
Miller's basketball career began when he was a player at Toledo and then later at Hillsdale College (Mich.). At Hillsdale as a senior in 2003, Miller was selected team captain, Academic All-Conference, and his team's Defensive Player of the Year. Hillsdale reached the NCAA Division II national tournament in back-to-back years for the first time in school history during Miller's sophomore and junior seasons in 2001 and 2002.
Miller relocates to Mount Pleasant with his wife Gretchen and two children Champ and Jordan, and dog Rambo.
THE MILLER FILE
Date announced as CMU Associate Head Coach: May 1, 2025
Hometown: Metamora, Ohio.
Family: wife Gretchen, son Champ and daughter Jordan, dog Rambo
Education
Bachelor of Science, Education, Hillsdale College (Mich.), 2004
Master's degree, Exercise Sport Science, Texas Tech University, 2009
Coaching Career
Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach, Central Michigan University, 2025-current
Head Men's Basketball Coach/Assistant Athletics Director, Trine University, 2011-24
Head Assistant Coach, South Plains College, 2009-11
Graduate Assistant Coach, Texas Tech University, 2007-09
Assistant Coach, Hillsdale College, 2004-07
Coaching Accomplishments
2023-24 NCAA Division III national champions … three-time MIAA regular season championships (2019, 2021, 2024) … one-time MIAA tournament champions (2021) … D3 Poll Championship game appearance (2021) … two-time NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year (2020-21 and 2023-24) … 2020-21 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.
Playing Career
Three-year letterwinner at NCAA Division II Hillsdale College (2001-03) … served as team captain as a senior in 2003 … helped guide Hillsdale to the NCAA Division II national tournament in back-to-back years for the first time in school history (2001 and 2022).
YEAR-BY-YEAR WITH BROOKS MILLER AT TRINE (2011-24)
| Year | W-L | GLIAC | GLIAC place | Notes |
| 2011-12 | 15-11 | 8-6 | T-3rd place | |
| 2012-13 | 14-12 | 7-7 | T-3rd place | |
| 2013-14 | 15-11 | 8-6 | 10th place | -- |
| 2014-15 | 17-9 | 10-4 | T-2nd place | NCAA Division II Round of 64 |
| 2015-16 | 18-9 | 7-7 | 4th place | MIAA Tournament finals appearance |
| 2016-17 | 14-12 | 9-5 | 3rd place | MIAA Tournament finals appearance |
| 2017-18 | 12-14 | 8-6 | T-3rd place | -- |
| 2018-19 | 19-8 | 11-3 | 1st place | MIAA regular season champions, MIAA Tournament finals appearance |
| 2019-20 | 16-12 | 8-6 | T-3rd place | |
| 2020-21 | 17-1 | 5-0 | 1st place | MIAA champions, D3 poll championship game appearance |
| 2021-22 | 18-9 | 10-4 | 3rd place | |
| 2022-23 | 22-4 | 12-2 | 2nd place | |
| 2023-24 | 29-4 | 12-2 | T-1st place | NCAA Division III National Champions, MIAA regular season champions |
| 2024-25 | 21-5 | 11-3 | 3rd place | |
| Overall | 247-121 | 142-73 | -- | 1 NCAA Championship, 3 MIAA titles |
—CMU—
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