After the University of Cincinnati Bearcats decided to go in a different direction than Wes Miller for men's basketball, the former coach quickly jumped on the coaching carousel and now has a new gig.
The former North Carolina Tar Heel national champion will return to his southern roots to take over as head basketball coach for the Charlotte 49ers. Miller confirmed his hire to The Enquirer on Monday morning, March 23.
That job became available when new Charlotte AD Kevin White dismissed third-year coach Aaron Fearne on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, with the 49ers green not proving so lucky. Fearne made it to the American Conference semifinals but finished 17-17.
In three seasons, he was 47-51 with no NCAA Tournament appearances. Charlotte has not made an NCAA Tournament since 2005, when Bobby Lutz guided the 49ers. Lutz was a nemesis for UC's Bob Huggins back in the Conference USA days when he won two C-USA titles and a league championship, taking the 49ers to five NCAA tournaments.
Wes Miller coaching résumé
Miller returns to North Carolina, where he coached UNC-Greensboro for 10 seasons before coming to Cincinnati in 2021. The Spartans made NCAA tournaments in 2018 and 2021 and he won two Southern Conference championships with five 20-plus win seasons.
With the Bearcats, he had 20-plus win seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24, one in the American and one in the Big 12. UC made the NIT quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024 and the College Basketball Crown in 2025.
Miller finished 100-74 at UC, winning his 100th game in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament on March 10. UC then became discombobulated late in their game with UCF on March 11, falling 66-65 in overtime. Two days later, a disappointed Miller was seen walking out of UC AD John Cunningham's office, visibly upset.
The Bearcats have still not been on the floor for an NCAA Tournament game since March 22, 2019, when Mick Cronin's team lost to Iowa in Columbus in his final game as coach for UC.
Comparing winning percentages
Wes Miller has won 57.4% of his games at UC and has won 57.7% of his games overall. At UNC-Greensboro, he was also at 57.7%. He replaces Kearne, who won 47.9% in three years. Lutz is the school's winningest basketball coach with a 58% mark at Charlotte and he has a 61.7% percentage overall, including his time at Pfeiffer before coming to Charlotte as an assistant to Jeff Mullins. Lutz coached the 49ers from 1998 to 2010.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Former Cincinnati Bearcats coach Wes Miller wil lead Charlotte 49ers