John
Miller is a true basketball junkie. Since he got into the coaching
profession as the junior high head coach in 1962 at his high alma
mater of Moon Township, John has been alternately described as
intense, dedicated, obsessed, and possessed. In reality he is a
master motivator and tactician. The
Blackhawk High School boys’ basketball team has had an amazing level of
success since John began coaching them in 1976, and John broke the 600 career win mark in 2003. To many programs,
a 20 win season is a success but Blackhawk teams have
averaged 22 wins over the past 21 years, with seven WPIAL
championships and four state titles. The Cougars won 13 straight
section titles and had an 111-section-game winning streak, both WPIAL
records. John’s squad reached the Final Four for the fourteenth straight
time in 2002. His tremendous coaching record has drawn him a lot of
awards: numerous Coach of the Year titles at the section and
district levels and twice at the state level. John was chosen to
coach the Eastern United States in the 1988 Roundball Classic.
He has lectured at over 350 clinics and summer basketball camps
throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia, and has
developed instructional videos on “Drill for Skill the Miller Way,”
which was marketed nationally and internationally. During
summers, John coached the AAU program and led the teams to
various national tournaments. In May 2003 he was inducted into the
Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012, John was inducted
with his son,
Sean, into the
WPIAL Hall of Fame.
John
Miller is a true basketball junkie. Since he got into the coaching
profession as the junior high head coach in 1962 at his high alma
mater of Moon Township, John has been alternately described as
intense, dedicated, obsessed, and possessed. In reality he is a
master motivator and tactician. The
Blackhawk High School boys’ basketball team has had an amazing level of
success since John began coaching them in 1976, and John broke the 600 career win mark in 2003. To many programs,
a 20 win season is a success but Blackhawk teams have
averaged 22 wins over the past 21 years, with seven WPIAL
championships and four state titles. The Cougars won 13 straight
section titles and had an 111-section-game winning streak, both WPIAL
records. John’s squad reached the Final Four for the fourteenth straight
time in 2002. His tremendous coaching record has drawn him a lot of
awards: numerous Coach of the Year titles at the section and
district levels and twice at the state level. John was chosen to
coach the Eastern United States in the 1988 Roundball Classic.
He has lectured at over 350 clinics and summer basketball camps
throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia, and has
developed instructional videos on “Drill for Skill the Miller Way,”
which was marketed nationally and internationally. During
summers, John coached the AAU program and led the teams to
various national tournaments. In May 2003 he was inducted into the
Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. In 2012, John was inducted
with his son,