The politics of basketball

If you haven't yet, take a moment to read Andrew Todres's column from the most recent DP. His thesis is that hoops coach Glen Miller is a poor politician working a job that requires him to be one.

Miller's behavior has been undiplomatic at times, and he alone bears responsibility for that. What's especially baffling is that it represents a departure from how he once approached his off-court obligations.

I'll never forget the first time I met Miller. It was a few hours after news of his hiring had broken, and a press conference was scheduled for the next morning. Our editors quickly found out that he had a room booked at the Inn at Penn, and another reporter and I staked out the lobby. When Miller showed up, suitcase in hand, he (understandably) declined an interview but was as cordial as can be.

The first time I interviewed him was over the phone a few weeks into that summer. He was very respectful and candid, even thanking me for the call. To my amazement, he openly acknowledged that then-Brown sophomore Keenan Jeppesen was looking into transferring to Penn. Two weeks later, he (and Jeppesen) found out from a DP story that Jeppesen's transfer application had been blackballed by the University administration on a spurious technicality. Miller was not at all happy with how I and a colleague handled that story. In retrospect, that was the first step toward him developing a hostile attitude toward any scrutiny, media or otherwise, of the program.

As Todres and I have argued time and again, Miller has been dealt a tough hand. His hiring was met with grumbles from some who felt that the Athletic Department honchos hadn't tried hard enough to keep Fran Dunphy from jumping to Temple. Resentment over that touchy subject has probably contributed to the unrealistic expectations that Miller has faced from Day One. Those expectations rose even more after Penn won the Ivy League title in his rookie year.

Then Ibrahim Jaaber, Mark Zoller and Stephen Danley all graduated, and it became clear that Dunphy had left the cupboard relatively bare. For the next two years, Miller was charged with making something out of nothing. Under different circumstances, he might have. But fate conspired to cripple his roster with injuries at a time when several other Ivies -- most notably Cornell, but also Brown two years ago and Dartmouth to some extent this past year -- found themselves on the upswing.

Predictably, none of this has earned Miller much sympathy. Coaches are expected to produce results. They don't have the luxury of playing the blame game.

Miller's fortunes off the court have been worse. He has taken heat for the team's attrition problems, regardless of whether he is truly at fault. He has been subjected to some ruthless, personal, speculative attacks that he cannot do much to address.

In this regard, though, Miller has hardly helped his own cause. For example, I'm told that he has rubbed certain Penn supporters the wrong way by restricting their access to the team. He has legitimate reasons for doing so, but in the process he has probably alienated some important people who feel they have earned the right to be "insiders." Another example: I know from personal experience that Miller often interprets media reports as insulting or belligerent when they really are not. He thinks that by not playing ball with the media, he is defending his players and himself from unfair attacks. But all that has done is subject him to more bad press.

All things considered, it is easy to see why Miller might feel as though he doesn't have many friends right now. And in some ways, he might be right. Just because he's paranoid doesn't mean no one is out to get him. As Todres pointed out, Miller is a basketball coach first and last.

But that is no excuse to marginalize other aspects of his job. When Miller signed on at Penn, he knew -- or should have known -- what he was getting himself into. Now he needs to reverse course, and a good first step would be to use the media to present himself in a new light, personally and professionally. Next up are reconciling with the team's supporters and alumni, reaching out to Penn students, spending time on initiatives other than coaching and increasing his overall visibility around Penn and Philadelphia.

Ditching his obstinate tendencies alone will not save his skin. With his contract entering its penultimate year, next season is win-or-go-home. But how he acts off the court is something he has complete control over.

Doing so will require effort that Miller would surely rather expend elsewhere. And no one likes to kowtow. But such is the nature of coaching at any decent program. If Miller wants to move up the career ladder down the road, he needs to practice some diplomacy. Brown's coach can get away with certain indiscretions, but this isn't Brown.

It's time to be proactive. Otherwise, go coach intramurals, brother.