NH grad Miller joins IPFW women’s staff

Former North Harrison Lady Cat standout and Indiana All-Star Tara Miller joined the ranks of Division I basketball coaches last week when she was hired as an assistant for the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Mastadons.
Miller, who lives in Indianapolis and was chosen from more than 200 applicants, knows the trials and tribulations of Division I basketball, having played for both Indiana University and Butler.
‘I am very excited, nervous and (have) mixed emotions about this position, but it is definitely something I have wanted to pursue with my life,’ Miller said Sunday. ‘Basketball is my passion and where I want to be.’
Miller, who starts her new position Saturday, will have a multitude of responsibilities from day one.
‘I will be in charge of the traveling, camps and academics, but I will also be assisting in coaching, recruiting and scouting,’ she said.
The Mastadons are in the Summit League and came up short in their bid for a conference championship this past season when they were defeated by South Dakota State. The team, coached by Chris Paul, finished 13-17. Three seniors will graduate this year.
‘I want to help kids learn not only on the court, but also off the court and (help) them achieve what they want in life,’ Miller said. ‘My expectations in this position are that I am going to be doing all things possible in making our program only better in the direction it is already heading. One thing that I have learned through this process is to never give up your dreams and aspirations because all things are possible, and God will lead you in the direction He wants you to go.’
Miller’s father, Nate, North Harrison’s athletic director, said Tara knew the game well even when she was in elementary school.
‘She would sit next to me when I was coaching junior high,’ he said. ‘She would tell me what plays we needed to run.’
Tara Miller has had plenty of her own adversities that she will be able to relate to the players.
‘All things happen for a reason,’ she said. ‘I have been on the sidelines before with my three knee surgeries, so I believe that will help me in my coaching career, but also through transferring and just many experiences, I will know how to relate to the coaching staff as well as the girls at IPFW.’
Miller has already met the team and is eager to begin her new job.
‘We have a great bunch of girls here that are going to work very hard in the off-season to make our team better,’ she said. ‘We have two girls coming back that were only sophomores that had Summit League honors, and we have a great recruiting class coming in that will only make us better.’