SIOUX FALLS — Ryan Miller’s first-ever head coaching win was back where it all began. 

Miller, who grew up 70 miles away in Mitchell, guided Murray State to an 85-77 win over Omaha at the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon at the Sanford Pentagon. Miller was named the head Racer in March, and made his head coaching debut Monday in the state that shaped his basketball career. 

“It’s pretty awesome,” Miller said after his first coaching win. “To be able to come back in front of friends and family in a career that’s been long invested — whether as a player or a coach — and all the people that have helped me along the way. The many coaches that I worked for, the friends and family that helped get me to this point today, and them being here in the gym is pretty special.”

The Miller name is synonymous with basketball in South Dakota, with several family members starring on the prep and college scene in the state. Miller’s younger brother, Mike, was a long-time NBA player and was a two-time NBA champ with the Miami Heat. 

For Ryan Miller, a long-time Division I assistant coach at multiple stops, he called the first-career win a full-circle moment for him and his hoops-crazed family. 

“Growing up in Mitchell, South Dakota, for us basketball is life,” Miller, 50, said. “It’s been a huge part of our life and the places it’s taken us has been phenomenal. From a town of 13,000, to be able to have the opportunities that people allowed us to have, and the doors that have opened through that, and the people that we have been able to work with and learn from through the game of basketball is pretty extraordinary.”

Murray State Racers head coach Ryan Miller reacts to action on the court during the first half of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon Monday, Nov. 3 2025 at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

Miller’s nephew, Mason Miller, also had a hand in Ryan’s first-career coaching victory, adding another layer of hoops nostalgia. Mason, a 6-foot-9 lefty, tossed in 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the 3-point line and collected a team-high six rebounds for Racers. 

“It’s awesome to be a big part of this win, that means everything to me,” said Mason Miller, who is Mike Miller’s oldest son. 

Mason transferred to Murray State from Creighton, which is where Ryan was previously an assistant coach. For Mason Miller and fellow Blue Jay transfer Fred King, it was an easy decision to follow his uncle to the Kentucky-based school. 

“We were talking about it and we were excited to do it,” Mason Miller said. “We kind of didn’t have to really think about it. We thought Murray was a great spot. Coach Miller is a great coach. He was the reason we went there (Creighton) in the first place.” 

Ryan Miller said the uncle and nephew have experienced their ups and downs on the basketball court together, but “at the end of the day he knows I want the best for him and we challenge the heck out of him. Because he’s talented. He’s obviously Mike Miller’s son. So he’s been around basketball his whole life and when he’s locked in and he’s guarding and he’s crashing the glass, and the threes start going in, he’s pretty special.”

Mason Miller helped the Racers flip the game around on Omaha, which led by as many as seven points in the first half. Miller scored nine of his 12 points in the second half, but not before being challenged by his uncle.

“He was one of the guys I really challenged after the first three or four minutes,” Ryan Miller said. “Shots were going up, shots weren’t going in, and it was really impacting how he crashed the glass and how he played defense. He was unbelievably responsive.”

Mason, who played high school basketball at Houston High School in Tennessee, said he and his uncle keep things light away from the court. But appreciates his uncle’s tough love on the court. 

“It’s really intense in practice, everything is intense,” Mason Miller said. “He likes to be hard on me a lot, but I love it a lot. It’s fun.” 

Ryan Miller said it was stressful at times coaching his debut game, and was unhappy with Murray State’s start. But was pleased with their response after challenging the Racers. 

As for Miller’s coaching style, he coaches with the same passion and energy as his playing days. The all-stater led the Kernels to a pair of Class AA state championships in the 1990s, and was later an All-American at Division II Northern State University. 

In high school and college, Miller played for a pair of legendary coaches in Mitchell’s Gary Munsen and Northern State University’s Bob Olson. 

Miller said he models his coaching style after both coaching icons. 

“I think a mixture of both,” he said. “The Gary Munsen toughness, like we’re coming at you mano a mano and like coach Olson, freedom of movement, and letting it fly a little bit from three like we did at Northern State back in the day.”