Maybe Mike Miller was destined to return to Charleston.

The Kansas State associate head coach was the last to interview for the Panthers’ head coaching vacancy Friday. The Monmouth native attended the Eastern basketball camp instructed by former Panther coach Don Eddy and was hoping to be recruited by the recently dismissed Rick Samuels.

“I’ve always said coach Samuels has an eye for talent because he didn’t offer me a scholarship,” Miller said.

Miller was the only candidate brought to campus with prior head-coaching experience. At 29 years old, he became the second youngest head coach in the country when he took the helm at Texas State.

“Being offered the job at Southwest Texas (now called Texas State), was not the path I figured I’d be on,” Miller said. “I believe it gave me what I needed to be ready for this challenge.”

After extensively reviewing film of the Panthers, which he said he does to almost a fault with the Wildcats, he mentioned his confidence in Eastern’s current roster.

“I think you have a core of players here to be successful right away,” Miller said.

Miller didn’t have to go far to find tape on the Panthers as his Wildcats defeated Eastern 81-63 on Dec. 30.

“I was very impressed with players like Josh Gomes making shots, and the young kids (Bobby) Catchings and George Tandy are very solid players,” Miller said.

Miller stressed the importance of recruiting in the state of Illinois in order to revive the Panther program that has failed to finish above .500 in the last three seasons.

“I think Illinois has the best high school basketball in the country; there’s no doubt in my mind about that,” Miller said.

Kansas State has had three straight Top 25 recruiting classes including the number one rated class in 2002.

Miller directed Texas State to the 1997 NCAA Tournament earning Southland Conference coach of the year honors that season.

The 1997 and 1999 teams won Southland Conference regular season championships, and the 1997 club also a was the post-season tournament winner. The 1999 team won 19 games, second most in the school’s NCAA Division I history, and ranked third in the nation in field goal percentage defense (37.3%).

“I came to a school that hadn’t had a good season in school history and rebuilt that into a promising program, and that is a challenge I see here too,” Miller said.

Texas State ranked as the No. 1 defensive team in the Southland Conference for six straight years.

“I think the teams I coach can be categorized as hard-nosed defensively and versatile offensively,” Miller said. “Those type of teams give themselves a chance to win every time out.”

The most poignant thing Miller stated was his intention to incorporate the past in order to bring excitement back to the program and have the tradition be a selling point to Eastern basketball.

“We need to invite the former players, alums and prior coaches back to embrace what has already been established here,” Miller said. “Rick Samuels has built a foundation here, and I want people to understand that this is Eastern basketball – not Mike Miller’s version of Eastern basketball.”