CHARLOTTE — Director of Athletics Kevin White officially announced the hiring of Wes Miller as the 15th head coach in the history of the Charlotte 49ers Men’s Basketball program Monday morning. Miller, 43, joins the program after a career that includes seven 20-win seasons and eight postseason appearances as a head coach.
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The 49ers fired head men’s basketball coach Aaron Fearne on Tuesday.
The new hiring brings a coach to Charlotte who has averaged 22.5 wins per season over the past decade. Miller previously served as the head coach at Cincinnati and UNC Greensboro, where he led teams to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and conference titles.
Miller most recently served as the head coach at Cincinnati, where he averaged 20.0 wins per season and led the team to three postseason appearances over five years. Before his time in Cincinnati, he spent 10 years at UNC Greensboro.
During his final five seasons with the Spartans, excluding the 2019-20 season shortened by COVID-19, he led the program to postseason play every year, including NCAA Tournament appearances in 2018 and 2021.
At UNC Greensboro, Miller was a two-time SoCon Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 2012 and 2018. He led the program to 25 or more wins in three consecutive seasons from 2016 to 2019 and secured three conference titles.
He departed the school with a record 185 wins, averaging 25.0 wins per season over his final five years there.
Throughout his head coaching career, Miller has mentored 26 all-conference players.
Miller holds the active lead for the most wins by a coach by age 40, with 217 victories.
This total ranks 15th in NCAA history for wins achieved by that age. In May 2020, ESPN.com ranked him as the No. 1 coach under 40 and he was named to The Athletic’s 40 Under 40 list in 2021.
He has maintained a winning record in each of the past 10 seasons, averaging 22.5 wins per year during that period.
Before entering coaching, Miller played three seasons at the University of North Carolina under head coach Roy Williams. He was a member of the 2005 National Championship team and helped the Tar Heels win two Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championships.
As a senior captain in the 2006-07 season, he led the team to 31 wins and the NCAA Elite Eight while earning a spot on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
After graduating with a political science degree in 2007, Miller played one season of professional basketball for the London Capitals in the British Basketball League. He finished eighth in the league with an average of 19.6 points per game.
He also authored a book titled “The Road to Blue Heaven,” which serves as a diary of his time as a player at North Carolina.
Miller spoke about the opportunity to lead the program following his appointment.
“I’m incredibly honored to lead the Charlotte Basketball program,” Miller said. “This is a university with tremendous momentum, a passionate city behind it and deep basketball roots in the state of North Carolina. From the moment I began talking with White and Chancellor Gaber, it was clear there is a shared vision to build a program defined by toughness, passion and relentless energy.”
Miller will be formally introduced at an introductory press conference Wednesday.
“The foundation is here for something special and I can’t wait to get to work because Charlotte’s stock is rising,” Miller said.