Staff Report
The UNM men's basketball team can focus on recruiting and scheduling now that the staff is in place.
Lobo head coach Steve Alford announced the hiring of two more assistant coaches Monday, adding Billy Garrett and Ryan Miller to UNM's program.
Garrett worked as an assistant under Alford at Iowa last season, when the Hawkeyes went 17-14 overall and 9-7 in the Big Ten.
Miller was an assistant at Pepperdine last season under Vance Walberg. Pepperdine finished 8-23 overall and 4-10 in the West Coast Conference.
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Before moving to Iowa, Garrett was an assistant at Seton Hall the previous five years. The Pirates were 80-69 in that time and went to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2006, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2006. They also played in the NIT Tournament in 2004.
Alford said in a news release he was glad to have Garrett continue as his assistant.
"He has great experience, working in the Big East Conference and as a high school coach in Chicago," he said. "He is an outstanding recruiter and a great person, and we are excited for him to join our staff."
Miller spent 2004-06 as a basketball operations assistant at Memphis. In his last year there, the Tigers went 33-4 and advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
His experience in multiple facets of basketball makes Miller's hiring important, Alford said.
"Ryan is someone who has an awful lot of energy," Alford said. "He was at Pepperdine, and I thought it was very important that we bring in someone with ties to the West Coast. He has been around the game a long time as a player and as a coach. He got his start at Memphis, so he is a great addition to what we are trying to do here at New Mexico."
