By R.L. Bynum
Wes Miller returns Tuesday night to familiar surroundings to coach at the Smith Center, where he once played and helped Carolina win a national championship.
But instead of wearing Carolina blue, he’ll be trying to beat the Tar Heels in his first season as Charlotte’s head coach.
The 7:30 exhibition homecoming (ACC Network Extra) carries special meaning for Miller, whose connections to Chapel Hill extend well beyond his playing days.
He’ll coach against Sean May, his former teammate now a UNC assistant, while Marcus Paige, another Carolina favorite, will be alongside Miller on the Charlotte bench. May and Paige’s jerseys both hang from the rafters.
“It’s always special to go back,” Miller said during a Wednesday press conference in Charlotte.
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The 49ers visit Carolina in the final preseason game for both teams.
Charlotte lost 87–67 in a road exhibition game on Oct. 16 to a Georgia team that will visit the Smith Center on Nov. 13. Charlotte opens the regular season on Nov. 2 at Indiana State, leaving Miller little time to get a roster filled with newcomers ready for games that count.
Miller said much of the emotion surrounding his return comes from the relationships he built in Chapel Hill. He joked that it was more enjoyable playing alongside May than preparing to face him.
For Paige, it’s a chance to face a program where he became one of Carolina’s most accomplished guards and served as an assistant coach under Hubert Davis for the last three seasons.
“I think that stuff’s cool,” Miller said.
Miller, a 5–11 guard, played three seasons at UNC under Coach Roy Williams after transferring from James Madison and joining the Tar Heels as a walk-on.
A reserve on Carolina’s 2005 national championship team, Miller started 16 games the following season, averaging 7.2 points and shooting 44.1% from 3-point range while earning the team’s defensive player of the year and most improved player awards. He was a captain as a senior in 2006–07, when Carolina went 31–7, won the ACC regular-season and tournament championships and reached the NCAA Elite Eight.
Miller wants his players to feel the same attachment to Charlotte as he does to Carolina. He considers those lasting relationships an important part of building a program, something he has emphasized throughout his coaching career.
When players finish their careers with the 49ers, Miller hopes they feel “the way that I feel about North Carolina.”
But sentiment won’t interfere with the work he believes Charlotte needs to accomplish Tuesday.
“Ninety-nine point 99 percent of my focus and energy and attention will be on preparing our team for this season,” Miller said.
That preparation comes with some urgency. The 49ers have a roster filled with new players, a challenge Miller said can put teams at a disadvantage early in the season. He said the coaching staff has been working to speed up the process of building chemistry and establishing roles.
“We have to have a ton of sense of urgency over the next two weeks to get ready for opening night at Indiana State,” Miller said, who has seven 20-win seasons and a 285–209 career coaching record.
After going 185–135 in 10 seasons at UNC Greensboro and earning Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors twice (2012 and 2018), he left for Cincinnati in 2021. He went 100–74 with two NIT quarterfinal appearances but no trips to the NCAA tournament in five seasons with the Bearcats before the school fired him.
Teams with continuity generally have an advantage early, Miller said, because their players already understand the system and one another’s tendencies. He credited his staff and players for Charlotte’s progress, but acknowledged the 49ers still have considerable work ahead.
To build chemistry, Charlotte has emphasized demanding practices and shared experiences, including a trip to Puerto Rico in late May. Miller said players develop stronger bonds when they face difficult situations together.
“Shared adversity is a great way to connect the team,” Miller said. “So, our practices are competitive, they’re combative, they’re edgy.”
Much of the leadership responsibility has fallen to sophomore point guard Keyshaun Tillery, one of three players who followed him from Cincinnati. Tillery was a reserve last season, averaging 3.8 points in 31 games.
Miller said that their relationship developed through some difficult moments during an 18–15 season, including times when Miller was particularly demanding.
Miller joked that his point guard has two examples to follow at the position.
“He’s got a great point guard as a player in Marcus Paige, and a terrible one in myself,” Miller said.
Beyond the joke, Miller sees an advantage in having a trusted player directing the offense.
“It is nice when your leader plays the quarterback position,” Miller said.
Miller also identified two returning Charlotte players who caught his attention when he took over the program.
Redshirt junior transfer forward Arden Conyers, who Miller said has grown a couple of inches to 6–8 in the last year, shot better than 40% for much of last season before a February slump dropped his final percentage to 35,8%. Miller said his size and shooting ability give the 49ers an important option.
Redshirt freshman Australian 6–8 guard Frank Oguche impressed Miller during workouts with his length, athleticism and basketball IQ.
Among the newcomers, 6–5 fifth-year guard Chaze Harris was the Sun Belt Player of the Year at South Alabama in his only Division I season after previously playing at the junior college and NAIA levels.
Harris and fifth-year 6–11 Richmond transfer center Michael Walz arrived later than some teammates, and Miller expects both to get more comfortable as the season progresses.
“Their best basketball will be played in December, January and February,” Miller said.
For now, Tuesday’s exhibition offers Charlotte a chance to evaluate its progress against an ACC opponent in a competitive environment. Miller said those opportunities are particularly valuable for a team still learning to play together.
“Every time in the preseason you get a chance to play against a different opponent, it’s worth about 10 practices,” Miller said.
For Miller, the return to Chapel Hill will bring back memories of the people and experiences that shaped his career. But the more important outcome will be what his new team learns before opening night.
Photo via @CharlotteMBB
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