Scott Miller
Baseball/Basketball (1982-1984)
Two-year starter for Chiefs in basketball and baseball
One of two coaches to lead a small and big school to IHSA State Finals
Nearly 300 career wins in 18 seasons as a head coach
Anything that is well constructed usually has a solid foundation. That is also the case with Scott Miller, who received the training and experience at Waubonsee that gave him the footing to embark on a successful teaching and coaching career. “So much of what I learned at Waubonsee I’ve carried into my profession, into my coaching career,” declares Miller.
Miller’s cornerstone was laid when he graduated from Yorkville High School in 1982 after being an All-Conference basketball and baseball player for the Foxes. He enrolled at Waubonsee and was a two-year starter for Jay Bryant’s basketball squad and Dave Randall’s baseball team. It was during this time that he learned the principles that have helped him mold young student-athletes for the last 27 years. “I learned how to adjust, to be part of a team, to contribute, no matter my role,” Miller explains. “It has helped me relate to my players, whether they’re my best, or the kids coming off the bench.”
Miller went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Illinois State University in 1987. He then began teaching and coaching at Plano High School while earning his Master’s degree in Education Administration from Northern Illinois University. His first season as the Reapers’ head coach in 1996, his team won just two games. The next season he transformed them into a 17-game winner and Regional Championship squad, only the second such title in the program’s history. The following year Miller led Plano to its’ first ever Sectional title, Super Sectional title and State Finals berth. That 1998-99 team finished fourth at the Illinois Class A Basketball Tournament and won a school record 23 games as Miller was tabbed the Interstate Eight Conference Coach of the Year. In 2011 Plano honored that team and Miller with induction into the Reapers’ Hall of Fame.
Miller moved on to Glenbard East High School and again turned a struggling program into a perennial contender. The two seasons prior to his arrival the Rams went a miserable 8-41. The last 11 years under his leadership they have averaged 21 wins a season as Miller quickly approaches his 300th career victory. His 2010-11 team won a school record 28 games and finished third in the state in Class 4A, making Miller one of only two coaches to ever lead a team to both the Class A (small school) and Class AA (big school) State Finals. Miller has been tabbed Coach of the Year by the DuPage Valley Conference four times, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association three times, and is the Rams’ all-time winningest coach.
Miller has served as the Department Chair for Physical Education, Health and Driver’s Education for the Glenbard Township School District. He has also been the Rams’ head coach for girls’ golf for six years and serves on the IBCA’s Northern District All-State Selection Committee. Miller lives in Glen Ellyn with his wife Lisa. They have two children, 21-year-old Zach who attends Hillsdale College in Michigan, and 16-year-old Aly who is a junior at Glenbard South High School.