Regina Miller jumps from Western Illinois to take over Lady Rebels

Tuesday, April 7, 1998 | 11:17 a.m.

Regina Miller, who guided the Western Illinois University women's basketball program for the past five years, will be named the head coach at UNLV during a press conference this afternoon, the SUN has learned.

Miller was in Las Vegas Monday evening in preparation for the announcement, but could not be reached for comment.

Miller was offered the Lady Rebels job after the leading candidate for the position, Stephen F. Austin head coach Royce Chadwick, withdrew from consideration.

A 1984 graduate of NCAA power Old Dominion University, Miller served as a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky University and an assistant coach at the University of Arizona and Old Dominion before accepting her first head coaching job at Western Illinois in 1992.

Miller led the Westerwinds to one of the biggest turnarounds in women's basketball when WIU went from 3-21 in 1992-93 to 15-13 in 1993-94. Miller was honored as the Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year that season for turning around the WIU program.

The Westerwinds were 8-18 this past season and 15-38 over the last two years. Miller leaves WIU as the second winningest coach in the school's history with a 60-100 mark.

Miller, a native of Lumber Bridge, N.C., also served as an assistant coach with USA Basketball last summer, helping guide the Women's World Championship Qualifying team to the silver medal in Sao Palo, Brazil.

Miller's playing career began in the junior college ranks, where she was named the country's top junior college player in 1991 at Louisburg (N.C.) JC while playing on its national championship team.

After transferring to Old Dominion in 1993, Miller helped ODU advance to the NCAA Final Four as a junior.

Miller replaces interim head coach Steve Corraro, who coached the Lady Rebels for the final seven games of this past season after head coach LaDonna McClain resigned under pressure on Feb. 2. McClain posted a 7-40 record in less than two seasons with the Lady Rebels.

Miller inherits a Lady Rebels program that has suffered through four straight losing seasons after winning four league titles from 1990-1994.