Miles, Tim

A proud native of Doland and South Dakota, Tim Miles has built one of the most respected coaching careers in college basketball, defined by program building, player development, and sustained success across every level of the sport. Now the head coach at San José State University, Miles continues to elevate programs using the same blueprint that has guided his career for more than two decades. Since taking over the Spartans in 2021, he has led the program to historic milestones, including a 21-win season in 2022-23 — the school’s most in over 40 years — along with its first Mountain West Conference Player of the Year (Omari Moore) and a postseason victory. His leadership earned Mountain West Coach of the Year honors and finalist recognition for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award. Under Miles, San José State has returned to national relevance, including an NIT appearance in 2025, just the second in program history. Miles’ career is defined by transformation. He is the only active coach to lead teams to postseason play at the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division I levels, a testament to his adaptability and sustained impact. His rise began at Mayville State, where he revitalized a struggling NAIA program and captured consecutive conference titles and was the NDCAC Coach of the year. At Southwest Minnesota State, he engineered one of Division II’s most dramatic turnarounds, leading the Mustangs to a 28-win season, conference championship, and NCAA II Elite Eight appearance in 2001, while earning conference and regional Coach of the Year honors. At North Dakota State, Miles guided the Bison through their transition to Division I, laying a foundation for long-term success and earning national attention with wins over ranked opponents. He continued that momentum at Colorado State, transforming the Rams into a Mountain West contender and leading them to a 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012.  Along the way, Miles was named USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year and even earned an Emmy Award for the reality television show Reaching the Peak, which followed the team. Miles reached the national stage at the University of Nebraska, where he led the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years in 2014. That season, Nebraska surged from a last-place preseason projection to a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten, earning Miles both the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award and Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He later guided Nebraska to a 22-win season in 2017-18, one of the most successful in program history. Throughout his career, Miles has developed high-level talent, coached numerous All-Americans, all-conference players, and emphasized academic excellence, producing Academic All-Americans and conference honorees. His teams are known for toughness, discipline, and an entertaining style of play. He has also been instrumental in developing coaches nationwide, with a coaching tree that includes 12 Division I head coaches and many others now serving in coaching roles across all levels of the game. Miles began his coaching career at Northern State University after earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary and a master’s degree from Northern State. He has been inducted into multiple halls of fame, including those at the University of Mary, Northern State, Mayville State, Southwest Minnesota State and continues to represent his home state with distinction on the national stage. He is the father of two children. His daughter, Ava, is a graduate of San José State and earned a postgraduate degree in Sports Law and Business from Arizona State. His son, Gabe, attends North Dakota State University, where he competes on the track team and is majoring in finance. Through every stop, Tim Miles has demonstrated that lasting success is built on vision, resilience, and the ability to inspire others.