COACH OF THE YEAR : This Time Miller Helps Oilers From Bench, Not the Court

Huntington Beach High Coach Roy Miller played on some great Oiler basketball teams in the late 1960s and later at Cal State Long Beach.

Miller was a reserve for Long Beach, ranked as high as fourth in the nation in 1971 under Coach Jerry Tarkanian.

Before that, Miller led Huntington Beach to the 1968 Southern Section championship game, where the Oilers lost to Compton.

This past season, Miller had the opportunity to coach a great team rather than play for one. He guided Huntington Beach to the Sunset League title and the section championship game for the first time in 25 years.

“It doesn’t make any difference if you make it to the finals as a coach or a player,” said Miller, The Times Orange County boys’ basketball coach of the year. “You’re there to compete, either way. So you get the same thrill out of playing as you do coaching.”

Miller coached the Oilers to a 25-9 record, including a 19-game winning streak and a 14-0 league record. They lost to Mater Dei in the Division I-A championship game and were eliminated in the Southern California Division I semifinals by eventual State champion Crenshaw.

Miller, 41, fielded his best team in 16 years at Huntington Beach, working with a starting lineup of seniors Matt Ambrose, Bryan Chang, Chris Jones, Tom Walden and junior Tony Gonzalez.

It was a veteran team. Ambrose, Chang and Walden were three-year starters, and Jones and Gonzalez two-year starters.

“The overall balance on this team was great,” Miller said. “We had five competent players with no weaknesses. I really enjoyed this group. They were a lot of fun.”

For now, Miller talks only of this past season. Though he has Gonzalez, an all-county center, returning, Miller offers no promises for next season.

“That’s always one of problems you face when have a season like we did,” Miller said. “Everyone wants an encore.”