Aly Miller knew her career path from an early age, long before she became Naperville North’s coach this spring.
Her father, Scott, was the boys basketball coach at Glenbard East from 1999 to 2020, winning 318 games and a third-place trophy in Class 4A in 2011.
Aly Miller’s brother, Zach, was the point guard on that 2011 team. He later played at Northern Illinois and will be entering his third year as the boys basketball coach at Downers Grove South.
“Basketball has always been a huge part of my life,” Aly Miller said. “My brother and I grew up going to my dad’s games with our mom (Lisa), sitting right behind his bench.
“So growing up I saw not only the time and dedication that it takes to run a successful program, but I saw the lasting impact it had on his players. I knew that was something that I wanted to create for myself.”
Aly Miller, 25, gets the chance to do so. She succeeds Erin Colletti, who resigned earlier this year after guiding the Huskies to an 86-23 record, three DuPage Valley Conference titles and one regional title over four seasons.
Naperville North athletic director Bob Quinn said Aly Miller, who was the junior varsity coach the past two seasons, brings great potential.
“There’s no question it’s a great coaching heritage,” Quinn said. “I’ve known Scott Miller for over 25 years, and he is top-drawer. Her brother is a great resource, as well, and her mother was at every game she coached last winter, so it’s a great family.”
It’s a family steeped in the teaching and coaching professions.
“It’s great to be able to hire families and kids that understand the business,” Quinn said. “It’s a bunch of hours. Whether it’s practicing, playing, scouting, it’s a tough business, and she gets and understands the business, which is wonderful.”
Scott Miller, an assistant under his son at Downers Grove South, said his daughter has long gravitated toward coaching.
“She is five years younger than Zach, so everybody would laugh that she’s probably seen more basketball games than any kid in the world, going to my games, going to Zach’s games and then obviously going to her own games,” Scott Miller said.
“We’d always have discussions, even back when she was 10 or 12 years old, of why did you guys do this in a game, why did you do that? She’s always had a real good mind for the game.”
Aly Miller, who also coaches in Naperville North’s softball program, played basketball and softball at Glenbard South under Julie Fonda, whom she regards as a strong role model.
“She gave me the confidence as a player,” Aly Miller said. “She is a great resource, and we are still very close. She’s been a great mentor to me, and she has given me the confidence to pursue this next chapter of my life.”
Quinn chose Aly Miller, who teaches supported education, from of a field of nearly 30 applicants. Alex Gerdes, who also teaches supported education, will be her assistant. Veteran lower-level coaches Ryan Hantak and Tim Johnson return. Hantak was a varsity assistant under Colletti’s predecessor, Jason Dycus.
“Aly’s done a great job and has really kind of established herself as a leader among that group of young teachers and coaches,” Quinn said. “She’s got a nice staff that’s a nice combination of young coaches who are learning and growing in the profession and then some older guys who have been around and understand how those things work.
“We’re super excited for her to be our head girls basketball coach.”
Aly Miller learned from her father that success may not be instantaneous.
“He talks about his early years at Glenbard East where they only won a couple games for a few seasons and it took a long time to make progress,” Aly Miller said. “So I’m keeping that in the forefront of my mind, that success isn’t going to happen overnight.
“It’s something that we have to constantly work for, our players have to constantly contribute to. The wins will come as we start to develop a new program together.”
The Huskies, who began summer league play last week, have just four players with varsity experience: returning starting senior guard Sydni Fink and reserves Kendall Johnson, Lillian Bouska and Natalie Frempong.
“I’m definitely excited to get going,” Aly Miller said. “The girls have really bought in to the new system and new coaches, so it’s been a really positive experience so far.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.