Westchester Knicks’ Miller Promoted to New York’s Coaching Staff
Albert Coqueran Photo
The Westchester Knicks, the NBA G League affiliate of the New York Knicks, will kick off their sixth season at the County Center against the Raptors 905 on Saturday, Nov. 9.
However, the 2019-20 Westchester Knicks will not be led by Head Coach Mike Miller, who coached the team for the past four seasons. After compiling a 108-92 (.540) record with the Westchester Knicks, Miller was promoted and will be an assistant coach of the big team for the upcoming season.
“Mike is an accomplished and respected coach who has been an integral member of the Knicks family the last four seasons in Westchester,” said New York Knicks Head Coach David Fizdale.
With a newly revamped roster for 2019-20, who better to add to the NBA Knicks’ coaching staff than a coach who has had success managing the ever-changing lineups that are a daily occurrence in the G League?
Miller, who came to Westchester in 2015 after spending two seasons as an assistant with the Austin Spurs, the G League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs, became proficient at adjusting lineups necessitated by game-by-game roster changes.
But his player developmental skills, the main purpose of the league, are top-notch, punctuated by the progress of Kadeem Allen and Damyean Dotson who remain on the New York Knicks roster to date.
“Mike is a great addition to our staff, a tireless worker who shares our approach to the game with an expertise in player development,” Fizdale said.
Last season Miller led the Westchester Knicks to a third-place finish in the NBA G League’s Eastern Conference with a 29-21 record. However, the local Knicks lost to the Lakeland Magic in the semifinals of the 2018-19 Eastern Conference playoffs.
In 2017-18, Miller led the Westchester Knicks to their best record in franchise history, going 32-18. That team won the G League Atlantic Division title for the first time and earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Miller was recognized with the 2017-18 NBA G League Dennis Johnson Coach of the Year Award.
Nonetheless, local Westchester Knicks fans should rest easy, as they have been placed under competent leadership for next season. Derrick Alston, who spent the last four seasons on the bench with Miller as his assistant, has been hired as the Westchester Knicks’ fourth head coach in the team’s history.
Similar to Miller, Alston is well-versed in player development. Before joining the Westchester Knicks, he worked three seasons as the player development coach for the Houston Rockets. Alston is a Bronx native who graduated Hoboken High School and played four years at Duquesne University before being selected 33rd overall in the 1994 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to become the new head coach of the Westchester Knicks and to continue the development of our young and talented players both on and off the court,” Alston said.
