The most successful high school basketball coach in Alabama High School Athletic Association history is hanging up his whistle, trading it for a “desk” job a few miles down the road.

Tim Miller, who led three different teams to 11 state championships, is retiring at Hazel Green to become the athletic director at St. John Paul II in Huntsville. His new position became official Wednesday.

“It’s time for a new challenge,” said Miller, who took teams to 20 AHSAA final fours in 26 years as a head coach. “It’s the right time and this opportunity came along and I just couldn’t turn it down. I’ve had a heckuva run here and a heckuva career. It’s time to try something else.”

The Montgomery native’s career record is 780-112 and his Hazel Green mark is 394-41. Miller’s winning percentage of .874 is tops among girls coaches all-time in the AHSAA, ahead of Eddie Holmes’ .868 mark from 1981-2002 at UMS-Wright. His winning percentage is second among all AHSAA coaches, according to the association’s record book, behind Guy O’Brien’s .901 mark from 1926-44 at Geraldine, Jackson County and Gadsden. Miller averaged exactly 30 wins a season.

Miller’s 11 championships are the most in the AHSAA, one more than Grissom boys coach Jack Doss has won at four schools. Miller is 11-3 in state championship games in his career. The streak of state titles at Hazel Green began in 2018, a year after a loss to Homewood in the state championship game.

Miller’s Hazel Green team finished 27-9 this season, falling 56-54 in double overtime in the semifinals to eventual champion Park Crossing. The loss snapped the Trojans’ streak of seven consecutive state championships – an AHSAA record. During that run, Hazel Green set another AHSAA record – girls or boys – with 87 straight wins.

“We’re always saying that one game doesn’t define y’all,” Miller said of his message to his team after what proved to be his final game at Hazel Green. “It doesn’t take away from the great season we had. We still played a national schedule and the adversity that we went through with the injury side of it was tough. We didn’t shy away from any opponent. When you play through games like that, it builds a lot of character. There are a lot of ups and downs when you’re playing sports. You’re not going to win every time.”

At Hazel Green, where the basketball court was named in his honor on Nov. 19, 2024, Miller produced 10 first-team Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State performers. In 2022, Samiya Steele was named the school’s only Miss Basketball. Two of his student-athletes at Bob Jones were named Miss Basketball, Jala Harris in 2009 and Jasmine Jones in 2012.

Demetrius Miller was an assistant coach for all of Tim Miller’s teams. He actually was at the school for a year before Tim Miller arrived.

“He’s done a wonderful job,” the assistant said. “It’s nothing short of amazing. I consider him to be one of the best – if not the best – high school basketball coaches in the state. He came in and truly laid a foundation here and left an impact on establishing a girls basketball program here as being one of the best in the state, for sure. I dare say, one of the best in the nation.

“Whoever is next has some mighty big shoes to fill,” he said. “I don’t think those shoes can be filled.”

The now former head coach said his meeting with his final team had some emotional moments.

“It’s kind of strange that I’m not going to be right there with the girls anymore,” Miller said. “But, I explained to them that, ‘I’m your coach for the rest of your life.’

“You get connected to them and they become your extended family. They understood,” he said of his conversation breaking the news of his decision to his team. “We had some crying moments, but we’ll always be part of each others’ lives no matter what.”

A 2023 Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Miller coached his alma mater, Jeff Davis (now JAG – Johnson Abernathy Graetz – High School) from 1999-2007 with a state title in 2006. From there, he coached at Bob Jones from 2007-13, where he won championships in 2008, 2009, 2011 and was runner-up in 2012. After serving as an assistant coach for the women’s program at the University of Alabama in 2012 and 2013, Miller took over at Hazel Green in 2014.

“I’m excited to join the family over there at St. John Paul II,” Miller said. “I’m excited to get to know the coaches, to get to know the students and the faculty and working with them.”