TUCSON, Ariz. — Archie Miller never had one of those fight-all-the-time, rivalry relationships with his older brother, Sean.
Ten years younger, Archie was more like the tag-along little brother, a pint-sized kid cheering Sean on at high school games in their hometown of Beaver Falls, Pa., and later at the University of Pittsburgh, where big bro was a star point guard.
Over the years, their relationship morphed into more of a mentorship, Sean providing Archie guidance through his high school years, then recruiting and coaching him directly as an assistant at North Carolina State.
Their connection has grown even stronger over the past two years at the University of Arizona, where Archie has learned the intricacies of running a program as an assistant under Sean and the brothers have helped turn around a traditional power after a couple years of turmoil.
"We grew up in the same house, we coach the same way in a lot of aspects, and him being able to teach me and help run a program, why you do certain things, I felt like that would be the final piece to understanding what it's all about," Archie said. "I really enjoy working for him."
Sean and Archie grew up around basketball.
Their father, John, was a legendary coach in Pennsylvania, where he led Blackhawk High School to four state titles and helped groom his cousin, Kentucky coach John Calipari.
Sean was the first of three Division I players to come out of the Miller household — Lisa and Archie followed — and was a fiercely competitive point guard who helped lead Pittsburgh to three NCAA tournament appearances and left as the Panthers' career leader in assists and free throw percentage.
By the time Archie was a budding star in high school, Sean had moved on to coaching, first at Wisconsin, then Miami (Ohio) and back at Pittsburgh. In 1996, Sean joined Herb Sendek's staff at N.C. State and, naturally, started recruiting his little brother.
It wasn't a tough sell, though not just because Sean was already there.
"It was probably was (a slam dunk) because of the place and the conference, the coach who was there, Herb Sendek," Sean said.
Sean stayed at N.C. State for Archie's first three seasons, giving his little brother a comfort level most college students don't get by providing a familiar face and, along with wife Amy, a place to hang out with family on weekends and evenings.
Mostly, though, Sean was Archie's coach. He made sure of that.
Just because they were related didn't mean Sean was going to go any easier on Archie. If anything, their bond made him push Archie harder.
"In hindsight, I was harder on him, in my own mind if nothing else," Sean said. "I ended up leaving before his career ended and that was a good thing for him to get me out of the way. There's enough pressure for a college player, especially someone of that size, that you don't need your brother being harder on you."
A feisty, undersized guard who could shoot practically from midcourt, Archie had his best season after Sean left for Xavier, earning all ACC tournament honors while leading the Wolfpack to the NCAA tournament in 2002.
Then, like his brother, Archie went into the family business, first as an intern at N.C. State, then to Western Kentucky and back to the Wolfpack.
Sean became the head coach at Xavier in 2004, but Archie couldn't join his staff then because of the school's nepotism policy. Instead, he followed Sendek to the desert, serving as an assistant coach at Arizona State during the 2006-07 season before getting offered a job at Ohio State under Thad Matta.
Archie was in a good situation with the Buckeyes, working for a quality coach at an up-and-coming program.
But when big brother came calling, he couldn't resist.
Sean got the Arizona job in 2009, pegged as the coach who could pick up the pieces of a once-proud program that had fallen on hard times after the retirement of longtime coach Lute Olson. He initially wanted to bring his entire staff from Xavier with him to Tucson, but Xavier ended up hiring Chris Mack, Miller's top assistant, to become the head coach.
Wanting someone he knew, someone who understood his coaching philosophy and style, Sean knew exactly where to turn: his brother.
"I had no expectations and you could make the argument at that point in his career that it made sense to stay at Ohio State," Sean said. "Thad Matta is a great friend of mine and you look at where they're at today, you could see where he'd want to do that. I appreciate him wanting to come out here. It took a leap of faith."
It's worked out so far.
Arizona appears to be a lock to reach the NCAA tournament after having its 25-year run end last season, is back in the top 10 and can wrap up the Pac-10 regular-season title this weekend at Southern California.
Sean and Archie also have resumed their mentor-protege relationship, just like at N.C. State. They'll always be brothers first, but when they're at the McKale Center, Sean is the boss, Archie the understudy. Archie is still feisty and has some of his own ideas, but, for now, this is Sean's show and he has the final say.
"I think sometimes Archie tries to take over, but coach Miller has his own opinions," said Derrick Williams, Arizona's sophomore star forward. "Sometimes they head butt each other, but they're two great coaches and they always end up doing what's best for the team."
Teaming up in the desert seems to be what's best for the Miller brothers.
Sean not only has a chance to bond with his little brother, he gets an assistant who's played the game at a high level, understands its nuances and has a similar philosophy after learning under the same teacher (their father).
Archie, along with getting tighter with his brother, gets a firsthand look at how to build a program, to learn under someone he knows and trusts, gain the skills he'll need to reach his ultimate goal of becoming a head coach.
"In coaching, you kind of rely on the people in your tree to help you and he was my tree," Archie said. "I had bounced around a few times and when Sean gave me the opportunity, I decided to do that because I felt professionally it would be beneficial moving forward."
It hasn't been a bad personal decision, either.