Master P Details NIL-Era Coaching Philosophy Amid Interest in Arizona State & Memphis

HOUSTON — Percy Miller has built a music empire, launched multiple business ventures, and now, in his first year at the University of New Orleans, turned around a 4-27 basketball program to a 15-18 team on a shoestring budget. His next step: do it somewhere with more resources and a larger budget.

In a recent conversation with HBCU Legends and several media professionals, Miller — known to the world as Master P and to his players as Coach P — expressed clear interest in landing at a program with a larger budget and more infrastructure. That interest has a specific address. Sporting News reporter Kyle Odegard reported Miller’s desire to pursue the open Arizona State men’s basketball coaching position.

Miller also addressed the situation unfolding in Memphis, where Penny Hardaway is reorganizing basketball operations following a disappointing season for the Tigers. Miller called Hardaway a friend and declined to say whether he would pursue a role there.

What he would discuss at length was his philosophy, which is a wide-ranging, experience-forged blueprint for building winning programs in the NIL era, rooted in family, financial literacy, and a willingness to tell young athletes the truth.

Percy “Master P” Miller, a rapper and president of basketball operations at New Orleans, greets Memphis men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway before the start of the game between the University of New Orleans and the University of Memphis at FedExForum on December 3, 2025. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coach P’s Blueprint

Miller holds the title of president of basketball operations and assistant coach at UNO, but his vision of the role goes well beyond tactics and titles.

“If you’re not willing to be a father figure, your program is not going to be successful,” he said. “Too many major programs pour millions into basketball and still fall short because they’re not addressing the whole person — the mental health, the background, the challenges these kids bring with them.”

The philosophy echoes that of Deion Sanders, who made family culture a defining feature of his program-building from Jackson State to Colorado. For Miller, that culture begins not at the first practice but at the first recruiting conversation, and requires coaches to invest time understanding each athlete’s story well before the season tips off.

Financial Literacy as a Foundation

With NIL deals reshaping college sports, Miller argues the most consequential gap in most programs has nothing to do with talent evaluation or scheme. It’s financial education.

“The first thing you’ve got to know is that you are a business,” he said. He advises every athlete to establish an LLC or corporation the moment they arrive on campus and to set aside at least 10 percent of their NIL earnings for passion-driven investments.

For many athletes from under-resourced backgrounds, NIL money is the first significant income their families have ever encountered. Miller sees that reality not as an abstract concern but as an urgent coaching responsibility.

“For a lot of these kids, this is the first time their families have seen money of that magnitude,” he said. “You need to know what to do with your money and how money works. That’s how you close the generational wealth gap.”

He frames financial literacy as core to coaching — as essential as film study or physical conditioning, not a bonus offering tacked onto a player development program.

The coach and rap mogul has expressed interest in the Arizona State vacancy and addressed the Memphis situation while detailing his NIL-era philosophy for program-building. | Imagn Images

Competing Without the Budget

At UNO, Miller has operated without the infrastructure that Power Four programs treat as baseline — no charter flights, no premier facilities, no seven-figure recruiting war chests. His teams have nonetheless produced results that rival programs could not ignore, including a 20-point victory over Tulane and a 78-74 road win over TCU.

“We don’t have charter flights,” he said. “When I get to a game, I’m getting there a couple hours before tipoff. My kids are tired.” He paused. “And we still win.”

He attributes those results to authenticity, a genuine investment in each player’s future and, as he puts it, “old-fashioned hard work.”

“If I had the level of funding the major programs have,” he said, “we would run circles around these people.”

Miller believes higher-tier programs understand that calculus well enough to keep him at a distance. “They’re afraid that I might succeed,” he said. “Man, they don’t want me there.”

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Breaking Into the Old Guard

Even with a first-year turnaround on his résumé, Miller is clear-eyed about the institutional barriers he faces. Athletic directors and university presidents conditioned to conventional searches, he said, remain reluctant to extend serious consideration to a candidate whose public identity was built in hip-hop.

“The traditional AD, the traditional president of a university is not going to choose me,” he said. But he believes the landscape is shifting — and that programs in crisis are more likely to be open to unconventional leaders who have demonstrated they can produce.

“Sometimes it takes a program where the wheels are falling off for them to open the door,” he said. “That’s when someone like me walks in and flips the culture.”

Preparing Players for Life After the Game

Master P is candid with his players about something most coaches sidestep: the overwhelming majority of college athletes will never play professionally. He uses that reality not as a warning but as a launching pad.

He frequently cited Elon Musk's co-founding of PayPal while still in school as the entrepreneurial role model he wants to instill in every player he coaches.

“I’m preparing student-athletes to be successful in life, not just basketball,” he said. “That’s what winning really looks like.”

Whether at UNO or at a larger program, Miller believes the model he's building — rooted in family, financial empowerment, and transparency — could define the next chapter of college athletics. For Coach P, the ceiling in college sports has No Limit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Master P actually a college basketball coach?
Yes. Percy "Master P" Miller serves as president of basketball operations and assistant coach at the University of New Orleans, where he helped turn around a program that went 4-27 the season before his arrival to 15-18 in his first year.

What college does Master P coach for?
Master P coaches at the University of New Orleans (UNO), where he holds the title of president of basketball operations and assistant coach.

Is Master P interested in the Arizona State coaching job?
Yes. Sporting News reporter Kyle Odegard reported Miller's interest in the open Arizona State men's basketball head coaching position. Miller confirmed that interest in a conversation with HBCU Legends and several media professionals.

What is Master P's connection to Penny Hardaway and Memphis?
Miller called Hardaway a personal friend but declined to say whether he would pursue any role with the Memphis Tigers program as Hardaway reorganizes basketball operations following a disappointing season.

What is Master P's coaching philosophy?
Miller's approach centers on treating athletes as whole people — emphasizing mental health, family culture, financial literacy, and life-after-basketball preparation alongside on-court development. He requires players to establish an LLC or corporation upon arrival and set aside a portion of NIL earnings for investments.

What does Master P say about NIL and financial literacy?
Miller argues financial education is as essential as film study or conditioning. He advises every athlete to understand they are a business from day one, establish formal business entities, and learn how to build generational wealth through their NIL earnings.

Has Master P faced barriers breaking into major college coaching?
Miller has acknowledged that traditional athletic directors and university presidents remain reluctant to seriously consider him due to his hip-hop background, despite his documented results at UNO. He believes programs in crisis are most likely to give unconventional candidates a genuine opportunity.