Coaching basketball has never only been about the Xs and Os for Jeff Miller.

Miller’s love for the game has a lot more to do with the Jimmys and Joes.

Earlier this week, Miller announced he was stepping down as the Northern Lehigh boys basketball coach after 12 years with the program - the last 10 as head coach.

Miller cited personal reasons for his decision.

“I still love coaching, and I love Northern Lehigh,” Miller said. “I couldn’t have asked for more support or to have been treated better by (athletic director) Bryan Geist and the entire administration.

“But I didn’t know if I could continue to make the time commitment it takes to be a head coach. Because of that, I thought the right thing to do for the school - and especially for the players - was to resign as head coach.”

Miller said what he will miss most about not being the Bulldogs’ head coach are the people connected with the sport.

“The players, my assistant coaches, the staff and administration at Northern Lehigh, the opposing coaches in the Colonial League ... after a decade as a head coach you form a lot of relationships,” Miller said. “That’s what I will definitely miss the most.”

Miller said foremost in that group are the student-athletes he has worked with over the years.

“I always prided myself on having great relationship with my players - the current players and also the former players,” Miller said. “I’m going to miss that interaction. You’re around your team so much as a head coach that the players are like a part of your family.”

Miller had a 105-125 career record as the Bulldogs head coach. His teams qualified for the District 11 playoffs in six of his 10 years, advancing to the PIAA State playoffs in 2012.

Miller said there was one common trait with all the teams he coached as Northern Lehigh.

“There were times where we might not have been extremely talented,” Miller said. “But whether it was a district playoff team or a team that struggled to win a game, I always appreciated the fact that the kids gave me everything they had.

“I’m proud of the fact that our kids competed and played hard every time they stepped on the floor. As a head coach, you can’t ask for anything more.”

Miller also said he was blessed with an outstanding group of assistant coaches during his run with the Bulldogs.

“I served as an assistant to Rich Oertner for two years before getting the head coaching job,” Miller recalled. “When I took over, Denny Rehrig and Richie Mantz both stayed with the program and really helped me transition to becoming the head coach.”

Miller said one of the most special times he had at Northern Lehigh was when he was able to bring his son Trevor - now the head coach Lehighton - in as an assistant coach.

“Right after graduating from Bloomsburg, Trevor came on as our middle school coach,” Miller said. “Then, when Denny Rehrig left, Trevor moved up to become my JV coach.

“That was a really enjoyable time for me. As a father, I don’t know if there is anything better than having an opportunity to work with your son and do something you are both passionate about.”

When Trevor left to take the Lehighton job, Miller turned to his “Northern Lehigh family” to help coach.

Former Bulldog player Alex Lerch served for a time as an assistant, and last year’s staff included three players who had played for Miller in Devin Glose, Preston Kemery and Brandon Hess.

“To have former players come back and help out is something else I’m really proud of,” Miller said. “It shows the commitment they have to the school and the program. They also know me and know what I expect from our teams, so that produces a great comfort level within the staff.”

Miller, who began his coaching career in 1980, has had two separate assistant coaching stints at Lehighton and also served as the head coach at Lehigh Carbon Community College for six years, in addition to his time at Northern Lehigh.

After four decades on the bench, Miller isn’t necessarily ready to get out of coaching altogether.

“I still love the game and the kids, I just didn’t think I could commit to being a head coach at this time,” Miller said. “But if it works out down the line that the right opportunity to help out with a program opens up, I could definitely see myself staying involved with the sport.”