Buena Names Veteran John Miller New Head Basketball Coach

The Buena Regional High School sports scene has seen some changes.

Riggitano Takes the Reins of Buena Football

Former head football coach Kyle Klein announced he was leaving the school to take over the Delsea football program.  Former Middle Township High School football coach Frank Riggitano has replaced Klein for the upcoming 2026 season. 

Veteran John Miller Set to Lead Boys Basketball

The boys basketball team is also getting a new leader, with John Miller taking over the program. Miller replaces Jim Bell and brings over 30 years of coaching experience, including 15 years at the collegiate level.

A Deep Resume Across South Jersey

Miller has quite a resume, having coached at various spots all over South Jersey at the high school and in college.

He has been the head boys coach at Cumberland Regional from 2005-09 and ACIT from 2011-13.  He was the head girls coach at Cape Christian Academy in 2000-01. He also served as an assistant coach at Cumberland, Oakcrest, St. Joseph, Delsea and Vineland high schools.

He was the head women’s coach at Burlington County College from 2003-05 and assistant men’s coach at Atlantic Cape Community College from 2001-03.

Miller was on the Stockton women’s basketball staff multiple times and, before that, was an assistant men’s coach at Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland.

Most recently, he was the Atlantic Cape Buccaneers Women’s Basketball Team head coach in 2024.

Bell is also the Chiefs' head girls softball coach and remains in that role.

The Challenge: Turning Around the Chiefs' Hard Times

Miller takes over a program that has struggled, going 22-98 since the 2020 COVID-19 season. The Chiefs have won more than 10 games just once in the past 15 seasons.

The Chiefs last had a winning record in 2002 when they went 16-10 and were 14-14 in 2010.

Overall, Buena has just three winning seasons (2000-2002) and two .500 seasons since 1973.