Butler coach Brandon Miller takes a medical leave of absence

Butler's quest to remain nationally relevant without Brad Stevens just became a lot more difficult.

The school announced Thursday that head coach Brandon Miller is taking a medical leave of absence to address an unspecified health issue. Assistant coach Chris Holtmann will step in as interim head coach while Miller is away from the program.

"Brandon Miller has requested a leave of absence for medical reasons, which the University has granted," Butler athletic director Barry Collier said in a release. "We are not in a position to further elaborate and we ask that everyone respect Brandon's privacy."

It's difficult to assess the big picture for Butler accurately without knowing more about Miller's condition, but that's secondary to the second-year coach's health. Miller is only 35 years old, so this scare is both abrupt and unexpected.

From a basketball standpoint, the timing couldn't be much worse for Butler with Friday being the first day of fall practice for most Division I teams.

The Bulldogs are attempting to bounce back from a difficult season in which they went 14-17 overall and 4-14 in their Big East debut, raising questions about the program's long-term future now that Stevens has left for the Boston Celtics. Expectations were a bit higher entering this season with Miller in his second year and standout forward Roosevelt Jones back from last year's season-ending injury.

For now, it will be up to Holtmann — Miller's first hire last year — to keep the Butler program afloat.

Holtmann's previous Division I head coaching experience consists of three seasons at Gardner-Webb, where he compiled a 44-54 record from 2010-2013. He steps into a far more high-profile gig now at a critical time for the Butler program.