Freshman sensation?
One game does not make a season, but Teddy Miller's, TC '99, performance Sat., Jan. 21, against Brown in Yale's Ivy League home opener was certainly, at times, sensational. Slashing his way to the basket with a variety of quick moves, the 6'3" freshman out of Brentwood High School in Los Angeles led all scorers with 15 points. He sank six out of 10 field goals and all three of his foul shots.
A bit more thorough glance at the statistics will reveal that Miller also led the team in assists and offensive rebounds without recording a turnover. What does Miller have to say about all this? "I'm just out there working as hard I can, trying to do as much as I can in the time I get."
And Miller is quick to point out that his accomplishments last Saturday night would not have been possible without a team effort. "The team played well defensively and got me the ball in spots I was comfortable with," Miller said.
A veteran of the game of basketball for 13 years now, Miller started off in YMCA leagues. By the time he was in junior high he was playing on a local traveling team composed of other talented young Los Angeles basketball players. These teams traveled across the country playing in various tournaments. Often his winter, spring, and summer breaks were spent away from home playing basketball.
"The travelling teams gave me the opportunity to play against top competition. I'd say they were instrumental in my development as a basketball player." In fact, Miller even had the opportunity to play with Kevin Garnett, a current member of the Minnesota Timberwolves who was drafted out of high school as the fifth pick in last year's NBA draft.
Miller made the varsity basketball team at Brentwood in his freshman year. Not entirely satisfied with his one-sport life, however, Miller took up football as a junior. "Football taught me a lot about being part of a team," Miller said before pausing. "It also toughened me up."
But basketball remained his standout sport, and he finished high school with a trunkful of awards, including league MVP his senior year, and All-State honors his junior and senior years.
The transition to Division I basketball was not a physically difficult one for Miller. "I've been able to do the same things on the basketball court in college that I did in high school," he said. "I'm still learning, though, to become mentally tough."
In other words, as this freshman continues to develop and mature, performances like last Saturday night might not be all that rare.
-- Dean Joelson
Copyright 1995, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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