Cane Ridge (Antioch, Tenn.) star Brandon Miller had always been adamant that his ultimate decision would come down to the little things because with the options on his final list – Alabama, Kansas, Tennessee State, Australia’s pro league and the NBA G-League – the obvious boxes like exposure, facilities, etc. are all checked.
In the end, Alabama checked more of the boxes that mattered to Miller.
It certainly didn’t hurt Nate Oats’ chances that Miller’s father, Darrell, played football at Alabama, but the real connection had more to do with Miller’s skill set fitting perfectly with the Crimson Tide’s quick-hitting offense.
Miller is one of the craftiest scorers at his position in the class, with great length and versatility which helps him get to his spots. He’s adept at creating his own shot and his efficiency and range help him keep the defense off balance.
Those attributes should mesh well with Oats’ frantic pace on the offensive end which ranked atop the SEC in three-point percentage (35.1%) and hoisted more than 150 more threes than any other team in the league last season.
As a three-level scorer with the ability to guard multiple positions, Oats will be able to move Miller around to play multiple positions with multiple lineups, much like he did with Herbert Jones, the reigning SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Miller pumped in 23.3 points, including 47% from the three-point line, 8.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.6 blocks and 2.3 steals last season for Cane Ridge.
He’s the second commit for Alabama in the 2022 class, joining IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) point guard Jaden Bradley.
