CHICAGO _ Adam Miller's signing ceremony with Illinois on Wednesday had all the signs of taking place during a pandemic.
A video-call news conference. His mom experiencing technical difficulties setting up the call. Glitchy questions from reporters. A radio ad interrupting the ceremony.
It wasn't an ideal scenario for Miller's big moment, but it was a significant day for Illinois.
"Now I'm Fighting Illini," Miller said. "I've been one my whole life. Now I'm official."
Miller, a 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago's Morgan Park, has soothed Illinois fans' fears after he didn't sign his national letter of intent on the first day players could do so earlier this month. He said he wanted to gather friends and family, which isn't easy during a shelter-in-place order because of the coronavirus.
Miller, who is the No. 33 senior in the nation, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, can ease the transition if sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu sticks to his decision to enter the NBA draft. Miller dismissed speculation that he would have gone elsewhere had Dosunmu stayed at Illinois.
"A lot of people said I wasn't even going there if Ayo was coming back, but that didn't (influence) my decision," he said. "Me and Ayo played high school together. So I would have gladly played college basketball with him."
Miller, who recently was voted Mr. Basketball of Illinois for 2020, committed to Illinois on Nov. 21 at the Jordan Brand store in Chicago.
He joins guard Andre Curbelo and forward Coleman Hawkins in the 2020 class ranked No. 15 nationally, according to 247sports. Miller averaged 23.9 points as a senior, shooting 42% on 3-pointers.
Illinois also lost guard Andres Feliz to graduation, and guards Alan Griffin and Tevian Jones transferred. Center Kofi Cockburn declared for the NBA draft as well but has not hired an agent and plans to receive feedback from NBA teams to determine whether his decision is permanent.
During his announcement Wednesday, Miller wore an Illinois shirt and sat a table in front of a wall with an "I" decal. Four young men stood behind him wearing Illinois gear, and he drew applause when he signed his letter of intent.
Attending Illinois felt right, he said.
"I feel like this is my best option," Miller said. "This is important to me. If I was going to be able to continue to go to my dream and make it to the NBA, why not do it at home? My family can come to my games. I'm a small-city guy. I like everything five minutes, 10 minutes away from me.
"This is going to be a perfect setting for me. I'm going to be ready for everything."
