Don’t look now, but before long Memphis assistant coach Mike Miller might be the second most recognized basketball player in his own family.
Miller, famous for being a dead-eye sharpshooter and a LeBron James favorite throughout his career, is now an assistant basketball coach at Memphis University, supporting head coach Penny Hardaway. A former Grizzlies player, Miller’s family has settled in suburban Memphis, in Germantown, Tenn.
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That’s where Miller’s son, Mason Miller, has emerged as a budding high school and AAU star, to the point where he’s been one of the more intriguing developments in the early 2019 spring circuit, per 247Sports.
The difference a year makes. In 2018, Miller was on a path to follow in his father’s stylistic footsteps. Despite his 6-foot-9 height, the younger Miller was largely settling for deep open threes and other uncontested shots (he hit most). This year, he’s making more versatile use of his size and athletic talents.
“Last year it was more of only shooting but now I’m getting to the rim better and other stuff like that,” the younger Miller told 247Sports.
That helps explain Miller’s rise to 18 points and eight rebounds per game in the 16s division playing for Memphis-based Hoop City. Per his coach for Hoop City, Miller is just beginning to tap into his full potential.
“He can stretch out defenses with his three ball but can attack and finish above the rim,” Hoop City’s Ernie Kuyper told 247Sports. “He can shoot like his dad, but maybe at this point a more athletic finisher like his mom, who was as a D1 athlete. Mason has a chance to be one of the best to come through Hoop City Basketball.”
If he does, he might just live up to his father’s name and career, and his own immense potential.
