'I've been preparing for this all my life': Kiyomi McMiller on anticipated 1st season with Rutgers women's basketball
Speedy, creative and elusive are just some ways to describe freshman guard Kiyomi McMiller. After a season filled with struggles, the Rutgers women's basketball team has one of the best offensive guards in the 2024 recruiting class playing in the backcourt.
Aside from an exhibition game, McMiller has yet to play for the Scarlet Knights, but the hype among fans has grown since her commitment, and for good reason. At Life Center Academy in Burlington, New Jersey, McMiller amassed 2,015 points, 437 rebounds and 363 assists in her career.
Basketball has been a part of McMiller's life from a young age, with ties to the game all around her family. Most notably, McMilller's mother, Ravilia McMiller, played for Mount Saint Mary's, has coached at the high school level and is the co-founder of a player development program called Off Season Athletics, LLC.
Being immersed in basketball from a young age, McMiller always knew that she would play in college and less than one week from now, that will become a reality for the young guard.
"I've been prepared to play in college my whole life," McMiller said. "People might think that's like a joke, I'm being like dead serious. I've been practicing against, for the most part, people older than me … I've been college-ready since I've been in elementary school."
All signs point to McMiller being the primary ball-handler for Rutgers, and many believe that her ball-handling skills can elevate the offense. Teammates and coaches have been amazed at what McMiller has brought to the gym throughout offseason workouts. Practicing against a player with McMiller's skill has kept the Knights on their toes in preseason practices.
"You don't really know where the ball is going, it's just, you gotta trust (McMiller)," said sophomore guard Kennedy Brandt. "There's moves that you've never seen before you don't expect to come out of people and (McMiller)'s pulling them out like mid-scrimmage."
Coming into her freshman year at Rutgers, McMiller was given a 96-scout grade and was ESPNW's No. 22 recruit. In addition to her recruiting status, McMiller was a McDonald's All-American nominee and a Jordan All-American. She is the first high school athlete to sign a name, image and likeness contract with the Jordan brand.
Arguably, McMiller's best achievement as a basketball player is her confidence in her on-court ability. Many incoming college players struggle with transitioning from high school to college-level play, but McMiller does not seem to be one of those players. Having a player with confidence at the point guard position brings comfort to the Knights' offense, which was lacking at times last season.
In Rutgers' 101-48 exhibition win against Caldwell, McMiller stuffed the stat sheet, headlined by her 21 points, the second most on the team. She shot 9-19 from the floor, brought down six rebounds, dished out two assists and had two steals. These numbers don’t officially count for anything, but seeing this production level from a freshman is still impressive.
One aspect of McMiller's game that can get overshadowed by her offensive production is her rebounding and defensive ability. In her senior season at Life Center Academy, McMiller averaged 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. Having a multifaceted player who can turn defense into offense is another way McMiller can impact a game.
There will be a lot of buzz around McMiller, who is set to start her college basketball journey in just five days when the Knights kick off their season at home against Manhattan. Last season was less than ideal for Rutgers, but with the addition of a spark plug like McMiller, things could look a lot different in the new campaign.
As for McMiller’s expectations, she is confident that her freshman year will be remembered by fans.
"I've been preparing for this all my life," she said. "Everyone just needs to be prepared for what I'm about to bring."
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