Miller's love for basketball drives him to succeed on court
By Rob Hoffman
The drive to improve is a quality many people possess, but for Dave Miller it’s a part of everyday life. The back-up center for the IVCC Eagles has used this as a main focus in his life.
The 6'6" freshman grew up in Ottawa and has been playing basketball since he was in kindergarten.
Being namedOttawa High School’s Most Valuable Player last season, and to the All-Conference and All-Area teams, Miller would have liked to go to a four-year university, but thought it would be best for him to attend IVCC first.
And Head Coach Mike Riley is pleased Miller made that choice.
"Dave is very coachable, he is a very consistent hard worker," said Riley.
Miller, who is a general education major, attempting a minor in business, hopes to be able to step in as the man in the middle next season and hopefully get recruited as highly as his predecessor Sam Beyer. Miller also said he would like to make movies someday.
The road to IVCC has been a long and hard fought one for Miller. His freshman year in high school Miller was placed on the B team as a reserve. That experience made Dave strive to get better.
"After watching the guys who were starting for our team, I got upset because they weren’t putting 110% in and some of the guys didn’t even look like they wanted to play," said Miller.
After that Miller devoted every moment of his free time in the weight room, on the court, and watching game tapes. The following season Miller started to catch people’s eyes and became the starting center for the Junior Varsity Team. Over the next two seasons Miller went on to average 12 points and 11 rebounds per game under Coach Tim Burgess.
"That’s when I decided that playing basketball was what I wanted to do," Miller said. "It was just a matter of seeing how far I could go then."
Miller is currently averaging 2 points and 4 rebounds per game despite not being a starter.
"Dave willingness to try and his physicality on the floor and in the weight room are his biggest strengths," commented Coach Riley.
Sam Beyer's graduation this spring will leave a hole in the middle that Miller would like to fill, and he plans to be up to the challenge.