BU recruit- Adam Miller

[BigBallinman]

This is true. Adam may be a future NBA player, but I was reading similar reports about Donivine Stewart when he was in middle school. Some kids peak physically earlier then others and then fall behind their peers by the end of high school. Richard McBride and Mike Robinson are examples of other kids who were heralded as future NBA players before they started playing high school basketball. Mike Robinson was a McDonald's All-American, but he had no position by the time he got to college.

The fact that Adam is already 6'2 is good, although to be a one and done player, I'd expect him to be closer to 6'5 by the end of high school, even if he is a true PG. Is he a PG or a combo? I've never seen him play outside of clips on youtube, so I don't know.

Livingston managed to grow to 6'7 and remained a true PG, which is what propelled him to #2 in the national rankings in 2004, behind Dwight Howard. That's really the level he would need to be at in order to be a one and done type player.

I don't see Miller growing to 6' 5, I think he may grow another inch or two, I'm actually surprised that he's as tall as he is now considering his father is only about 5' 10, his dad was a hell of a player at Manual he just didn't have his head on straight. I agree that some kids hit a peak but a lot of it has to do with physical attributes as well. Donivine was a hell of a player at this age also but it didn't carry over to the next level because he didn't have the size and most considered him to be to slow for his size. What i see in miller is that he's a future Pg, he has the size, the speed,the vision, the jump shot and etc that will carry over to the next level. The problem with a lot of recruits in the Peoria area is that they don't have the physical attributes to carry over to the next level, their's not that much size in this area so a lot of kids are playing out of position and would be considered tweeners at the next level. Most player's around here that are 6' 5 can't handle the ball and some can't hit the side of a barn. Miller has great court vision and can handle the ball like a pure Pg plus he shoots lights out.This kid can handle the rock and some of his passes are unreal I'm not kidding. The writer has it wrong in the article it's not so much that he was looking at schools like Simeon and Morgan Park,they are sweating him. He hangs out in the Chicago area because his AAU team is based out in the Chicago area. Put it like this, if you got schools like Simeon in which produced the likes of Rose, Parker and etc trying to get you to relocate 300 miles to play for them you must be something special. Everything that I've said was told to me about a year ago and I wasn't a believer until a relative of mine finally got me to go to one of his games and I walked away in disbelief of his skill set at such a young age. When Miller played at nationals a few months ago I heard grown ass men that were from other States wanting to try and get this kids autograph because they felt like he was going to be in the league one day.

[Da Coach]

I have not seen him play, but here are a few YouTube videos of Adam Miller. He is a left hander with quick moves, handles the ball extremely well, and is a slick passer-

6th grade video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vTxZC4OpQc

7th grade video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HShJc_j1qx4

8th grade video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm_ZbI7Ztlk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP21V_uUxJY

[BigBallinman]

BigBallin - you are treading close to losing credibility....
Manual has four solid DI kids with Miller, AJ, Douglas-Watkins & Da'Monte Williams - possibly 5 if anyone else blows up...
and yet they didn't even win the local tourney?

I don't know his stats in the Richwoods Shootout - and I have no desire to disparage the kid...and who knows- he may end up being a superstar.....but let's not get ahead of ourselves....
I severely doubt the claim he'd be a scoring leader in the MVC right now.
...Did he even average double figures against a batch of high school opponents in the Shootout, that are largely going nowhere?
We know he did hit 10 pts against a no-name Lincoln squad that Manual clobbered 40-19. (LINK) - how'd he do in the other games?

I could careless about credibility and to be honest I wouldn't believe me either if a relative of mines didn't convince me to watch him play,he kept telling me dude gone be in the NBA come check him out, I was like I've seen way to many kids in this area that I thought and others has thought also was going to be something that ended up not doing much of nothing on the next level so I wasn't biting,I'm sold on this kid thou. You can't go by Miller's stats this year, he has 3 seniors ahead of him that deserve to get they shine on so I don't see him having great stats this year unless Booth give him the keys to the vette and let him be aggressive I don't see him putting up great stats.

[tornado]

Well - I still tend to be skeptical and will wait for more evidence...I have learned the lesson of seeing sure fire NBA projections before that didn't pan out...
..the most "touted" kid in my lifetime was a kid named Nate Minnoy...
proclaimed a sure superstar by 8th grade....recruited by everyone - landed in Big Ten - nobody knows his name now

http://www.goboilers.net/2012/04/where-are-they-now-nate-minnoy.html

http://toptenchicagosports.blogspot.com/2009/03/top-ten-most-disappointing-high-school.html

[BigBallinman]

I have not seen him play, but here are a few YouTube videos of Adam Miller. He is a left hander with quick moves, handles the ball extremely well, and is a slick passer-

6th grade video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vTxZC4OpQc

7th grade video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HShJc_j1qx4

8th grade video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm_ZbI7Ztlk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP21V_uUxJY

I've seen those clips,and those clips are from him competing against fellow 8th soon to be 9th graders but the buzz around the Mac Irvin Fire AAU circuit is that in scrimmages against the top AAU teams, they can't stop this kid,we're talking about seniors with full rides to college already. Mac Irvin Fire got him playing up a age group and he still putting up like 25pts.Dude got killer ball handling skills and a step back in yo face Jump shot that would make most droll with envy.To have those kind of dribbling and passing skills at the age of 14 and 6'2 is crazy, at least around here it is. I know it sounds like I'm putting to much butter on his biscuit but most people that have seen him play a number of times are saying the same thing. I had to be convinced and I wasn't until I seen tape of him lighting up some of the top players in the Chicago Area regardless of class in some scrimmages.

[BigBallinman]

Well - I still tend to be skeptical and will wait for more evidence...I have learned the lesson of seeing sure fire NBA projections before that didn't pan out...
..the most "touted" kid in my lifetime was a kid named Nate Minnoy...
proclaimed a sure superstar by 8th grade....recruited by everyone - landed in Big Ten - nobody knows his name now

http://www.goboilers.net/2012/04/where-are-they-now-nate-minnoy.html

http://toptenchicagosports.blogspot....gh-school.html

I remember him, IMO he was just another kid that didn't have the physical attributes, you can have all the skills in the world but if your not blessed with the attributes you won't mount to much. IMO Livingston was not the best in the Peoria area he just happened to be skilled and he grew to be 6'7. I thought Minnoy was to short in the Sergio McClain mode to mount to anything at the next level. Now if he grew to be 6' 10 he would of went somewhere. Miller on the other hand is a PG and he's already 6'2 and he is lighting quick, can handle the ball with the best of the them,has incredible court vision and can hit the 3 with consistency so even if he doesn't grow another inch he already has a lot of tools that will convert to the next level considering he's a Pg. I still say pound for pound Howard Nathan was the best player that I ever seen in my area, he just wasn't that tall and he didn't have his head on straight. I've been attending most middle school and high school basketball games on a weekly basis since 1981, so I've seen just about every player in the peoria area play since middle school and miller is top 3, livingston wasn't even this good at his age and i watched him also, They were both about the same height at this age then livingston sprouted to 6' 7 and that made him extra special, but livingston did not do one thing better then miller as far as handling the ball,passing and shooting the ball at the same age. The one thing that Miller has to his advantage is that he doesn't have to grow into his body to play at the next level because he's a pure Pg. A 6' 3 Pg in the league is decent size,not great but decent especially if you got handles and speed in the open court both that Miller already has. I will add that I've watched many 8th graders play ball since 1981 and I've never said any of them would sniff the NBA other then Nathan, so in over 35 years Miller is the second 8th grader that I predict will make it to the league.

[Deadguy35]

I don't see Miller growing to 6' 5, I think he may grow another inch or two, I'm actually surprised that he's as tall as he is now considering his father is only about 5' 10, his dad was a hell of a player at Manual he just didn't have his head on straight. I agree that some kids hit a peak but a lot of it has to do with physical attributes as well. Donivine was a hell of a player at this age also but it didn't carry over to the next level because he didn't have the size and most considered him to be to slow for his size. What i see in miller is that he's a future Pg, he has the size, the speed,the vision, the jump shot and etc that will carry over to the next level. The problem with a lot of recruits in the Peoria area is that they don't have the physical attributes to carry over to the next level, their's not that much size in this area so a lot of kids are playing out of position and would be considered tweeners at the next level. Most player's around here that are 6' 5 can't handle the ball and some can't hit the side of a barn. Miller has great court vision and can handle the ball like a pure Pg plus he shoots lights out.This kid can handle the rock and some of his passes are unreal I'm not kidding. The writer has it wrong in the article it's not so much that he was looking at schools like Simeon and Morgan Park,they are sweating him. He hangs out in the Chicago area because his AAU team is based out in the Chicago area. Put it like this, if you got schools like Simeon in which produced the likes of Rose, Parker and etc trying to get you to relocate 300 miles to play for them you must be something special. Everything that I've said was told to me about a year ago and I wasn't a believer until a relative of mine finally got me to go to one of his games and I walked away in disbelief of his skill set at such a young age. When Miller played at nationals a few months ago I heard grown ass men that were from other States wanting to try and get this kids autograph because they felt like he was going to be in the league one day.

Great insight! Thanks! Sounds like it will be fun to follow him for the next four years.

I'll be interested to see what Manual does with him this year. I figured they'd start Brooks along with the big three. How does Miller fit in? Does he come off the bench as a 6th man? Do they go with a three guard lineup or try and get Youngman to be a SG-SF-PF type of a player? Does Cleonta Brown play to give them more size inside? These are fun problems for Booth to have.

[BigBallinman]

Great insight! Thanks! Sounds like it will be fun to follow him for the next four years.

I'll be interested to see what Manual does with him this year. I figured they'd start Brooks along with the big three. How does Miller fit in? Does he come off the bench as a 6th man? Do they go with a three guard lineup or try and get Youngman to be a SG-SF-PF type of a player? Does Cleonta Brown play to give them more size inside? These are fun problems for Booth to have.

I know Booth very well, he was a freshman at manual when I was a Senior and I played ball with him quite a few times, with that being said I don't see Miller starting, he might at the end of the year but early on I don't think so, Booth just has to much respect for the other players ahead of him that's been in the program for 3 to 4 years for Miller to be much of a impact this year and let me tell you that's going to be Booth's biggest mistake because Miller is his best chance to win a Championship this year.Next year I see Miller dominating this area but Booth needs to let him be aggressive this year while he has a bunch of help In Williams, Douglas-Watkins and A.J. If Booth let Miller get his fair share of shots it would be hard to beat them. I just don't see Miller getting that many shots this year when Manual got three guys coming back that averaged in double figures last year. Miller can help in other ways thou because he's a hell of a ball handler and man can he pass the ball. He killing it in open gym. I've gone to middle school and High School games almost every week since 1981 and Miller is the only kid this young that I've said will be in the NBA one day, I didn't even say this about Frank Williams Or Livingston at this age. Before I ever seen him play people were telling me you got to see this kid now, he's going to be in the NBA one day and I was like yeah right whatever, It took me three times of watching him play to make a believer out of me. His dad name is Adam Miller also and he was a bad boy too with AND 1 handles, he just didn't have the height, he played for Manual right after Frank and Company left Manual. I hope the younger Miller keep his head on straight because Pops was something else and I think that's why he didn't do much in college,dude was always in trouble, I think he just got out the joint as I speak.

[tornado]

....Miller can play in the Missouri Valley right now and average double figures...

again - people are entitled to believe whatever and I am not insisting you change but..
currently Adam Miller is playing AAU ball at the U15 level. Keep in mind, that DI basketball and MVC-caliber ball is essentially U23....
If he were even all that much better than his own age group, he'd be PLAYING UP at U16, U17 or even U18 in order to get better and be challenged at his proper level.
BUT - as I said, he is playing U15 - about the lowest competitive level of play a lot of AAU Tourneys offer.

He's not doing bad for U15 but he isn't by any means the dominant player on his team...as one would certainly expect as a given if he was capable of averaging double figures RIGHT NOW in the MVC.

https://twitter.com/TheMacIrvinFire/status/754151389543198720

The reason he is a top recruiting target is because of POTENTIAL not because he has MVC-caliber ability (which I highly doubt he'd crack even the deep bench for even a bottom-dweller Ohio Valley team)
But to each his own...

In case you want to see...here's some video of Adam Miller and his U15 teammates...judge for yourself if there are any starting-caliber MVC players on this team...
Like a lot of 14-15 year-olds, they don't even shoot jump shots most of the time, they shoot set shots and flat-footed layups, and there's precious little defense being played anywhere on this video.
If anyone thinks there's an MVC coach who would play kids that don't know any defense, then I think there's little need to debate such a possibility.

http://www.illinoisloyalty.com/Forums/showpost.php?p=1220283&postcount=286

[Da Coach]

Peoria Manual's Adam Miller (2020 recruit) just received his first D1 offer- From University of Illinois.

http://verbalcommits.com/players/adam-miller

[Da Coach]

As noted in another thread, Bradley Head Coach Brian Wardle offered Adam Miller a scholarship today.

http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26628

[Da Coach]

Adam Miller just received an offer from Kansas. He now has 3 offers- Bradley, Illinois, & Kansas.

[tornado]

..rumor that Manual's Adam Miller is looking to transfer to Bloomington High School ....

IHSA has moved Bloomington High School up from 3A to 4A.....
so the anticipated transfers may not happen now.....

Sure enough, the transfer appears to be confirmed --but not to Bloomington HS
..As rumored, highly regarded recruit Adam Miller from Manual (Class of 2020) is leaving Manual HS and transferring.
Now it is being reported he is going to Chicago Morgan Park.

[egib52]

Sure enough, the transfer appears to be confirmed --but not to Bloomington HS
..As rumored, highly regarded recruit Adam Miller from Manual (Class of 2020) is leaving Manual HS and transferring.
Now it is being reported he is going to Chicago Morgan Park.

This is a rough hit to high school basketball, especially high school basketball in Peoria. It's amazing that this is the trend. I read that his mother recently got a nice job in Chicago after receiving her masters my frustration is not meant as a slight to her, and I commend her on improving their situation. From a purely basketball fan standpoint I looked forward to Peoria continuing to be relevant in the state picture. Hopefully, the next wave of talent steps up.

[tornado]

He will have a great basketball career there playing with other kids who are being recruited nationally - perhaps they thought that could not happen here...

But the south side of Chicago is one of the most violent and dangerous for young men and Morgan Park themselves have had some serious riots & brawls..
...even at basketball games

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/74054860-157.html

http://abc7chicago.com/news/boy-14-trampled-by-crowd-during-fight-at-morgan-park-carnival/1878913/

http://www.chicagotribune.com/74504275-132.html

It will be interesting to see how he ends up....
this situation is sounding a little like the Nate Minnoy situation - where he moved around trying to find the best fit & get recruited at the highest level...plus wanted to transfer to a school that was gonna win a STATE title.
For those who do not recall - Minnoy was one of the highest rated recruits out of Chicago - Class of 2005. He transferred high schools so he could win a state title but controversy followed. He was highly rated & highly recruited & he went to Purdue... in the end, he finished his career in somewhat anonymity at Central Michigan.