Miller Breakout Sparked by Late-Night Talk
2/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
At clinics and in textbooks, it's referred to as a 'coachable moment.' For Mick Durham, it was a heart-to-heart. For Branden Miller, it was perhaps a turning point.
Whatever you call the discussion between Montana State's 15th-year head coach and the team's junior point guard after Thursday's gut-wrenching overtime loss to Portland State, it worked. Miller played perhaps his best game of the season on Saturday, leading MSU to an 85-61 victory over Eastern Washington that clinched the second seed in next week's Big Sky Tournament for MSU.
"I thought Branden Miller seemed relaxed tonight," said MSU coach Mick Durham. "Marvin Moss has really been relaxed in this environment, but I think Branden has pressed. Tonight you saw the smile, you saw him looking comfortable."
Miller's transition into that comfort zone paid huge dividends for the 'Cats. The junior scored 24 points, grabbed six boards, and had two steals.
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Miller, who transferred to MSU from Colby (Kans.) Community College this year, in recent weeks. Saturday marked the first game in which he shot better than 50% from the field since the league opener at Weber State 13 games ago.
"The timing was good," Miller said of Saturday's revival. "Now we're going into the biggest games of the year. The past couple of weeks I just wasn't finding my shot. I was just in a slump. Shooters shoot their way out of slumps, and my coaches and teammates both told me to keep shooting."
Durham hasn't been worried about Miller's shooting as much as his ability to run the team, get the offense started, and be a force defensively. He can pinpoint the core problem in Miller's struggles. "I think it's being the point guard, being the guy," said Durham, himself a former MSU point guard.
Durham says that his expectations for Miller -- for all his point guards -- are high. "I'm hard on him. I told him Thursday, 'You're playing for a point guard, and I'm hard on point guards. I watch the game through a point guard's eyes. I thought that conversation went good. Tonight, Branden was great."
Miller's running mate on the Bobcat guard line, Ja'Ron Jefferson, says his roommate's importance in the grand scheme of Bobcat basketball, 2004-05, can't be overstated. "Branden is like the backbone of the team," Ja'Ron Jefferson said. "When Branden is hitting his shots, everyone else gets going."
Whatever you call the discussion between Montana State's 15th-year head coach and the team's junior point guard after Thursday's gut-wrenching overtime loss to Portland State, it worked. Miller played perhaps his best game of the season on Saturday, leading MSU to an 85-61 victory over Eastern Washington that clinched the second seed in next week's Big Sky Tournament for MSU.
"I thought Branden Miller seemed relaxed tonight," said MSU coach Mick Durham. "Marvin Moss has really been relaxed in this environment, but I think Branden has pressed. Tonight you saw the smile, you saw him looking comfortable."
Miller's transition into that comfort zone paid huge dividends for the 'Cats. The junior scored 24 points, grabbed six boards, and had two steals.
It hasn't been smooth sailing for Miller, who transferred to MSU from Colby (Kans.) Community College this year, in recent weeks. Saturday marked the first game in which he shot better than 50% from the field since the league opener at Weber State 13 games ago.
"The timing was good," Miller said of Saturday's revival. "Now we're going into the biggest games of the year. The past couple of weeks I just wasn't finding my shot. I was just in a slump. Shooters shoot their way out of slumps, and my coaches and teammates both told me to keep shooting."
Durham hasn't been worried about Miller's shooting as much as his ability to run the team, get the offense started, and be a force defensively. He can pinpoint the core problem in Miller's struggles. "I think it's being the point guard, being the guy," said Durham, himself a former MSU point guard.
Durham says that his expectations for Miller -- for all his point guards -- are high. "I'm hard on him. I told him Thursday, 'You're playing for a point guard, and I'm hard on point guards. I watch the game through a point guard's eyes. I thought that conversation went good. Tonight, Branden was great."
Miller's running mate on the Bobcat guard line, Ja'Ron Jefferson, says his roommate's importance in the grand scheme of Bobcat basketball, 2004-05, can't be overstated. "Branden is like the backbone of the team," Ja'Ron Jefferson said. "When Branden is hitting his shots, everyone else gets going."
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