Goodhue's Miller has sisters to thank for helping turn her into a star

Jan. 20—GOODHUE — There was no way that Tori Miller wasn't going to be a basketball player.

Not with her being a member of basketball-devoted Goodhue High School. Suggesting it even more was that she is a member of the basketball-driven Miller family.

Her sister Mikayla, a 2014 Goodhue graduate, was an astronomical 2,331-point scorer for the Wildcats before heading off to Gustavus Adolphus College where she set a variety of scoring records and was four times all-conference.

Maddy, a 2017 Goodhue graduate, was a defensive thief and a major cog on Wildcats teams that won back-to-back state championships.

Still, the 5-foot-10 Tori — now a standout senior forward on Goodhue's basketball team and a two-year starter and star — took a swing at going another direction way back when.

That was never going to work.

"When I was in first grade, I came home one day and told my parents that I wanted to do dance," Tori said. "My sisters immediately shut that idea down. And I'm glad they did, because we sit outside in the summer and play basketball in the driveway all the time. It is so much fun to play one-on-one with my sisters. Now, though, they can't beat up on me anymore. They're not used to that."

Tori has developed into quite a player, thanks in good part to those sisters pushing her, sometimes literally. Last week, Miller surpassed 1,000 points for her career and this season is averaging 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and shooting a blistering 55% from the field.

Miller is doing that on one of the top Class AA teams in the state, the Wildcats 13-2 and ranked seventh.

Goodhue coach Josh Wieme couldn't ask for more from Miller. Not only has she been great, but she gives him and this team everything, all the time.

Miller made sure she was up to that by often finishing volleyball practices in the fall by then going home and running on the Miller treadmill. During the summer, she'd go on runs with Maddy.

All of it was with her favorite spot — basketball — in mind. Miller had set goals for herself and her team and knew that with this Wildcats edition being a bit short on depth, that she was going to have to play big minutes.

She's done it while going all out all the time and rarely looking winded.

Mikayla isn't surprised by what she's seeing from Tori. She witnessed her energy so long ago.

"Tori has always been a spitfire, a go-go-go girl," Mikayla said. "A lot of what she has is from being a part of our family, one that stressed the importance of athletics and being involved. That girl has been dragged to the gym ever since she was a little kid."

Wieme says this present version of Miller is the best one yet. He's never seen her look better.

"Tori is really cooking," Wieme said. "What stands out most about her is just how much of the floor she covers. She'll make a layup on one end and then will be the first one back on defense on the other end. She has the quickness, speed and more to do it. With Tori, she's got a motor that keeps running. She's got an inner drive that never seems to stop."

It was watching her older sisters do their thing at Goodhue that lit a fire under her.

Their state-tournament experiences really got her going. Wieme has seen pictures of Miller in the stands during those tournaments, going wild.

"She's watched (Mikayla and Maddy) play at a high level," Wieme said. "I think a lot of her desire came from watching their state-tournament experiences and watching them achieve big things. I've seen some great (photos) of Tori holding up signs in the crowd of those games. She was pretty young then. But those experiences stuck with her."

Miller agrees. Being a witness to her sisters' exploits and watching and cheering for some sensational Goodhue teams were huge inspirations.

"Seeing Maddy win a state tournament, that created a lot of motivation for me," Miller said. "It showed me that you can do anything. Being around that atmosphere, it was amazing. It pushed me to have that goal (of getting to state)."

As much as Miller has enjoyed her personal success this season, it's a state tournament trip that she covets most.

She thinks this team has the goods and the togetherness to do it. Goodhue hasn't been to state since the 2018-19 season when it finished second overall.

"This year, we are set on getting to state," Miller said. "Everyone wants to go. We are going to push ourselves and I think we can go far."