NCAA Tournament: 3 things you may not know about Miami basketball's Jordan Miller

Eric Boynton, Greenville News
·2 min read

Three things you may not know about Miami swingman Jordan Miller, who is in his first year with the Hurricanes.

Jordan Miller played his first three seasons at George Mason

Miller played three seasons at George Mason, starting 66 of his last 68. In his final season, he averaged team highs in points (15.8), rebounds (6.1) and minutes (32.9) while placing third in assists and steals. He scored in double figures 17 times in 22 games played.

Miami had the inside track on obtaining Miller, who initially had no intention of leaving George Mason until the surprising firing of sixth-year coach Dave Paulsen. Miami coach Jim Larranaga is still a very well known and well regarded coach at George Mason after leading the underdog program to a shocking Final Four run in 2006.

Miami guard Jordan Miller (11) shoots next to Virginia forward Jayden Gardner (1) during an NCAA college basketball game in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)
Miami guard Jordan Miller (11) shoots next to Virginia forward Jayden Gardner (1) during an NCAA college basketball game in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Shurtleff)

Miller was one of the best high school players in Virginia

Miller was selected the Virginia High School League's Class AAAA Player of the Year as junior after he led Loudoun Valley High School to a 30-1 record and the first basketball state championship in school history. He scored a game-high 26 points in the final. He finished his career with more than 1,700 points, a school record.

His first college, George Mason, is only 40 miles from his high school.

More: Here’s what you need to know about Miami entering Greenville Regional

Miami was initially a culture shock Miller had to overcome

He was born in Anaheim, California (home of the Angels) before moving to the small Virginia town of Purcellville where the population is under 9,000 when he was 6 years old. After spending three years at George Mason in the small college town of Fairfax, Virginia, moving to Miami was a big adjustment.

“It was just a lot of loud noise, especially at night,” Miller told CaneSport.com. “There’s lights everywhere. Whereas where I’m from, after 10 p.m. you barely see any lights anywhere.”

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: 3 things you may not know about Miami basketball's Jordan Miller