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There was youth soccer, but with older sisters Laniya and Adreana headed to play the game in college, basketball was where Diamond Miller was headed.
And now she’s headed to the WNBA. According to the experts, Monday’s draft will announce her name as either the second or third pick. That’s a long way from her days on the playgrounds in Somerset. A long way from Franklin Township High School.
An All-American at the University of Maryland, the 6-foot-3 guard is as quick as a thought. This season she averaged 19.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals. The team reached the Elite Eight, finished 28-7 and ranked No. 5 in the Coaches Poll. The Associated Press ranked them No. 6.
A team co-captain, she was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. In high school she led the Warriors to three Group 4 and two Tournament of Champions titles. She scored just under 2,500 points and totaled nearly 900 rebounds.
A McDonald’s All-American, she was New Jersey’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
Clearly, she is not a Diamond in the rough.
Her accomplishments reflect the man in the mirror. Her dad, Lance Miller, was part of three state titles playing for what was then known as Bridgewater-Raritan West High School. His 2,000 points led him to Villanova University, Class of ’93, where he became a member of its Hall of Fame.
The 6-foot-6 Miller would play ball overseas nine seasons and remains in the game as Program Director for Team Miller, a local AAU club for girls since 2006.
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His oldest daughter, Adreana, would play ball at LaSalle and Ohio State. Laniya played at Stony Brook and Wagner. Diamond played all four seasons at Maryland.
Asked who is the best player of the three, Diamond didn’t hesitate, saying, “I want to give that to me.”
“She’s a lot more fluid now,” the father said. “She makes the hard stuff look easy. Since high school, strength-wise, she’s much stronger. She’s a phenomenal athlete where she is able to control her speed.”
She doesn’t hold back on her own assessment, saying, “I feel like I’m one of a kind. I’m very blessed to be in the position that I am today. I feel I’m special; God gifted me. He gave me some abilities that nobody has, and I really appreciate that.”
As for comparisons, Miller cites herself to veteran DeWanna Bonner, a 6-4 veteran now with the Connecticut Sun. She was on two Phoenix championships and is a four-time All-Star.
Asked for advice on how to defend her, she was quick to say, “Bring as many people as you can to guard me.”
Now there’s confidence for you.
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“I’ve always dreamt about being a pro, even since I probably first touched a basketball. Everyone wants to be a pro,” she said, “but I think after my sophomore year I was like, ‘Oh. Maybe I could be a real professional.’
“When you’re a youngster you say you wanna’ be this, you wanna’ be that. But you don’t know the hard work. But sophomore year, I was willing to put in the work and give myself the best situation to go pro.”
There were certainly moments to make that case. Against No. 17 Baylor in November, she had 32 points and 10 rebounds. In December she put up 31 and 12 at No. 7 Notre Dame, with 5 assists, a couple of steals, 3 blocks, and made 9 of 11 free throws. Oh, and hit the game-winning shot.
“Baylor was a statement game,” she said. “We wanted to show people that we should be ranked. Notre Dame, that was absolutely insane. I definitely took that off my bucket list. I was super excited about that one.”
As for her overall college basketball experience, “A really nice journey,” she said. “If I write a book, it would be very interesting. It wasn’t smooth sailing like I thought it was going to be. But I think those challenges and trials I went through made me who I am today.”
And who is she?
“She’s easy to get along with,” her father said. “She’s outgoing, but she keeps her circle pretty small. But when she’s with her sisters and friends, she’s a comedian half the time.”
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To her, she’s not the same person she was four years ago.
“Personality-wise, I’m pretty much the same, but who I am as a person and what I know, you would think I’ve changed. If you go four years in college and you haven’t changed, that’s an issue.”
As for her father, “He’s the reason I play basketball. He taught me everything I know. He’s been like my rock,” she said. “When I was high or low, he always supported me, and I really appreciate that.”
Told she called him her rock, her father laughed and said, “That’s because I’m the one she calls at twelve midnight when things get rough, and I calm her down.”
He may have to do that Monday evening.
Paul Franklin is a freelance reporter for MyCentralJersey.com.
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