Cheryl Miller

Forward
Born	(1964-01-03) January 3, 1964 (age 49) Riverside, California
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg)
High school	Riverside Polytechnic High School
College	University of Southern California
Profile	WNBA player profile
Medal record Women’s Basketball Competitor for  United States Olympic Games Gold Los Angeles 1984 National Team Pan American Games Gold 1983 Caracas National Team Goodwill Games Gold 1986 Moscow National Team

Cheryl D. Miller (born on January 3, 1964 in Riverside, California) is a former college basketball player, coach and sportscaster for TNT. She is currently a sideline reporter for NBA games on TNT Sports and also works for NBA TV as a reporter and analyst having worked previously as a sportscaster for ABC Sports, TBS Sports and ESPN. She was also head coach and General Manager of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.

In 1995, Miller was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1999, she was inducted into the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Knoxville, Tennessee.^[1] On August 20, 2010, Miller was also inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame for her success in international play.^[2]

She is the sister of retired National Basketball Association Star and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and of former Major League Baseball catcher Darrell Miller.

High school career [edit]

Miller played at Riverside Polytechnic High School (1978–1982) where she was a four-year letter winner and led her team to a 132-4 record. She was awarded the Dial Award for the national high-school scholar-athlete of the year in 1981. She was the first player, male or female, to be named an All-American by Parade magazine four times.^[3][4] Averaging 32.8 points and 15.0 rebounds a game, Miller was Street & Smith's national High School Player of the Year in both 1981 and 1982. In her senior year she scored 105 points in a game against Norte Vista High School.^[5] She set California state records for points scored in a single season (1156), and points scored in a high school career (3405).^[6]

University of Southern California [edit]

At the University of Southern California (USC), the 6 ft. 2 in. (1.87 m) Miller played the forward position. She was a four-year letter winner, scored 3,018 career points (sixth all-time in NCAA history), and was a four-time All-American. Her career rebounding mark of 1,534 ranks her third all-time in NCAA history. Miller was named Naismith College Player of the Year three times and earned the Wade Trophy (Player of the Year) once. At USC, Miller led the Trojans to a 112-20 record and NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984 and was named NCAA Tournament MVP both years. Miller's teammates included Cynthia Cooper, two-time WNBA MVP; Pamela McGee, 1984 Olympian and All-American, and Paula McGee, 1982 and 1983 All-American. Miller was coached by Linda K. Sharp, one of college basketball's most winning coaches. In her senior season, Miller picked up her third Naismith Award, the Broderick Award as the Female College Basketball Player of the Year. Miller still holds numerous Trojan career records, including points (3,018, 23.6 ppg), rebounds (1,534, 12.0 rpg), field goals made (1,159), free throws made (700), games played (128), and steals (462). Miller's previous Trojan records in assists (414) was almost doubled by Rhonda Windham (735); Lisa Leslie topped her blocked shot record by one (321).^[7]

Miller led the U.S. team to the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and was also part of the gold medal teams at the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela and 1986 Goodwill Games in Moscow.

In 1986, Miller was nominated for the James E. Sullivan Award, and in that same year, USC retired her #31 jersey, the first retired jersey of a basketball player, male or female, at USC.^[4]

In 1993 she took the head coaching job at her alma mater, USC, after the university chose to fire coach Marianne Stanley.^[8]

Post-college career [edit]

After graduating from USC in 1986, she was drafted by several professional basketball leagues, including the United States Basketball League, a men's league. However, in the late 1980s, Miller suffered knee injuries that prevented her from continuing her playing career. From 1986 to 1991, she worked as an assistant coach at USC and as a Television Sportscaster.

Miller was named Head Coach at USC and coached two seasons (1993–95). Her teams had a combined 42-14 record and went to the NCAA tournament both seasons, making a Regional Final once. She then coached for four seasons (1997–2000) with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, where she also served as General Manager.^[9] "Run, run, run, run, run," Miller said about her kind of team. "Play some outstanding defense. I want this team to be physical, I want them to know the game." In 1998, Miller coached the Mercury to a 16–12 record and to the WNBA Finals, where her team lost to the Houston Comets.^[10] She resigned after the 2000 season, citing fatigue.

Broadcasting career [edit]

Cheryl Miller serves as a sideline reporter for the NBA on TNT’s Thursday night doubleheader coverage for TNT Sports. She also made appearances on NBA TV during the 2008-09 NBA season as a reporter and analyst. Miller joined Turner Sports in September 1995 as an analyst and reporter for the NBA on TBS and TNT. She did make occasional appearances as Studio Analyst for the NBA games. In November 1996, she became the first female analyst to call a nationally televised NBA game (TBS).^[11] She also served as the sidelines reporter in 2K Sports's NBA 2K Series.

Miller worked as a Basketball Commentator at the 1994 Goodwill Games. Miller worked as a basketball reporter and called weightlifting for the 2001 Goodwill Games. Miller served as women’s basketball analyst and men's basketball reporter for NBC’s coverage of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Before joining Turner Sports, Miller also worked for ABC Sports/ESPN from 1987–1993, where she served as a reporter for ABC's Wide World of Sports and a commentator for the network’s college basketball telecasts. She served as Field Reporter for the 1987 Little League World Series and served as a Correspondent for the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

See also [edit]

• List of basketball players who have scored 100 points in a single game
• List of NCAA Division I women's basketball players with 3000 points

Notes [edit]

• http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/tag/cheryl-miller

References [edit]

• Skaine, Rosemarie (2001). Women College Basketball Coaches. Foreword by Betty F. Jaynes. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland. ISBN 9780786409204. 
• Woolum, Janet (June 5, 1998). Outstanding women athletes : who they are and how they influenced sports in America (2 Sub edition ed.). Oryx Press. ISBN 978-1-57356-120-4.