Mike Miller’s wish to spend more time with family will continue but maybe not the way he initially envisioned, as he has been named new boys basketball coach at Houston High School where his sons’ Mason and Mavrick Miller both play on the team.
The news comes a little more than a month after he stepped down as assistant coach at the University of Memphis. Miller will replace longtime veteran head coach Charlie Leonard who led Houston to a 29-4 record last season and its first state tournament appearance in school history.
Mike Miller showed his dedication to the University of Memphis’ basketball program from the moment he was hired, and his commitment to building relationships with players helped the Tigers secure the #1 recruiting class in America last season including several nationally ranked players.
Now he will have an opportunity to coach another nationally ranked prospect as his son 6-foot-8 Mason Miller is ranked currently rated by 247Sports as a top 60 prospect and the #91 player in the country according to ESPN in the Class of 2021. Mason is big lefty who is becoming more comfortable being a scoring threat from the wing, but he also shows the ability to attack the rim and shoot from deep. The frontrunners for the services of Mason Miller include: Ohio State, Indiana, and Creighton.
Houston High was expected to take a slight step back following the departure of four-star guard/forward Alden Applewhite, who after winning district MVP during his junior season, transferred to AZ Compass Prep in Arizona. However, with Mike Miller, the former 2001 NBA Rookie of the Year at the helm of the Houston Mustangs, anything is possible. The idea of Mike Miller getting the opportunity to coach his oldest son for his senior year is like a movie you can’t wait to see.
His other son Maverick Miller is a 6-foot-5 guard with great athletic ability who is improving each season and is expected to earn more minutes this upcoming season, and the chance to have his father on the sidelines should be a confidence booster. Houston is also returning two other Division I prospects in 6-foot-7 combo forward Zander Yates and 6-foot-2 point guard TJ Madlock who stock continued to rise following a performance at the Hoop City Pro Week last week where he score a game-high 32 points while battling against the number 2 rated point guard in the class of 2021 JD Davison. TJ is the son of University of Memphis Assistant Coach Tony Madlock.
Houston competes in District 15AAA, which is one of the most competitive basketball districts in the state of Tennessee, but following a year in which they advanced to the TSSAA State Tournament before it was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns, they will look to make a return under Mike Miller who will coach his first season at the high school level.
