Miller Time

Miller Time

By: Jennifer Johnson

Cheryl Miller is one of the greatest players in the history of women's basketball. Miller burst onto the national scene in the early 1980s when she led USC to consecutive national titles in 1983 and 1984. She was the first player to "elevate" the women's game with her superior leaping ability. Her overall basketball and athletic skills enabled her to dominate games at every level she played. In 1984, she led the U.S. women to their first Olympic gold medal. Two years later, she led the U.S. to titles in the World Championship of Basketball and the Goodwill Games. Miller was voted ESPN Woman Athlete of the Year in 1985, and in 1986 she was the first woman basketball player to be nominated for the prestigious Sullivan Award (1985-86). She was the first athlete - male or female - to have her number retired by the university. She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 - at the time, one of only 11 women who have been so honored.

Miller's enthusiasm and leadership on the court carried over into her professional life where she excelled in both broadcasting and coaching. Miller first worked as a broadcaster for ABC, where she handled a variety of assignments including reports for Wide World of Sports. In 1995, she joined Turner Sports as an analyst and reporter for NBA coverage on TNT and TBS. In November 1996, she became the first female analyst to work on a nationally televised NBA game. Miller returned to USC in 1993 as the head coach, and, again she excelled. During her two seasons as coach, USC had a 44-14 record for a .759 winning percentage, and in 1994, USC won the Pacific-10 Conference title. She currently coaches the WNBA Phoenix Mercury.

Miller's impact on the game was and is unmatched. She was someone future players could emulate, a voice for both her gender and her race, and a hero to her generation. She is one-half of the greatest sister-brother basketball combination in history. Younger brother Reggie of the Indiana Pacers followed in her golden footsteps when he represented the United States on the 1996 Dream Team at the Atlanta Olympics.