The Miller-led Houston Mustangs and their pack of Division I prospects ran past Lower Brule, 93-44, at the Corn Palace. The undermanned Sioux trailed just 42-27 at halftime before Houston pulled away in the second half.
The difference?
“The halftime speech,” said Mason Miller, Mike’s senior son. “He likes to give us a good halftime speech.”
The speech sounded like a page taken from the Munsen coaching book.
“He said we were playing soft,” Mason Miller continued. “So we have to play harder. So that’s really what happened.”
Miller, who packed the Corn Palace as a Mitchell Kernel in the late 1990s, made his return to the iconic venue. But instead of dunking and swishing 3-pointers, Miller was seated at the same spot where Munsen oversaw decades of Kernel success.
“I was a little quieter than he was,” Mike Miller joked. “But it was just a lot of fun. It really is a great experience for everybody. It’s a great experience for me to be able to do that. I am happy to be back here.”
The game was a late addition to both team’s schedules. The Hoop City Classic was canceled due to COVID concerns, but Houston rescheduled a contest against Brandon Valley today in Sioux Falls at the Sanford Pentagon.
Houston (Tenn.) Mustangs' Mason Miller goes up for a basket in between Lower Brule's Shane Grey Owl, left, and Trevin McBride during a game on Friday at the Corn Palace. (Matt Gade / Republic)
Miller wanted to coach a game at the Corn Palace and Hoop City Classic Director Ernie Kuyper lined up Friday’s contest. Kuyper contacted Mitchell and Dakota Valley about playing at the Corn Palace. But their schedules were full and Sioux Falls schools aren’t playing out-of-state teams, said Kuyper.
Lower Brule was contacted and it jumped at the chance.
“When they contacted us, I had to jump all over it,” Lower Brule coach Brian LaRoche said. “We are small of course. I knew that coming in. We are smaller than most teams in the state, but to play with that caliber, two-three DI players … it’s just great to let our kids see where they are at.”
Lower Brule (5-1), a Class B school located on the Lower Brule Indian Reservation, hung with the Mustangs (6-2) early on. But the Mustangs pulled away for a 28-13 lead in the first half and 42-27 at halftime.
“They play hard,” said Mason Miller, who is committed to Creighton. “We have to start out stronger. We kind of started out slow and as long we play hard, we should be good.”
Houston’s Johnathan Lawson, a 6-foot-6 senior committed to Oregon, scored 15 points in the first half to spark the halftime lead. He finished with 22 points.
He praised Lower Brule for its style of play afterward.
“They bring a lot of energy and play very hard," Lawson said. "It made us bring our energy and keep up with them.”
The Mustangs cranked up the energy in the second half, out-scoring the Sioux 51-17 in the final 16 minutes. Mason Miller scored eight of his 14 points in the third quarter.
“He’s got to be a little more aggressive for us,” Mike Miller said. “We weren’t very aggressive in the first half. The second half we did a little better defensively. We got out and ran a little bit and took advantage of our mismatches and he played better in the second half.”
Houston’s T.J. Madlock and Zander Yates added nine points apiece. Mavrick Miller -- Mike’s sophomore son -- scored five points.
Brian LaRoche Jr., led Lower Brule with 11 points, while Gavin Thigh netted 10 points. Lower Brule will play at Tiospa Zina today.
Lower Brule, who presented Houston with a Pendleton blanket before the game, also has a new fan in Mike Miller.
“I respect the fact they took this on late notice and came down here and played,” he said. “I really appreciate them and hopefully they will make the state tournament this year.”
NBA alum and Former Mitchell Kernel Mike Miller waves to the crowd as he's introduced prior to the start of the Houston (Tenn.) Mustangs game against the Lower Brule Sioux during a game on Friday at the Corn Palace. (Matt Gade / Republic)
Houston plays Class AA No. 4 Brandon Valley at 8 p.m. today at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. After Brandon Valley, Houston returns to Memphis to play Kirby (Tenn.) before playing in the prestigious St. James NIBC Invitational in Springfield, Virginia.
The inaugural event will host the nation’s top high school boys basketball talent for eight days of competition. The showcase-style event will feature 12 nationally-ranked teams, according to MaxPreps.com.
The Mustangs will play No. 2 IMG Academy (Fla.) on Jan. 15 and No. 4 Paul VI Catholic High School (Va.) on Jan. 16.
“It will be a lot of fun playing top-10 teams in the country and it helps us grow up,” Mike Miller said. “Our guys have to get out there and get beat up a little bit. It’s good for them.”
He sounds like Munsen again.
Houston (Tenn.) 93, Lower Brule 44
Houston: Ahmad Nowell 8, Jaiden McCranie 7, Sam Franklin 2, Jake Messer 2, Johnathan Lawson 22, Brock Vice 6, Cal Greene 5, Mason Miller 14, Mavrick Miller 5, T.J. Madlock 9, Zander Yates 9, Matthew Stokes 5. Team totals: 93.
Lower Brule: Trevin McBride 6, Brian LaRoche Jr. 11, Gavin Thigh 10, Keshaume Thigh 5, Shane Grey Owl 4, Xavier Wind 3, Trudell Langdeau 2, Christian Bishop 3. Team totals: 44.
H 28 42 69 93
LB 13 27 32 44
The Link LonkJanuary 09, 2021 at 09:00AM
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Former NBA player Mike Miller makes Corn Palace coaching debut - The Daily Republic
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