OPPORTUNITY
K-W Titans’ first local player makes immediate impact
KITCHENER — The phone call came out of nowhere, accompanied by a job opportunity Juwan Miller didn’t see coming.
Kitchener-Waterloo Titans head coach Cavell Johnson was on the other end, wondering whether the Missouri University of Science and Technology graduate would be interested in auditioning for a spot on his injury-ravaged team.
The decision was a no-brainer. Miller, 24, signed his first professional contract three days later — Jan. 1 to be exact — and was in the lineup the following night when the Titans faced the Sudbury Five at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Coming off the bench, Miller scored five points in 15 minutes of floor time in a 27-point loss.
A disappointing result, but a memory that will last a lifetime for the first Kitchener-born player in the Titans’ four-year National Basketball League of Canada history.
“This is what I’ve hoped for and dreamed about, you know, going out and playing in my first game in front of my family and friends, in my hometown. It’s an amazing feeling,” said the personable Miller, a five-foot-11 point guard who played at Forest Heights, Huron Heights and Orangeville’s Athlete Institute in his final three years of high school.
“Now that I’ve got a couple of games under my belt, I’m more mature to the game now. I’m kind of used to the pace, and used to the physicality ... it’s very different from the university level, a lot faster and much more physical.”
Miller had six Titans games under his belt heading into Thursday night’s clash with the Windsor Express and has shown steady improvement with each outing.
He has been at his best over the past two contests, posting consecutive 10-point performances in games against Windsor and the Island Storm, and playing especially strong on the defensive side of the ball.
Johnson first encountered Miller when their lives overlapped in Orangeville during the 2013-14 basketball season. Johnson was playing with the now-defunct Orangeville A’s and Miller was at the Athlete Institute, in between his years at Huron Heights and Missouri S & T.
The two reconnected after Johnson landed the Titans’ coaching gig two years ago and remained in touch. Injuries to Myles Charvis and Ed Horton prompted Johnson to reach out to Miller, who graduated in May and had remained in shape. He was working a retail job in Waterloo at the time of the call.
The early returns have been exactly what Johnson was hoping for.
“He’s a great kid, so first and foremost he’s a great dude. The intensity that he plays on the defensive end is amazing and that’s something you can build with. He also has a capacity and a desire to learn offensively, so being around a guy like Ed (Horton) or Akeem Scott, he is going to be a sponge,” said Johnson.
“I can see his game developing already for the pace and physicality of our league and also I see his confidence building. The more I put on him from an expectation standpoint, he embraces it and he grows with it.”
Miller was playing house league hockey and baseball in Kitchener when the 2002 basketball-themed comedy “Like Mike” sent his life in a new direction. The film followed an orphan, played by Lil’ Bow Wow, who develops basketball talents after finding a pair of Michael Jordan shoes.
Miller was six at the time, but recalls dropping the other sports and asking his father, Milton, to teach him everything he knew about basketball. He joined the Youth Basketball Association shortly thereafter and went on to make a name for himself with the K-W Vipers, Waterloo Wolverines and Waterloo-based Wildhawk Basketball.
During his time with the Wildhawk, he played on an elite squad that featured the likes of the late Jacob Ranton, Malcolm Piazza, Theshawn Barry and Javon Masters.
Miller and Masters helped Forest Heights win Waterloo County and Central Western Ontario high school championships in 2012, with the two forming one of the best backcourts this area has ever seen.
Masters went on to become a five-time all-Canadian at the University of New Brunswick and now plays professionally in Romania.
Miller accepted a full scholarship to play NCAA Division 2 basketball in Rolla, Mo., and graduated with a degree in business systems and information technology.
He expects to eventually pursue a career in business or banking, but for now is content working retail and chasing his basketball dream.
“For now, I want to focus on the season and win as many games as possible, hopefully win a championship,” he said. “I can change my focus after the season but for now I just want to focus on helping this team.”
The Titans continue their schedule Friday night in Sudbury against the Five.