Miller, son of Mike Miller, is No. 2
It has been nearly a decade since the Miami Heat won back-to-back NBA titles in 2012 and 2013, but Mason Miller can still remember being on the stage for the celebration. He said it was his favorite memory of his dad Mike Miller's 17-year NBA career.
"Definitely when he won the two championships back to back. I wasn't too old for that but looking back, it was really exciting," Mason Miller said. "I was there. I went up on the thing with him. There was a lot of stuff going on at the time. A lot of confetti everywhere. A lot of yelling, it was fun for sure."
Since then, Mason has grown into a 6-foot-9 forward and the No. 2 prospect in Tennessee for the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. The four-star Creighton commitment is the No. 78 overall prospect in the country.
He's also No. 2 on the Commercial Appeal Elite Eight, a collection of the area's top senior basketball prospects.
Mike Miller left Memphis in June after two seasons as an assistant on Penny Hardaway's staff. Houston High School hired him as head coach the next month. He said he's enjoying having more time to spend developing Mason's game in his senior year.
"I've spent a lot more time and it's been good for both of us to be in the gym every day before and after practice and the two hours during practice," Mike Miller said. "You get a lot more time in there and as long as you do it the right way and don't overbear with my voice being the only voice is the one thing we have to make sure we monitor. But having this chance to spend time with him
has been a lot of fun."
Like his dad, Mason Miller is known for his shooting ability. He estimates that he put on 15 pounds of muscle during quarantine, which helped his inside game. But, his jumpshot is the key to his game.
"He's really athletic and attacks really well. He's a lot better passer than people might think," Mike Miller said. "He's starting to figure out how to become a more well-rounded basketball player, but everything starts and ends with his jumper. That's what creates everything else for him."
Mason Miller said his dad told him from a young age to always be ready for the next shot and never get stuck on the last one. He started taking basketball seriously when he got to high school. He tried playing football as a wide receiver in seventh and eighth grade, but developed a love for basketball and decided to focus on it.
"Before practice, I'll get some shots up, after practice I like to go in the weight room and get some weights in too," Mason Miller said.
"That's really what I do almost every day. I try to shoot at least five hundred shots per day.”
Mike Miller said the next step in his son's development is to continue to get better at "the little things" like moving without the basketball, building his confidence, and getting stronger.
"I think a lot of it comes with getting that natural strength. He's got long wiry legs, so he will continue to get stronger," Mike Miller said. "And the stronger you get, the more confident you get. You saw that this year as he's gotten a little bit stronger. As he does that he'll do more things, get more confident finding his spots on the floor, and it will help with rebounding too."