With his three-point play, Maine South senior forward Grant Miller tied the boys basketball game against Evanston with 3:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.
However, the Wildkits proceeded to go on a 13-6 run on Dec. 8 in Park Ridge. Maine South, which got a consolation 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds remaining from junior guard Essam Hamwi, lost 61-57 to remain winless in Central Suburban South action.
“I think the big thing is consistency,” said Miller, who recorded 15 points and 10 rebound. “We have a bunch of players who can score and play. But then we have lulls, and we have to do a better job of picking each other up.”
While the Hawks collectively might be experiencing lulls, Miller’s recent play has not featured too many drops in energy or production.
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The 6-foot-7, 190-pounder is leading the Hawks in scoring (14.1) and rebounding (9) per game. Miller also is shooting 70 percent from the field. As a junior, the Park Ridge resident averaged 9.5 points per game.
“To be honest with you, (Miller) is playing great,” Maine South coach Tony Lavorato said. “He’s active on defense. He’s leading (as a captain). He’s leading us in points and rebounds. He’s working on his free throws. He’s come on leaps and bounds from last year. Right now, he is the key to our whole entire team. We’re not in games without him, and he’s staying out of foul trouble.”
It’s not as if Miller is simply taking advantage of smaller opponents. Against Evanston, he had to battle the Wildkits’ 6-7 center Matthew Hall. In a 63-56 loss to New Trier on Nov. 30, Miller had 17 points and eight rebounds against a Trevians frontline that features 6-8 junior Spencer Boehm and 6-9 junior Ciaran Brayboy.
“It’s certainly a lot of fun to compete against those guys,” Miller said. “I look forward to that opportunity to play good players, especially big guys, and to see how I match up against them.”
As effective as Miller has been on the court, his best numbers may still be in the classroom, where he has compiled a 4.8 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. He is committed to play college basketball to M.I.T, Lavorato said in an email on Wednesday. It is a Division III program. Miller said he hopes to major in computer science.
“I’ve always been academically-oriented,” Miller said. “A big part of what I’ve done in high school is find that balance between academics and athletics. I went out searching for (colleges) where I can academically flourish and had an opportunity to play competitive basketball.”
Lavorato said Miller is a a fine student, whose best basketball is still in front of him.
“You couldn’t have a better human being,” Lavorato said. “He’s a high-character kid, and a high, high, high academic kid.”
Lavorato added: “He’s the real deal, and he’s going to be a better college player than he is a high-school player. (In college) they will put more strength on him and they’ll expand his range beyond the 12- to 15-foot range he has now.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press