Heritage Association Spotlight: Cheryl Miller

All-American basketball star, Cheryl Miller, was born and raised to be a competitor. Hailing from a family of athletes, she grew up in Riverside, CA, with her parents, two older sisters and younger brother. Miller attended Riverside Poly High school, where her stardom on the court shined brightly from her earliest years. Her steadfast family support aided the growth and success of her basketball career from the start. Miller's family rooted for her like no other.

Miller received recruitment calls from well over 200 schools prior to her college basketball career. Feeling bombarded by overbearing coaches "running her ear," she recalls that "one school never called."

This school was the University of Southern California. USC stood out to Miller during the recruitment process because the administration respected her space. They understood that the star basketball player would get more offers than she could even count. Coach Linda Sharp of the USC Women's Basketball team waited it out for Miller, which proved ultimately successful. Miller recalls Sharp saying, "We knew everyone would be calling, but I wanted to have your ear."

Miller recounts having countless conversations with Coach Sharp during recruitment, but "never about basketball." Sharp asked about other things instead. She asked about how Miller was feeling, how her dad was doing, and sometimes how a test had gone at school the previous day. Miller enjoyed the breath of fresh air from the demanding pull of the recruitment process.

In 1983, Miller burst onto the national scene as a freshman powerhouse for the Women of Troy. Her all-around athleticism allowed her to dominate games and snatch rebounds time after time. In her first year as a Trojan, she carried the team to the NCAA championship where she also ended up taking home the Most Outstanding Player award.

Miller's shot was dangerous from anywhere on the court, and her defense was unstoppable. These incredible attributes led her and her team to a second consecutive national title in 1984, where she won the Most Outstanding Player award for the second year in a row. Miller said she consistently looked up to her team captains, Pam and Paula McGee, as well as her freshman roommate from New York, Rhonda Windham. Their team had tremendous camaraderie.

As a student-athlete at USC, Miller persevered to balance basketball with her classes. She said, "Coach Sharp didn't make it easy. If you didn't go to class, you didn't practice, and you sure didn't play." Coaches and athletic advisors held the players highly accountable for their school work.

Miller found a home in the Trojan family. USC was transformed into a safe place for her to thrive and perform up to her highest potential, alongside people who truly inspired her. Miller recalls one of her favorite spots on campus was her freshman dorm where she lived crammed in with several female athletes from different sports. She fondly looks back on the bitter-sweet memories – sharing a bathroom, shower, and bedroom with lots of company – as one of her favorite times as a Trojan.

When the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles rolled around, Miller was ready to dominate for the U.S. women's team. "The best part was that the Olympics were basically held in my backyard, so it was very easy for my family to be able to attend." She led the team to their very first gold medal on the world stage. One of her fondest memories after her gold medal victory was putting the medal around her younger brother Reggie's neck. He later went on to give his sister flowers when he won a gold medal of his own years later. Miller recalls this story with great emotion and gratitude.

It wasn't always fun and games with Miller's brother Reggie, as he played basketball at USC's rival school, UCLA. When it came to basketball, the two had each other's back no matter what, despite the Trojan-Bruin rivalry. But Miller recalls that when it came to football season, "It was on!" That's when the rivalry really became fierce.

In 1986, once Miller had finished her career at USC, she led the women's U.S. basketball team to more victories in Moscow at the women's World Basketball Championship against the Soviet Union. She secured another gold medal there in '86.

After college, Miller was regarded as one of the most astounding basketball stars in USC history. During her 128-game career, she racked up an incredible 3,018 points (23.6 per game) and 1,534 rebounds (12.0 per game). Miller was the first USC basketball player, male or female, to have her jersey retired by the school. She is a basketball legend, to say the least.

Miller returned to her alma mater when she was chosen to coach the women's basketball team from 1993-1995. During her two years as head coach, the Trojans compiled a 44-14 winning record and also won the 1994 Pacific-10 Conference title.

In 1995, NBA reporting was calling her name. She left center court to go behind the scenes of the game and become a reporter, analyst and commentator. Miller was the first female to broadcast a nationally televised professional men's basketball game. In the same year, she was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Upon the establishment of the WNBA in 1997, Miller returned to the court to coach for the Phoenix Mercury. With some broadcasting in between, Miller returned to coaching again in 2014 in Oklahoma at Langston University, and then two years later, at California State Los Angeles where she currently coaches.

In regards to the current USC program now lead by Mark Trakh, Miller believes they are "heading in the right direction." She has great respect for Trakh's ability to remain calm on the court, and she is impressed with his tremendous recruiting abilities.

Thanks to Miller's spectacular contributions to the program, her Trojan legacy forever lives on.

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Heritage Association Spotlight: Cheryl Miller

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