Rebels face a challenge in containing Utah’s Miller

Steve Carp

Monday, Feb. 23, 1998 | 9:22 a.m.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Given how far he has had to come, both on and off the court, the question was posed to Andre Miller:

Is he more impressed that he is one of 10 finalists for National Player of the Year honors? Or the fact he is going to graduate this spring and thus earn back his final year of eligibility?

The man who is the heartbeat of the Utah Utes didn't hesitate.

"Definitely getting the year back," the 6-foot-2 junior point guard said. "They promised me when I came here that if I would work hard and did what I was supposed to, I'd get the year back. And that was always a goal for me.

"I never set a goal to be Player of the Year. Frankly, I'm surprised that anything like that would happen to me. I mean, I know I'm not going to be the Player of the Year. But I appreciate that I was even being considered."

Few players in America have came as far as Miller has. He lost a year's eligibility when he was a partial qualifier and had to live with the Prop 48 tag that comes with sitting out. And playing with the likes of Keith Van Horn and Michael Doleac, Miller found himself in the background, even though as the point guard, he was handling the ball more than either of his teammates.

But through hard work and a good attitude, he endured coach Rick Majerus' biting criticism, made himself a better player and has emerged as one of the nation's best floor generals.

When the sixth-ranked Utes meet UNLV tonight, Rebels coach Bill Bayno's primary concern will be trying to contain Miller. He killed UNLV in the first meeting Jan. 24 with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and no turnovers as the Utes rolled 67-54.

"He's a tough matchup for us," Bayno said. "He sees the floor so well and he can post people up. We've got to do a better job on him this time if we're going to have a chance."

Miller has been tough on everyone. He's averaging 13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He does a great job of getting the ball to Doleac and Hanno Mottola, Utah's 6-10 sophomore forward. And he's an excellent defender. He leads the Utes with 49 steals.

"To me, Andre is the second-best point guard in the country after (Arizona's) Mike Bibby," Majerus said. "And Andre does some things better than Bibby. He runs the team well and gives the team good direction.

"He's also very coachable. He's a great listener, and that's important when you're trying to develop a player, especially a point guard. I'm scared of losing him."

Miller has gotten more than an earful over the years from Majerus.

"At first, I didn't think I could take it," he said of trying to adjust to playing at the collegiate level for Majerus. "But I think the turning point came during my sophomore year when we played Iowa State in the NCAAs. I controlled the tempo in that game and I was able to dictate what happened."

The Utes were without Van Horn, who was out with the flu. But Miller stepped up, hit a big 3-pointer and helped pace Utah to a 73-67 win over the Cyclones to get to the Sweet 16. He used that game as a springboard to get to where he is now, a complete player.

Need more proof? Consider Miller as a free-throw shooter. Last year, he shot 58 percent from the line. This year, he's at 74 percent.

Miller said it was a pride thing and a chance to keep Majerus off his back.

"Coach was riding me pretty good about it," Miller said. "I was determined to come back a better player, so I spent 5-6 days a week working on my free throws."

Majerus knew Miller could do better from the line.

"It's like everything, academics, basketball, whatever," Majerus said. "Andre was determined to make himself better. All the credit goes to him. I just kinda nudged him in the right direction."

Hoop du Jour

* FREE THROWS SAVE UNLV: With the Rebels, making free throws is a hit-or-miss proposition. In Saturday's 84-76 win over Brigham Young, it was a matter of both making and missing. The Rebels bricked some key foul shots in the second half, but made enough early and late to survive. Kevin Simmons hit 7 of 8 tries while Kaspars Kambala was 6 of 7 and Tyrone Nesby was 6 of 8. As a team, the Rebels hit 76 percent from the stripe, going 34 of 45. The attempts and completions were season highs. ... Simmons had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while Nesby led the Rebels with 22 points, 18 of them coming in the second half.

* FINAL LUNCHEON: The last Rebel Athletic Club luncheon of the season will be held at noon Tuesday at the Si Redd Room. The luncheon is open to the public and will feature coach Bill Bayno. ... Because of the team's road trip to Utah, Bayno's television show did not air Sunday. The show returns to its regular 5:30 p.m. time slot next Sunday on KLAS Channel 8.