Darius Miller

[UKFAN26]

Did anyone else see the camera shot when it showed Darius on the bench? He was having a really hard time, and one of the coaches was sitting beside him talking to him. I feel horrible for the kid, his confidence is shaken bad.

All he needs is to have a good, agressive game taking it to the rack to break the slump and get his confidence back. Hopefully his breakout game comes soon...possibly UL, haha

[TrueblueCATfan]

I saw it too..he is definitely at a low point right now.....maybe this coach helped him in some way..he just needs a break-out game

[UKcat]

he looked really p-oed about something.......hope he gets his head together......we don't need detractors now.

[BALou]

I feel bad for Darius. He's seems to be in a real freshman slump, and very frustrated right now. I hope his teammates and coaches can help keep him mentally positive.

Keep your chin up Darius!

[Catsby20]

His demeanor on the bench just goes to show how good of an all around addition to the program he is. He really cares about his contribution to the team. ONce he gets a couple of shots to fall, he'll be fine. Young players have short memories.:thumbup:

[kyrgaines]

Tony Delk averaged just over 4 points a game during his freshman year and almost transferred. :O

[Rockober]

Miller, probably for the first time in his life, is second guessing his abilities which is normal when you struggle. I simply think he is just trying too hard and the game that he once knew as easy has become very difficult.

I think most on here have seen the talent he has and know he will become a fan favorite in the upcoming years. This is when the future great players grind it out and push themselves even harder. When Miller begins believing in himself and the system, he will really start contributing to this year's team. This kid simply has too much talent and his tenacity will overcome this little set back.

I won't be suprised if he has a solid game against Louisville. In fact, I think he will.

[PJ]

I think Darius took on the whole "College basketball is a whole nother' level" with too much thought. He needs not to think to think about the game and simply let it come to him. He's thinking way too much about the game and what he should be doing,

Basketball is a game about feeling the flow, once he lets the game come to him. We'll see a side of Darius Miller that we'll love.

[Tom Blevins]

Miller, probably for the first time in his life, is second guessing his abilities which is normal when you struggle. I simply think he is just trying too hard and the game that he once knew as easy has become very difficult.

I think most on here have seen the talent he has and know he will become a fan favorite in the upcoming years. This is when the future great players grind it out and push themselves even harder. When Miller begins believing in himself and the system, he will really start contributing to this year's team. This kid simply has too much talent and his tenacity will overcome this little set back.

I won't be suprised if he has a solid game against Louisville. In fact, I think he will.

What a great time it would be for him to come out of his slump!

[The Blue Guru]

Miller is a freshman, most are inconsistent.... He'll be a solid 4 yr. and great addition to a rebuilding era

[cnice11]

I watched Darius play while he was in HS. This guy is going to be very good. He is going to get PT at either PG, SG, or SF. He can play all three positions pretty good, when he gets out of his funk.

[Gunsmoke]

I think Darius took on the whole "College basketball is a whole nother' level" with too much thought. He needs not to think to think about the game and simply let it come to him. He's thinking way too much about the game and what he should be doing,

Basketball is a game about feeling the flow, once he lets the game come to him. We'll see a side of Darius Miller that we'll love.
What you said.

[wildcat6]

Don't give up Darius. You will pull it all together soon and your potential is very high. Like coach said last night, you will be a very special player here at Kentucky. Keep up the good work.:big_grin:

[KCKUKFan]

It's happened to freshmen before Darius and it's going to happen to freshman after Darius.

It's all on him to keep his head up, keep improving and practice, and listen to the coaches. He's talented enough that he won't be down for long.

[JFCats22]

Darius looks really down lately. Hopefully, he can make a few baskets, get some confidence back and be a contributor. I know he is capable of doing so, I just hope he does it soon.

Keep your head up Darius, you will be a big time stud for us!! :thumbup:

[kynut]

Too many players get down when their personal performance suffers, especially their scoring. By nature young stars are too self centered. The best way for Darius to break his slump is to spend his playing time making his teammates better and forget about how well or poorly he himself is doing. Do the little things, rebound, play defense, fight for loose balls, pass to the open teammate and your personal slump will disappear as if by magic. It's all part of growing up! Try emulating Landon Slone.

[UKFAN26]

I think your wrong on that assesment. Darius is the exact opposite of a self centered player. The reason he's so down on himself is the exact opposite of that too, IMO. I think he's so down because he feels that he's not contributing to the team--Not because he's worried about his own stats.

[KCKUKFan]

Too many players get down when their personal performance suffers, especially their scoring. By nature young stars are too self centered. The best way for Darius to break his slump is to spend his playing time making his teammates better and forget about how well or poorly he himself is doing. Do the little things, rebound, play defense, fight for loose balls, pass to the open teammate and your personal slump will disappear as if by magic. It's all part of growing up! Try emulating Landon Slone.

Completely disagree in regards to Darius.

If anything, he wasn't shooting ENOUGH earlier in the season. There were numerous instances where he had open shots or drives to the basket and he forced an unnecessary pass instead. Sometimes they connected and looked great and sometimes they didn't. I think somewhere along the line, he stopped looking for his shot, so when he did shoot it, he began thinking too much about it... and that brings us to where we are now.

Darius Miller is NOT, nor has he shown any evidence of being, self-centered or a "scoring only" type player so far in his Kentucky career.

His troubles lie in knowing how much he can contibute and make the people around him better with his play, and it's not happening as quickly as he'd like.

[countrycat]

Completely disagree in regards to Darius.

If anything, he wasn't shooting ENOUGH earlier in the season. There were numerous instances where he had open shots or drives to the basket and he forced an unnecessary pass instead. Sometimes they connected and looked great and sometimes they didn't. I think somewhere along the line, he stopped looking for his shot, so when he did shoot it, he began thinking too much about it... and that brings us to where we are now.

Darius Miller is NOT, nor has he shown any evidence, of being self-centered or a "scoring only" type player so far in his Kentucky career.

His troubles lie in knowing how much he can contibute and make the people around him better with his play, and it's not happening as quickly as he'd like.
I agree with you. I believe Darius has been over thinking and second guessing himself. I believe when he goes back to doing thing on instinct his play will improve dramatically.

[Blue_N_White]

Miller will be fine. Too much talent and ability for him not to be. He's a freshman....and like was mentioned previously, Tony Delk had a rough freshman year. So did Rob Lock, Derrick Hord, and on, and on, and on. But they wound up having very productive and successful careers at UK, and so will Darius Miller.....

[wildcatcrazy]

KYnut,

Trust me on this one--you could not be more wrong about Darius.

He knows he is not playing well and he knows the team needs him--that is why he is bummed--nothing to do with his stats.

I've seen the kid play 100 games at least and if anything he is too unselfish--no ego at all--so give the kid a bit of a break.

[DRCATFAN]

I didn't see a thread started about Darius Miller's reaction in the C. Michigan game. He really struggled in this game, and seemed very upset when he got pulled back out of the game. The TV coverage showed the coaches talking to him and trying to calm him down.

Any news on this? Was it just a freshman going through some frustration?

Miller came out pretty strong to start the season and even got a start or two but has regressed some in the last few games. He's still a freshman, so I hope he just keeps a good attitude and keeps wokring at it. He's got the tlent and it will come.

One thing that does concern me about him is his jump shot. It looks to me as though he doesn't shoot the ball at the peak of his jump, but rather as he is coming down. I'm no expert, but I haven't seen many good shooters that shoot it on the way down.

[Matt Dillon]

http://www.wildcatnation.net/forum/showthread.php?t=52029

[boomdaddy]

Miller has tons of talent. Imho, he will be a big contributor, this season. Early on, he was fearless with his shot. Then, he looked unsure and thought too much about missing. He broke out of it for a game or two. This last game, he was getting yanked to the sidelines, after a mistake. If there is a freshman I am not worried about, it is Miller. Darius is a true scorer. He will get his chance to shine. I am very glad he is at UK.

[Blue4ever]

I'm just surprised the "Darius Miller to Transfer" rumors haven't started?

[matt colvin]

They have on other sites. And they're just that, RUMORS.

[kynut]

KYnut,

Trust me on this one--you could not be more wrong about Darius.

He knows he is not playing well and he knows the team needs him--that is why he is bummed--nothing to do with his stats.

I've seen the kid play 100 games at least and if anything he is too unselfish--no ego at all--so give the kid a bit of a break.

I accept your judgement on Darius since I am not as well acquainted with him as you are. Obviously I erred in lumping him in with todays selfish athletes. I got my wrong impression by looking at his body language during the last game and my perception of his reaction to what his coach was telling him on the bench. Sorry....my mistake (the first mistake I've ever made)! My apologies to Darius.

[matt colvin]

Darius is a true scorer. He will get his chance to shine. I am very glad he is at UK.

I guess I would word that as Darius can be a true scorer. He's got to develop that mentality though. His upside is so tremendous. I saw him play once last year in the state tourney against Elliott county, and had no clue how athletics he was or how much body control he possessed. He's got to "get mean with it" every now and then though. He'll come around.

[KCKUKFan]

They have on other sites. And they're just that, RUMORS.

The Message Board That Shall Remain Unnamed (Cats Pause/Rivals :big_grin:) is the worst thing that has ever happened to Kentucky athletics. Going over to that board makes me literally sick sometimes... and it gives UK bashers, in the national media and otherwise, most of their ammo.

Almost 98 percent of all of the negativity and bad vibes around the program can be traced to that board and others of its kind. No offense to the good, knowledgable posters over there but I know where rumors like this, CBG's alleged alchoholism, FIRE FIRE FIRE, so-and-so is transferring, etc. etc. come from.

Props given to the Wildcat Nation for providing a sane, rational place to discuss UK sports. :thumbup:

[Dr. H Lecter]

KYnut,

Trust me on this one--you could not be more wrong about Darius.

He knows he is not playing well and he knows the team needs him--that is why he is bummed--nothing to do with his stats.

I've seen the kid play 100 games at least and if anything he is too unselfish--no ego at all--so give the kid a bit of a break.

I hope you are right. When the camera showed him there on the bench I worried that he was angry at BCG about not being on the floor, playing time etc.... I hope he's angry with himself because that is a good trait...rather than being angry with the staff.

I'd like to have seen him making eye contact periodically with coach Webster who was obvioulsy trying to "coach him" and calm him down. A couple head nods would have been nice. He just seemed to be frozen and staring straight ahead... Don't know the kid but the body language was not great IMO.

[MannaGod]

The Message Board That Shall Remain Unnamed (Cats Pause/Rivals :big_grin:) is the worst thing that has ever happened to Kentucky athletics. Going over to that board makes me literally sick sometimes... and it gives UK bashers, in the national media and otherwise, most of their ammo.

Almost 98 percent of all of the negativity and bad vibes around the program can be traced to that board and others of its kind. No offense to the good, knowledgable posters over there but I know where rumors like this, CBG's alleged alchoholism, FIRE FIRE FIRE, so-and-so is transferring, etc. etc. come from.

Props given to the Wildcat Nation for providing a sane, rational place to discuss UK sports. :thumbup:

Word......I cant stand Cats Pause. It makes me sick.

[John Clay Rice Jr.]

Am I glad I joined this site.

[Doug Hardin]

UK fans act like a fat, nerdy guy who suddenly got a girlfriend that's out of his league, and now he's paranoid that she's going to leave him. Every time the camera catches a player looking unhappy on the bench, "backtalking" a coach, or sprinting on the court to hug his teammates after a stretch of good play has force the opponent to call a timeout, the Internet transfer rumors start up. I always enjoyed the ones about Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris looking sad or uninterested on the bench; those guys just have faces that always make them look sad and uninterested.

[KCKUKFan]

UK fans act like a fat, nerdy guy who suddenly got a girlfriend that's out of his league, and now he's paranoid that she's going to leave him. Every time the camera catches a player looking unhappy on the bench, "backtalking" a coach, or sprinting on the court to hug his teammates after a stretch of good play has force the opponent to call a timeout, the Internet transfer rumors start up. I always enjoyed the ones about Joe Crawford and Randolph Morris looking sad or uninterested on the bench; those guys just have faces that always make them look sad and uninterested.

I have never heard it summed up quite so beautifully.

Excellent job, my friend. :thumbup:

[countrycat]

I hope you are right. When the camera showed him there on the bench I worried that he was angry at BCG about not being on the floor, playing time etc.... I hope he's angry with himself because that is a good trait...rather than being angry with the staff.

I'd like to have seen him making eye contact periodically with coach Webster who was obvioulsy trying to "coach him" and calm him down. A couple head nods would have been nice. He just seemed to be frozen and staring straight ahead... Don't know the kid but the body language was not great IMO.
I believe he is angry with his play. He knows enough to know a coach can't leave a player on the floor making the mistakes he is making. It could ruin what confidence he has left to leave him in the game.

[ky4u]

I have never heard it summed up quite so beautifully.

Excellent job, my friend. :thumbup:
I agree wih you agreeing with him , it was good .:)

[RockyBlue]

I think it`s just the freshman jitters,he will come out of it before years end .

[floridawildcat]

Others are saying that Miller is just struggling with his confidence in his game. He is spending extra time in the gym.

[SamKat]

Being one of many fine athletes rather than the one, has to affect a player. Darius Miller does wonderful; things in the games when he isn't scoring. Coach Gillispie and his staff will bring Darius to his full potential.

God, pleae give us fans the patience to watch him develop into a top Wildcat!

[wildcat6]

They have on other sites. And they're just that, RUMORS.


Yeah, I have been hearing them as well. I hope its just all bs. He has the potential to be something special and of course being a native; a fan favorite.

[Gunsmoke]

Cats Paws or whatever it is called is a blight on humanity. It should be nuked. Good thing I don't know how to do viruses or them and all u of smell sites would disintegrate. As for Darius Miller he is just a freshman who is pass first and shoot whenever. He is pressing and has some confidence issues. It is natural for a young player who is struggling to develop confidence issues. Having the skill is the first requirement but without confidence you might as well stay at the house. We do need Darius to get out of this funk and sooner rather than later. He is a weapon we have to have to get where we want to be. Which of course is at the top.

[poodoo]

Trust me on this one--you could not be more wrong about Darius.

He knows he is not playing well and he knows the team needs him--that is why he is bummed--nothing to do with his stats.

I've seen the kid play 100 games at least and if anything he is too unselfish--no ego at all--so give the kid a bit of a break.

Too, thankfully, most here realize that and are saying the same. More important, the one who matters the most, Darius' coach at Kentucky, has repeatedly said that Darius is "TOO UNSELFISH" and said only this week that Darius may be "TOO NICE." Coach G then quickly added that his remark was meant as a compliment.

In other words, Darius is a FINE young man. We are lucky to have him as a Wildcat. May Darius soon get more CONFIDENCE in his ability.