Macy Miller verbally commits to South Dakota State

Another Kernel is going to be a Jackrabbit.

Mitchell’s Macy Miller, a 5-foot-11 guard on the school’s state championship team, verbally committed to South Dakota State University Sunday night.

Miller, a junior next year, is joining teammate Kerri Young at SDSU. Young committed to be a Jackrabbit in April 2011 and will be a senior this fall.

“It’s a great program,” said Miller, an all-state selection last year, “and I thought it would be really fun to play with Kerri in college.”

Miller and Young helped the Kernels to a 24-1 record en route to the Class AA state championship, the school’s first girls’ title since 2003. Miller averaged 15 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

“It’s rare to have two kids that can play at their level, and it’s great they’re going to the same school,” Mitchell girls’ basketball coach Wes Morgan said. “It’s going to be really convenient for us to watch them play together.”

Miller missed the Kernels’ first five games of the year recovering from knee surgery because of an injury she suffered during summer basketball camp. In the first game she returned to the court, the Kernels lost to Sioux Falls Lincoln, the team’s only defeat of the year.

Nineteen straight victories ensued for Mitchell, including the 56-54 win over Sioux Falls Washington in the state championship game held at Frost Arena in Brookings, SDSU’s home court.

“I just love playing at Frost Arena,” Miller said. “I talked with my parents and we thought it was the best program.”

The South Dakota State University women’s basketball program has won the Summit League tournament each of the past four years, earning an automatic berth to the NCAA national tournament. Miller said the team’s recent success was an enticing factor in her decision.

The Kernels competed in the SDSU team camp over the weekend, and that’s when Miller said she made her final decision. She said SDSU head coach Aaron Johnston was happy to hear of her commitment.

Because of NCAA rules, Johnston couldn’t comment directly on either of the Mitchell recruits until they sign a national letter of intent, something they can do as seniors.

“It wasn’t long ago Mitchell wasn’t winning many games, let alone state championships,” Johnston said. “Now there’s the right combination of dedicated coaches and players that came together. … They have a few players who stand out and get a lot of the attention, but as a whole that team is very balanced and deep.”

As a freshman, Miller averaged 13 points and 5 rebounds per game. She graduates from Mitchell High School in 2014 and will head to SDSU that fall. Morgan said other schools interested in Miller were the University of South Dakota, the University of Sioux Falls, Dakota Wesleyan University, North Dakota State University and Colorado State.

“Macy brings a calming to the team,” Morgan said. “She’s very, very consistent and doesn’t get flustered. She’s really a good player and will continue to get better.”

Miller also has two brothers who are playing college basketball and are both Mitchell High School graduates. Jade Miller will be a true freshman at Dakota Wesleyan this fall and Jordan Miller will be a senior at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn.

Tags: sports, kernels, basketball, updates