By LARRY VAUGHT
Darius Miller was supposed to be the “rising star†for the Kentucky basketball team this season.
The junior guard is averaging 10.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game and shooting 47.9 percent from the field, including a team-best 53.1 percent from 3-point range. Yet he’s failed to meet the expectations coach John Calipari  and most UK fans  had for him this season.
Miller offered a few insights on his predicament after Kentucky’s win over Mississippi Valley State last week:
Question: John Calipari continues to say you can accomplish great things, but what do you think you can accomplish?
Miller: “Coach expects a lot out of me and tells me that every day. I just have to continue to play and get better. He tells me every day what he thinks I should be doing, so I just have to get better at it.â€Â
Question: What has to fill the gap between wanting to do it and doing it the way Calipari wants?
Miller: “I couldn’t tell you. I really don’t know.â€Â
Question: You had 14 points and five assists, but do you felt you should have done more?
Miller: “Yes. Coach tells me all the time. He told me today I have to do more. I just have to keep playing and increase my game. I know I can do better.â€Â
Question: Do you get tired of talking about this and answering the same questions every game no matter what your numbers are?
Miller: “No, not really. It does come up a lot. It’s the same people asking it every time. I don’t know. I just have to continue to get better.â€Â
Question: Are there still times when players think individual play first, team play second?
Miller: “We still have to work on playing the whole 40 minutes. At times when we aren’t playing as a team, we are too selfish with the ball. It is something we have to continue to work on, but I think we are getting better at playing as a team.â€Â
12 Responses to Miller knows he just “has to get better”
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Wow, 53% from 3-land. That’s impressive.
I understand he is capable of more and he could take it up a notch in the effort department, but it’s not like he’s been a complete bust this year. I know Coach is probably trying to motivate him, but I’m not sure that publicly calling him out over and over is working. I hope Darius knows we appreciate what he does and doesn’t withdraw.
And 53% from 3 IS impressive!
He’s like that whack-a-mole game… you never know when, where or for how long he is going to pop up.
He has one of the most beautiful midrange jumpers I have seen in a long time, that is a shot that seems to be disappearing as more guys go for the dunk (insert Sports Center Theme music) and rapid fire threes (da-da-da).
I enjoy watching him and want so much for him to succeed.
53% is very impressive!
Darius has quick feet. If he would assert himself on offence the way he does on defence he would score bunches. This would draw the defence, and you know what a good psser he is. He will get it soon enough. Keep working hard Darius.
FREE ENES GO CATS
Darius has to learn to motivate himself! He stands around waiting for others to do what he should be doing. He is good, but he could be great.
Cal cannot motivate him, because then when he criticizes him; he would destroy all that he built up. Cal can help, but he cannot do it for them. Miller will take the next step when and if he decides to.
Ben is absolutely correct. NO ONE can motivate Darius, except Darius.
I don’t think Darius is depending on Cal to do it, but I don’t know what the problem is. At the start of the season, Cal was talking NBA prospects for him. Now he may be in danger of losing his starting job, the way Doron has been performing.
I sincerely hope he figures it out, because we need him so badly, it isn’t even funny.
WE all know he can do it. It’s just a shame that HE doesn’t seem to know it.
GO BIG BLUE!!!!
Are we forgetting how Cal motivated Josh? He called Josh out and even punished him for his actions. Made Josh run and train more then the other boys and look where it has gotten Josh. I guess he thinks Darius just needs words to motivate him but maybe he needs some extra conditioning also. When Darius is on there is no better player to watch, but when he is off I’d rather watch a commercial. I just wish everyone of the boys would show up for the whole game, no foul problems, no free throw problems, hit 75% of the threes, super solid defense, be able to play against a zone and just slaughter the opposing team. I’m hope for all this on Dec. 31 and every game after that! GO CATS! VOTE FOR JOE B! FREE ENES, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! NEUTER THAMEL AND STERLING!
What we really need more than Darius is a BENCH. Those guys over there taking up space while we only play 7 guys. Darius may not be doing what the coach or BBN expects but his numbers are good. They are just not GREAT.
IMO. What is more important to the success of this team down the road is IMPROVED PLAY FROM VARGAS, POOLE AND HOOD. Foul trouble happens not if but when. And as Cal said “they can’t just go in and throw shots up without rebounding and defending or doing something positive”.
Miller is fine. All he needs is to be more assertive. The problems with the bench go way deeper than that. IMO
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. GO BLUE OR STAY HOME! 1 1
UKFMLY has hit the nail on the head, and the best motivator that Cal can use is the bench, but given the lack of bench contributions from Poole, Hood, and Vargas, Cal’s ability to use the bench to motivate has been eliminated.
Cal has said as much more than once this season
i agree jackie, miller hasn’t been a bust, but he’s got the talent set to dominate a game. not just to contribute. thats whats frustrating.
and i agree with everyone else, we need a bench. there isnt anyone else to challange miller for his minutes. lamb sort of, but we need a big 6 7′ guy more than another guard.
Still hard for me to fault a player that is contributing the way Miller is. He fills a lot of lines on a stat sheet
If a teacher is eventually graded by how well that teacher’s group of students perform on standardized tests, which is becoming the case, then consider 5 students:
#1: Capable of scoring 95, but only performs enough to score 80
#2: Capable of scoring 90, but performs at 95
#3: Capable of scoring 80, but performs at 80
#4: Capable of scoring 70, and performs at 70
#5: Capable of scoring 75, and performs at 75.
The Capability average would be 404/5 = 81.0
The Actual performance average would be 395/5 = 79.0
The difference in the Capability and Actual levels of performance could be the critical difference for that teacher, just as the difference between what Miller is capable of producing vs. how he actually performs could be the difference in UK winning and losing 1 or 2 critical games over the course of the season.
Yes, Miller is contributing more than most of his teammates this season, but he is letting the team down by not performing to his capability, which is what Coach Calipari expects from him and all players, and is not getting from Miller, Hood, Vargas, and Poole right now.