3 minute read
Professional basketball
Winnipeg’s Ben Miller Signs Contract in Ireland
By Scott Taylor, Photos supplied
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Ben Miller will quickly admit that his birthplace had a lot to do with his ability to play basketball.
“I started playing in Omaha, Nebraska when I was five or six,” said the graduate of Westgate Mennonite Collegiate in Winnipeg. “I think that gave me a head start. My mom is Canadian and she had family in Winnipeg so I moved here when I was in Grade 3. That’s when I got involved in. the Wolves program and played for Martin Riley. He really did a lot for my game.”
Miller, 24, who was an outstanding high school player, played five seasons at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., before turning pro last year. He played much of the 2019-20 season in Armenia and then finished up in Ireland and has signed a contract to return to the Irish Division 1 League with Killarney St. Paul’s this coming season.
“I’m excited about going back,” he said before leaving for Killarney just after Labour Day. “I played a bit there last year and really enjoyed it. It’s the second-best league in Ireland. The top league is the Irish Elite League and we have to qualify to get there. I’m looking forward to the season.”
A 6-foot-2 point-guard with a tremendous shot, he averaged 13.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on a team that was 21-10 in his senior year. At Acadia, he was not only a perennial conference All-Star, but was also named
to the CIS All-Rookie Team in 2015.
A two-time Manitoba AAA Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014 and a long-time member of the Manitoba Provincial Team Program, Miller represented Manitoba at the 2013 Canada Games in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He has also been competing at the national FIBA 3x3 levels as well in the past few years with the Acceleration Performance basketball team.
“I like 3X3 but not as much as the regular five-on-five game,” he said. “The 3X3 game has some interesting aspects when it comes to passing and shooting, but it’s not my favourite game. It’s fun but it’s not the same as the regular game.”
Miller was also a member of Canada’s national U18 team and played at the FIBA Americas’ championships in Colorado Springs in 2013. That same year, he led Westgate Mennonite to the provincial 3A championship and was named the best player in the province, a rarity for a 3A player.
Now, for the second time in his young career, he is off to Europe to play professionally.
“I like the schedule we have,” he said. “With the pandemic, they’ve split the schedule into two halves and in the first half, we’re just playing the teams in our region. It will be a safer way to start the season.
“I’m excited to play this game for another year and I’m looking forward to representing Winnipeg on the other side of the world.” l
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