13 minute read
JERMAINE MILLER ’02: Paying it Forward One Basket at a Time
BY ELIZABETH WILSON TAVILOGLU P’19
From the streets of Harlem and the beauty of Storm King Mountain to the halls of Drexel, the University of New Haven and beyond, Jermaine Miller ’02 has built his life around his passion for basketball and making a difference in the lives of young people. Whether he’s on a case as an NYPD detective, organizing a workshop for youth players in West Africa, or helping under-represented students survive college, Jermaine–the first SKS graduate to attend college with a full athletic scholarship–is determined to continue paying it forward one basket at a time.
“Storm King changed my life,” says Jermaine Miller ’02 with a very wide smile. As an incoming member of the Storm King Alumni Council next year, he is already looking toward the future and at ways he can contribute to the continued success of his alma mater. “I’m excited to be on the Council and to see what we can do. I think I can bring a different take and a different perspective on how to put SKS in the spotlight for the better, and be seen as a school that offers greater numbers of deserving students a life-changing opportunity like it did for me.”
Harlem Hoops
Jermaine, known in many circles for his basketball passion, is also a full-time NYPD detective, CEO, philanthropist, coach, and father of four. Born in 1983 in New York City, Jermaine spent most of his childhood in Harlem where he began playing neighborhood basketball at a young age. “Both of my parents are Nigerian. I was born here, so I consider myself Nigerian-American. I grew up in a single mother household together with my two older brothers. I also have 10 other siblings from my father’s side. We are 12 in total, so actually, we are a huge family. As a kid, I definitely had the youngest boy sentiment of being the baby, but I was always the biggest one,” recalls Jermaine.
Jermaine says that he began to take basketball more seriously by the age of 12. “I started out at Frederick Douglas Academy, an elite public school in Harlem. I was tall, so my teachers encouraged me to play. I competed first on the team there, and then with the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) – a nonprofit youth sports organization that gets groups of players together to form independent teams and has them compete in tournaments.”
"Unfortunately, New York City in the late 1980s was a crime and drug-infested place. A lot of kids I grew up with ended up in jail or dead. I was in real danger of falling victim to my surroundings. At Frederick Douglas, I wasn’t in touch with academics and I wasn’t really trying. I began skipping classes and would come to school in the afternoon just to play basketball. The environment was taking over.”
Jermaine (center) and two Bball Shape Training players
A New Take
At that time, Jermaine says he felt there was nowhere else he could go. Then, during his junior year, he was presented with what he calls the opportunity of a lifetime– a chance to attend Storm King on a full athletic scholarship for basketball. “To this day, I still don’t know who put my name in for a scholarship at SKS, but that person gave me a whole new outlook on life, and a new take on what I could do as a person,” he explains.
“Was it a hard decision to make? Yes and no. It was uncharted territory for me. I saw SKS as a small, private school up in the mountains that wasn’t far from home, but seemed liked it was a world away. Peter Wicker was the head of admission at the time. He treated me and my family very well, and encouraged me to visit. Once I actually came up from the city to see the School, I loved it. Coach Kevin Houston was also there and I got to meet him. Mr. Wicker recommended that I reclassify as a junior and spend my junior and senior year at SKS. This benefited me academically and also allowed me to qualify for the NCAA,” Jermaine continues.
When Jermaine arrived on campus for new student orientation in late August of 2000, he was very excited, but admits that he was also intimidated. “It was a very different experience in terms of who was around me. I was one out of eight or nine African-Americans. The rest of the students at that time were either white or came from South Korea. I’m from Harlem. I never spent time around white people before, and I really only saw Asians if I went to Chinatown. Ultimately, I didn’t have difficulty making friends, but it was a learning curve to understand how adults and children of other races act and interact. It wasn’t rough, just very different.”
Reflecting deeper on his experience as a Black student at SKS in the early 2000s, Jermaine says the School’s small size and family-like connections between students and faculty took race out the equation. “Our interaction was always very direct with one another. The teachers actually knew who each student was as an individual. We were valued for who we are as people, and not for what we did, or our race, or anything else,” he explains.
“I never experienced any racism or negativity, and my relationships were always very positive. Our differences showed more in things we didn’t do as Black kids from the city – like snowboarding. Early on, some behaviors of the white kids surprised me. For example, the way they talked and argued with their parents. I later learned that expressing contrary opinions was actually encouraged in their families, whereas in my culture, we pretty much do what we are told. I also learned a lot about South Korean culture where respect for the most senior member in a family or group is very important. For example, if a faculty member was having an issue with one of the Korean students, they would have more success with that student by talking to the oldest Korean student on campus first.”
Jermaine with Coach Kevin Houston at NYPD Headquarters
Respect
“One thing that stood out to me immediately at Storm King was the respect that was present overall. Although we were teenagers, the entire faculty had a level of respect, both for us and that was expected of us. This showed us what direction to take in terms of interacting with people. I always admired art teacher Mr. Briggs and how he was raising his family while living on campus. I’ll always respect the way he took care of his special needs son, Luke, and still had time for his job and his students. At the time, he was the only Black teacher at SKS. Young black boys on campus would look to him for advice. He was an example to me and how I operate in my adult life with my own family. Also, Coach Houston and his wife both treated me like a son. When he lost her in 2009, I came back and got the whole team to come back as a show of respect for her, and the both of them.”
Jermaine training a Nigerian player
Passion Re-ignited
Jermaine also credits Coach Houston for bringing out his leadership qualities and re-igniting his passion for basketball. “My time at SKS really taught me responsibility, and to know what it takes to lead, both by direction and by example. I will always thank Coach Houston for pressing me. He helped me realize that I played basketball before SKS, but I didn’t really care about basketball. When I saw how he backed us as a team and as individuals, and expected things from us, it made me perform. That’s when I began to care, to love basketball. Today, basketball has taken me everywhere I’ve been and I give that credit to Coach Houston and to Storm King.”
When he talks about his basketball career at SKS, Jermaine doesn’t hold back. “My junior year I was like a fish out of water, but quickly had to learn that I was part of the team. Then we began to play really well together. That year, we succeeded in winning the HVAL (Hudson Valley Athletic League) trophy, but we lost in the championship round of the New England conference. After that, I made it my business as team captain to make sure we wouldn’t lose again, and that every team member would work hard toward playing to win the championship.”
“I had the returning guys and the new guys to work with my senior year. I became like the extension of the coach. During that year, the Storm King team was bumped up from Class E all the way up to Class B– the second-highest class in NEPSAC (New England Prep School Athletic Conference). The School hasn’t played in Class B since then. We ended up winning the league and the NEPSAC Conference Championship in 2001-2002.”
A Coach’s Dream
Coach Kevin Houston couldn’t say enough about Jermaine’s contributions to the success of the team when he was inducted to the Storm King Sports Hall of Fame in 2020: “Jermaine is, by far, the hardest working player I had the opportunity to coach during my tenure at SKS. He was an instrumental part of two HVAL Championship teams during his time on the Mountain. He led us to the Class E NEPSAC finals his first year as a Cougar and we finished as the runner-ups. Behind Jermaine’s leadership, work ethic, and will to win, he led us to the Class B NEPSAC Championship where we defeated a heavily favored Tabor Academy basketball team. While we had a very talented team, Jermaine was clearly our leader, our enforcer, and the guiding hand that drove us to greatness.”
Jermaine fondly recalls his journey with the team as described by Coach Houston. “That year is a testament to what every team since I’ve left SKS has strived to be like. We had a lot of fun. We won a lot of games. I take pride that it was my team, that I was captain, the lead scorer, and that we won the conference title. I love it when I talk to others and they’ve heard of our team. It’s humbling and great to see,” says Jermaine.
NCAA and NYPD
Jermaine’s basketball journey didn’t end when he graduated from Storm King. His work ethic, desire to improve, and competitive drive described by Coach Houston continued to take him even further down the road of success. The following year, Jermaine would travel to Pennsylvania after receiving a full NCAA Division 1 basketball scholarship at Drexel University. “I was on the train to Philadelphia right after graduation to begin training.”
“My freshman and sophomore years at Drexel were a wonderful experience, not only as a basketball player, but as a person. Playing at that level allowed me to travel and meet so many interesting people. But, my life wasn’t all about playing. I entered Drexel as a Mass Communications major and worked hard to keep my academics strong. During my sophomore year, I switched my major to Education, but soon found that wasn’t for me. I began looking to transfer and received several scholarships from other great schools. In the end, I chose the University of New Haven as the best fit. Not only could I play basketball a lot more, but I could study Criminal Justice– a dream I had for some time. Plus, U of New Haven is in a city and near Yale, so it had a similar feel to Drexel, which I loved. As a junior, I joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and had a great season and year. I graduated from New Haven in May 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. In July, I was off to attend the Police Academy in New York City.”
After completing his training at the Police Academy, Jermaine began his law enforcement career as a NYPD officer at the 19th Precinct. After 10 years of service, he began working with the detective squad and was promoted to Detective in 2019. “When I think back, my aunt always wanted me to be a lawyer. As a career, this is what I always wanted to do; to be that guy in a suit arresting the bad guys. I’m very happy where I am, and now, I’m on the list for promotion to Sergeant,” explains Jermaine.
Jermaine with his wife, Shakira, & four daughters
Pay It Forward
Today, Jermaine is busy spending time with his wife and raising four daughters while he continues to advance his career in law enforcement. Surprisingly, he still has energy to dedicate to his sport as the co-founder of two organizations, both focusing on developing youth. “I created Basketball Shape Training, LLC with my brother and another friend. Our mission is to share our knowledge and passion for basketball with young athletes. We train players of all levels and backgrounds, and we teach them fundamentals of basketball along with elite skills. Our motto is ‘Good, Better, Best.’ The company trains kids in New York and Maine, and we also began to run basketball camps and clinics for kids in West Africa. I rely on the principles I learned back at SKS to help build our players’ sense of teamwork, respect, and discipline.”
Jermaine is also a co-founder of a nonprofit called Higher Education Literacy Professionals Incorporated (HELP, Inc.). “The mission, duty, and purpose of HELP are to increase access to higher education for under-represented groups through workshops, classes, tutoring, and private coaching. We help students with their college searches, applications, essay writing, and finding scholarships to connecting them with internships and getting them through college. I started HELP with four college friends. We are all from under-represented families. There are other programs out there, but we wanted to do it ourselves.”
“One great success story is a family we worked with from Central America. We helped both the mother and the daughter. The girl was struggling in high school, so her mom enrolled her in our College Edge program. We succeeded in helping her raise her average from a C to an A- and she got accepted into several great colleges. We were also very proud that we helped her mom, who attended our adult program, to get her degree.”
Jermaine with his wife, Shakira, & four daughters
The Future
Most recently, Jermaine has set aside time to give back to his alma mater, Storm King, by agreeing to coach the girls varsity basketball team. “Becoming a coach at SKS was a wonderful coincidence. Following a basketball clinic I did in Africa, SKS’ Admissions Office reached out to me about some of the players I worked with there as potential students. When I got back to the States just before the pandemic hit last year, I learned that the girls varsity team was in need of a coach. It struck me that I wanted to help them build a girls team and help them win league and conference championships. Unfortunately, our plans were cut short by the pandemic, but we will to continue next year.”
“My vision is to bring on student-athletes who will give Storm King a name in Women’s Basketball. The more college-ready athletes we can develop, the better it will be for the School. When kids go to good colleges, either for academics or for sports, it puts Storm King on the map. We need to give them the opportunity for Storm King to change their lives, like I had.”
When thinking about the future in these uncertain times, Jermaine continues: “I think we just have to look at Storm King’s history to see where we’ll be 20 years from now. I believe SKS will get through any obstacle, even the difficulties we faced during this pandemic. We have some of the world’s brightest and most talented students here. In 10, 20, even 30 years, I want them to say that SKS gave them a chance, an opportunity no one else would, or they might not have otherwise. I’ll always be grateful for what SKS gave me. I want to say ‘Go, Cougars!’...and, that whoever reads this before the 2021-2022 season better be ready, because the SKS girls varsity basketball team will be a force to be reckoned with!”
