A Middleburg Superstar Leads Way to Final Four

A Middleburg Superstar Leads Way to Final Four

Hoops junkies in Loudoun County knew all about Jordan Miller’s oncourt promise and prowess long before he became a national star last month in leading the University of Miami to the Final Four in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Jordan Miller was a Category 5 Hurricane in the Big Dance.

Photo courtesy University of Miami

And Middleburg is the home town listed for him on the Hurricanes’ official roster. A 6-foot-7, fifth-year senior, Miller grew up a few miles from the village in the St. Louis area off Route 611, also known to locals as the St. Louis Road, and was a standout player at Loudoun Valley High School.

On March 26, against a heavily favored University of Texas team, Miller was the picture of pure hoops perfection in Miami’s stunning come-from-behind 8881 victory over the Longhorns. Down 13 points with 11 minutes left in the game, a spirited comeback down the stretch vaulted the Hurricanes into the school’s first ever appearance in the Final Four.

This spring issue of Country ZEST went to press before “The Big Dance” was over in Houston. But no matter what happened in the semifinals and final game, no one will ever forget Miller’s stunning performance against third-seeded Texas the week before.

Miller made all seven of his shots from the field and all 13 of his free throws, scoring 27 points in Miami’s comeback Elite Eight victory over Texas. He’s the first player to take at least seven shots from the field and free-throw line and hit all of them in an NCAA Tournament game in more than 30 years.

The last player to accomplish the feat was Duke’s Christian Laettner in the 1992 Elite Eight. In that game, Laettner hit “The Shot” — a last-second, gamewinning basket from near midcourt that sent Duke to the Final Four.

Miller did not have a buzzer-beating, game-winning miracle shot against Texas, but his efforts were equally important.

“I’ve said it all season long: He’s the most underrated player in the country because he’s good at everything,” Miami coach Jim Larrañaga told reporters after the Hurricanes’ first-ever win in the Elite Eight. “In the summertime, he had a 7:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in practices. Seven to one. That’s ridiculous. That’s better than any point guard I know. He can rebound. He defends all different-sized guys. [On Sunday] he was switching ball screens at the end and keeping the guy in front of him.

“Last week he guarded Indiana’s center Trayce Jackson-Davis, did a fantastic job on him. He can shoot the three. He’s great at driving. Straight line drive, dribble drives. He makes all of his free throws. He is a great, great player. Simple.”

Even better, he’s from Middleburg, don’t you know.