Billy Donovan has always admired Darius Miller.
The Florida coach offered his praise for the Kentucky senior during the Southeastern Conference teleconference earlier this week and likes what Miller brings to the table for the top-ranked Wildcats.
“I love him — I’ve always loved him,” Donovan said. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for him because I think just what he’s been through.”
In his four-year career, the former Mason County standout has endured many ups and downs and has made a name for himself despite playing behind Kentucky’s talented cast of newcomers during the past three years in John Calipari’s tenure as coach of the Wildcats. Despite the roller-coaster ride, Miller hasn’t wavered in his commitment to the team, a trait that brings a smile to Donovan’s face.
“I think he started off with Billy Gillispie as a young player and then John came in and then he’s playing with (John) Wall and (Eric) Bledsoe and (Demarcus) Cousins and those guys and then they basically lose a lot of guys to the NBA, and then last year comes in a new crop of guys,” the Florida coach said. “I just think he’s a ‘Steady Eddie.’ I think he’s an incredible core, glue guy that probably in a lot of ways is overshadowed by maybe (Michael) Kidd-Gilchrist or (Anthony) Davis or (Marquis) Teague.”
Aside from his team-first demeanor, Donovan like’s Miller’s versatility and his ability to create problems for opponents on both ends of the court. Miller can drive to the basket and toss a floater in the goal or even connect on a 3-pointer from behind the arc.
“He is a really, I think, a guy that presents a lot of problems because one, he’s highly intelligent,” Donovan said. “He plays a lot of different position. He’s a mismatch when you play him at the three. He’s a mismatch at the four. He can even play the two. He’s battle-tested, he’s been through it. He’s got incredible leadership qualities but I just think there’s a lot of intangibles that come with him. He just seems like he always embraces the new faces that come in there. John knows better than I do, he’s with him every day, but I always just see him doing whatever he has to do to help his team win. I just don’t think on any team you can have enough of those guys and I also think he’s very talented. He’s a very talented player but he adds a different element to their team.”
Miller made a clutch basket down the stretch in the Cats’ 69-63 victory at Vanderbilt last weekend in Nashville. He has made 35 shots from long range and has missed just 12 free throws on 46 attempts from the charity stripe. Early in the season, Miller appeared in the starting lineup nine times, but has primarily been the team’s sixth man since Kentucky opened play in the Southeastern Conference. Miller’s ability to lead also has been a plus for the team this season.
“I think being a senior, an older guy, playing on a lot of different teams, I would assume that he really understands team chemistry and understanding how to work,” Donovan said. “He doesn’t seem to be an ‘I’ guy. I never see him with a bad attitude out there. The thing that I had mentioned about Kentucky after our game was I love their disposition.
“Even their younger guys, they’ve got a great presence and a disposition when they play and I respect that and I think Darius has got that kind of disposition as well.”
The Florida coach offered his praise for the Kentucky senior during the Southeastern Conference teleconference earlier this week and likes what Miller brings to the table for the top-ranked Wildcats.
“I love him — I’ve always loved him,” Donovan said. “I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for him because I think just what he’s been through.”
In his four-year career, the former Mason County standout has endured many ups and downs and has made a name for himself despite playing behind Kentucky’s talented cast of newcomers during the past three years in John Calipari’s tenure as coach of the Wildcats. Despite the roller-coaster ride, Miller hasn’t wavered in his commitment to the team, a trait that brings a smile to Donovan’s face.
“I think he started off with Billy Gillispie as a young player and then John came in and then he’s playing with (John) Wall and (Eric) Bledsoe and (Demarcus) Cousins and those guys and then they basically lose a lot of guys to the NBA, and then last year comes in a new crop of guys,” the Florida coach said. “I just think he’s a ‘Steady Eddie.’ I think he’s an incredible core, glue guy that probably in a lot of ways is overshadowed by maybe (Michael) Kidd-Gilchrist or (Anthony) Davis or (Marquis) Teague.”
Aside from his team-first demeanor, Donovan like’s Miller’s versatility and his ability to create problems for opponents on both ends of the court. Miller can drive to the basket and toss a floater in the goal or even connect on a 3-pointer from behind the arc.
“He is a really, I think, a guy that presents a lot of problems because one, he’s highly intelligent,” Donovan said. “He plays a lot of different position. He’s a mismatch when you play him at the three. He’s a mismatch at the four. He can even play the two. He’s battle-tested, he’s been through it. He’s got incredible leadership qualities but I just think there’s a lot of intangibles that come with him. He just seems like he always embraces the new faces that come in there. John knows better than I do, he’s with him every day, but I always just see him doing whatever he has to do to help his team win. I just don’t think on any team you can have enough of those guys and I also think he’s very talented. He’s a very talented player but he adds a different element to their team.”
Miller made a clutch basket down the stretch in the Cats’ 69-63 victory at Vanderbilt last weekend in Nashville. He has made 35 shots from long range and has missed just 12 free throws on 46 attempts from the charity stripe. Early in the season, Miller appeared in the starting lineup nine times, but has primarily been the team’s sixth man since Kentucky opened play in the Southeastern Conference. Miller’s ability to lead also has been a plus for the team this season.
“I think being a senior, an older guy, playing on a lot of different teams, I would assume that he really understands team chemistry and understanding how to work,” Donovan said. “He doesn’t seem to be an ‘I’ guy. I never see him with a bad attitude out there. The thing that I had mentioned about Kentucky after our game was I love their disposition.
“Even their younger guys, they’ve got a great presence and a disposition when they play and I respect that and I think Darius has got that kind of disposition as well.”
