Darius Miller is the Director of Player Development for La Famila, Kentucky's TBT team

Darius Miller is the Director of Player Development for La Famila, Kentucky's alumni team in The Basketball Tournament (TBT).

The TBT is single-elimination and features 64 teams vying for the winner-takes-all prize of $1 million.

Aaron Harrison was added to the Kentucky roster on Tuesday. He joins his twin brother, Andrew, along with Eric Bledsoe, Willie Cauley-Stein, James Young, Daniel Orton, Doran Lamb, Kellan Grady, Marquis Teague, Nate Sestina and Reid Travis.

Tyler Ullis is the head coach.

La Familia will play 305 on July 19 at 6 p.m. in the first round of the Lexington Region at Rupp Arena. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster.

TBT games will have four quarters. The first three quarters will be nine minutes. The fourth quarter will feature an Elam Ending. After the first stoppage of play at or under the four minute mark, eight points will be added to the leading team's score. That will determine the "target score."The rest of the game will be played without a game clock. The first team to reach the "target score" wins the game.

A visit to the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame

Earlier this month, I visited The Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame in Elizabethtown.

The Hall of Fame project began in 2009 and moved into its current location in a former church building in 2017.

The museum features several interesting displays highlighting great players, coaches, teams and games.

The Hall of Fame inductees include legendary Maysville Bulldogs coach Earle D. Jones and former Mason County stars Ronnie Lyons, Chris Lofton and Darius Miller.

Former Bracken County High School principal Kenneth Henderson is the Community Director of the Hall of Fame. He was there the day I visited. I enjoyed talking to him about his time at Bracken County.

The Hall of Fame is open Wednesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $4 for military and students. Children five and under are admitted free of charge.

Kenneth Henderson

9th Annual Darius Miller & Chris Lofton Camp is June 8-10

 The 9th Annual Darius Miller & Chris Lofton Skills Camp, presented by Camp One, is set for June 8-10 at the Mason County Fieldhouse,

The camp is for boys and girls in grade 1-8. 

The hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 8 and 9 and 9 a.m to 3 p.m. on June 10.

Registration is online.

Kentucky Enforcers vs. Maysville Legends exhibition basketball game Saturday at Lady Royals Gym

The Kentucky Enforcers professional basketball team will play the Maysville Legends, a team of former college players,  Saturday at the Lady Royals Gym in downtown Maysville. 

The Maysville Legends will be coached by former Mason County, University of Kentucky and NBA player Darius Miller.

The Kentucky Enforcers, based in Crestview Hills, will play in The Basketball League this coming season. The Enforcers' home games will be played at Thomas More University.

Saturday night's exhibition game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. The event will include a 3-point contest and dunk contest.

Admission is $5 for adults. Students and children will be admitted free. Concessions will be available.

Darius Miller waived by the OKC Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder waived former Mason County Royal and Kentucky Wildcat Darius Miller on Thursday. 

In his first action since the 2019-20 season, Miller played in 18 games with the Thunder this season and averaged 4.1 points a game and made 40.5% of his 3-point shots.

Miller suffered a ruptured right Achilles in August 2019 while a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. He was traded to the Thunder last November.

Oklahoma City is undergoing  a major rebuild with an emphasis on young players.

Random notes for April Fool's Day

Here are a few random notes for April Fool's Day, no fooling:

I attended my 41st consecutive Boys Sweet 16 basketball tournament on Wednesday, but my first as just a fan. The first 40 were as a play-by-play announcer for WFTM radio. It looked a lot different with a small crowd due to COVID-19 restrictions, but it was great to see the tournament played again after last year's Sweet 16 was cancelled.

I didn't stay for the George Rogers Clark vs. Oldham County, but the Cardinals pulled out a 54-47 victory. 10th Region champions have won first round games in four straight state tournaments. 

McCracken County plays Bullitt East today at 2 p.m. in the Sweet 16. McCracken County brothers Ian McCune and Jack McCune are former residents of Maysville. Ian, a 6-3 senior, averages 10.8 points a game, and Jack, a 6-4 sophomore, averages 5.4 points per game is shooting 61.1% from the field.

Darius Miller made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 113-103 victory over the Toronto Raptors Wednesday night. Miller also had two rebounds and one assist.

Darius Miller sees first NBA action since 2018-19 season

Darius Miller hit a three-pointer in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 118-90 loss to the Miami Heat last night in his first action since the 2018-19 NBA season.

Miller suffered a ruptured right Achilles in August 2019 while a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. He was traded to the Thunder in November.

"Give him a lot of credit," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneualt said. "It's hard; injuries are hard especially when you're a hooper. He's done an unbelievable job since he's been here. We put him on a plan that was similar to return to play even though he didn't have the injury [this season] just to try to get him to game shape. ... He hasn't played in a long time. There's a lot of invisible work that goes on behind the scenes for a guy that has a long-term injury. We talked about it with [Isaiah] Roby over the summer, and Darius is certainly an example of that. And there's a lot of long nights where you don't get to play. You wonder when you're going to be ready again, and when those guys get to go back on the court, it's a pretty good moment. So, we're happy for him.

Pelicans trade Darius Miller to the Thunder

The New Orleans Pelicans made it official this morning: they have traded former Mason County Royal and Kentucky Wildcat Darius Miller to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a four-team transaction.

Miller played in 253 regular season games in two stints with New Orleans. He sat out the 2019-20 season after suffering a ruptured right Achilles tendon. 

In between his two stints with New Orleans, Miller won three consecutive German League championship with Brose Bamberg. 

Two other former Kentucky Wildcats -  Hamidou Diallo and  Shai Gilgeous-Alexanderl - are on the Thunder's roster.

(Updated to correct that only two other Kentucky players are on the Thunder's roster. The original post incorrectly included Nerlen Noels on the roster.)

Darius Miller will not accompany Pelicans to Orlando for NBA restart

The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that Darius Miller will not accompany the team to Orlando for the restart of the 2019-20 season later this month.

Miller is recovering from right Achilles surgery. He was expected to miss the entire season, but with the season put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic, there was some thought that maybe he could return to action when the season restarts on July 30. 

The Pelicans said Miller will remain in New Orleans as he continues his rehabilitation.

Darius Miller unsure if he will able return to action this season

The NBA is scheduled to restart its season on July 30 in a bubble at Disney World, but Darius Miller is unsure when he will return to action for the New Orleans Pelicans.

Miller had surgery last August to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon.

He met with the media online today and talked about his rehab.

"Every day we're trying to add something new, incorporate something new into my workouts, and just see how my body reacts, honestly. That's pretty much the point I'm at," Miller said. "Like I said, it's unfortunate I can't play 5-on-5 or at least 3-on-3 or something like that just to get a gauge, but we're doing the most that we can right now to see about when I'll be able to play."

A reporter asked Miller how he will make a decision to come back this year if he's able or wait until next season.

"I think it started with the team, nobody has pressured me to do anything that I didn't want to do," Miller said, "They've supported me throughout the whole injury, so, I mean, I think that's a big part of it. And on the other hand, I'm just gonna give it all I got. If I'm able to go, I am, if not, then, that's just the way that it is. I haven't been able test a lot, like I said, but as we ramp up a little bit more, I'll be able to see and I think they'll put me in a good position to know if I'm ready or not."

(Updated to add that the media gathering was online.)

Friday news and notes

Here are a few news and notes for a cold Friday:

• Darius Miller tied his career high with 21 points in the New Orleans Pelicans' 122-116 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. Miller started and hit five three-pointers. He had seven rebounds and two assists.

• The Mason County Lady Royals will recognize legendary coach Bob "Hutch" Hutchison Saturday when they host the Campbell County Lady Camels at The Fieldhouse. Hutchison compiled a 405-201 record in 22 seasons as Mason County's coach. He guided the Lady Royals to 19 39th District titles and six 10th Region championships. The recognition ceremony will be held at halftime of the varsity game which begins at 2:30 p.m. 

• The Jackson City at St. Patrick girls' game Saturday night is cancelled due to illness in the Jackson City schools.

• The draws for first round pairings in the 2019 Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Sweet 16 and the 2019 KHSAA Girls' Sweet 16 will take place Monday at 1 p.m. on the Sweet 16 Draw Show. You can watch the show online at KHSAA.tv and WKYT.com 

• The draw for the 39th District tournaments is scheduled Wednesday, January 30th at noon in the Mason County High School library.

Darius Miller and Julius King on SportsTalk

Darius Miller and Camp One Director Julius King were my guests on SportsTalk this morning.

Here is a link to the podcast.

Fun times at Darius Miller/Chris Lofton Skills Camp

Today was the second day of the Darius Miller/Chris Lofton Skills Camp at the Tom Browning Boys and Girls Club and the Straub Elementary School gym.

Chris Lofton, still in France playing in the French League Jeep Elite Playoffs Finals, missed the camp, but he answered some of the campers' questions via the Internet this afternoon.

Darius Miller broke down the huddle to close out today's activities.

Wednesday is the final day of the camp.

A big week for Mason County alums

It was a big week in sports for several Mason County alums. Here are the highlights:

Northern Kentucky University senior Jackson Frame tied for 18th place in the Horizon League Championship Tuesday in Florida. Last week, Frame was named Second Team All Horizon League and was named to the Horizon League All Academic Team for the third straight year.

Georgetown College freshman Jordan Frodge finished 21st and University of Pikeville senior Lauren Vice tied for 25th place in the Mid-South Conference Women's Golf Tournament. Vice was named to the Academic All Mid-South Conference Team.

Chris Lofton scored 20 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead Le Mans to a 94-69 victory over Boulazac in France Saturday.

Darius Miller had nine points, six assists, three rebounds and one steal in the Pelicans' loss to the Warriors Saturday night. Miller hit a three-quarter length of the court buzzer beater at the end of the second quarter.

Western Carolina University Jay Stanley won first place in the shot put with a throw of 14.8 meters at the Tri-State Classic hosted by East Tennessee State University.

Pelicans announce Darius Miller signing

The New Orleans Pelicans made it official today- the team has signed unrestricted free agent Darius Miller.

New Orleans selected Miller with a second round draft pick in 2012. He played in 102 games for the team. 

Miller helped Brose Bamberg win the German League championship each of the last three seasons.

He was named Most Valuable Player of  the German League Finals in 2016.

Miller led Mason County to the 2008 KHSAA state championship and was the 2008 Mr. Basketball in Kentucky.

He was a member of Kentucky's 2012 National Championship team. 

Darius Miller on SportsTalk

Darius Miller was my guest on SportsTalk this morning.

Here is a link to the podcast.

Miller and Brose Bamberg with a three-peat in Germany

Darius Miller and Brose Bamberg won their third straight German League championship with a 76-58 victory over EWE Baskets Oldenburg today.

Brose Bamberg swept the series three games to none for its ninth German League title.

Miller scored 10 points.

Today's win adds to Miller's long list of championships:

• 2008 KHSAA State Championship (Mason County)
• 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship (Team USA)
• 2012 NCAA Championship (Kentucky)
• 2015 German League Championship (Brose Bamberg)
• 2016 German League Championship (Brose Bamberg)
• 2017 German League Championship (Brose Bamberg)

News and notes

Here are some local sports news and notes:

• Former Mason County basketball and football standout Jordan Gilbert has joined the boys' basketball coaching staff at Clark County. Gilbert played college basketball at Transylvania University and Asbury University. He was the freshman coach at Mercer County last season. 
• Mason County senior Whitney O'Mara started and scored four points for the Kentucky All-Stars in an 82-74 victory in the 26th Annual Holloway Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game Sunday.
• The Mason County football team began spring practice Monday. The spring game is scheduled on April 27.
• The KHSAA State Archery Championship is Thursday, April 20 at Kentucky Basketball Academy in Lexington. Mason County archers competing in the state championship include Landen Bowling, Joshua Brown, DeAnna Roberts and Anthony Ventura. Gates open to the public at 8:30 a.m.
• May 30th-June 1st are the dates for the St. Patrick Saints Basketball Camp. The camp is for girls and boys in grades 2 through 8 in the 2017-18 school year. The fee is $35 per child if enrolled by May 19th or $40 after May 19th.
• The 5th Annual Darius Miller and Chris Lofton Skills Camp is set for June 21st-23rd at the Tom Browning Boys and Girls Club. The early bid fee is $100 until May 1st. The fee after May 1st is $125.Check out the camp website for more information.

(Updated to correct the date for the State Archery Championship)

Mason Co. receives framed photos of Miller and Coach Jones

The Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame presented framed photos of Darius Miller and legendary Maysville High School coach Earle D. Jones to Mason County High School Tuesday night.

Miller, the 2008 Mr. Basketball, was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.

 Jones was posthumously inducted in 2015.



 

News and Notes

Here are a few news and notes as you wait for high school football playoff action and a weekend of college and professional football:

• Mason County senior Nick Nelson will sign to play baseball at Xavier University Monday, November 14 at 3:30 p.m. 
• The time for Whitney O'Mara's signing ceremony has been changed to 2 p.m. on November 10th. O'Mara, a Mason County senior, will sign to play basketball at Bellarmine University.
• Darius Miller scored 27 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead Brose Bamberg to a 106-102 win in overtime in Euroleague play. He was named MVP of the game.
• Applebee's Flapjack Fundraiser to support the Mason County Lady Royals basketball team is Saturday from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. You need a ticket from a player or coach before the event.