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All-Area Hoops First Time
Rennie Leavitt
Kyle Miller Midway through his junior year, Kyle Miller hit an impasse with coach Cody Shelley. Criticism, or the acceptance of it, wasn't one of Miller's strong suits, and after some particularly harsh words, Miller had heard enough.
He marched out of film study and vowed he was done with the Century boys' basketball team. ''He was criticizing me pretty hard, and I took it the wrong way, and I just walked out,'' Miller recalled.
Teammates wanted him to come back, and after serving a brief suspension, Miller did so. A year later he averaged 16.4 points per game as a senior - including two games of 32 or more - and led Century to yet another state tournament appearance.
''It was his team, so to speak,'' Shelley said. ''He knew he was the man. He was the guy everybody knew about. When we needed something, the ball was going to go through him.'' Opponents schemed around him, and usually Miller faced double teams any time he caught the ball. But he knew what he had to do for Century to excel this season, and Miller realized other teams weren't going to let him beat them.
''It made me a lot better, because I had to work for every shot,'' he said. ''It made me a better teammate, too, and a better passer.'' Miller said he's been contacted by Big Sky schools Montana, Montana State and Portland State. He is also considering walking on at Idaho State.
He never won a state title, but he's not disappointed with his high school career. And though it wasn't the best way to learn the lesson of humility, Miller said he became a better player after storming out of film study. ''It was a turning point,'' he said. ''I matured a lot from there.''
Taysom Hill During his sophomore year, it was clear Taysom Hill possessed talent. He illustrated it on both the football field and the basketball court.
Yes, he was going to be good. But this good, just a year later? ''As an overall athlete,'' said senior teammate Taylor Tingey, ''he's as good as I've seen.''
After a junior football season that drew Pac-10 scouts' attention, Hill showed that his skills translated to basketball and led Highland in scoring at 15.0 points per game. His single-season scoring average ranks 14th in Highland history. He helped the Rams to a 22-3 finish, the most victories by a Highland boys' basketball team since 1975-76 and the third-most ever. At the state tournament, Highland finished third. It beat two teams from the Treasure Valley, and Hill scored 19, 24 and 10 points in those three games and grabbed a total of 25 rebounds. Hill isn't a prototypical post in the context of college basketball - not like he projects as a football player - but he is unbelievably strong, Tingey said. ''The big thing is that he just got bigger,'' Tingey said. ''He hit the weight room hard ... and he learned to use his body.'' Hill still has another year to get better - and another year to chase the state title that eluded the Rams this season. ''When we put him down low, nobody could stop him,'' said Highland senior Rennie Leavitt. ''He can jump, and he's so strong. He kept getting better every day, and I didn't know when it was going to stop. It obviously hasn't yet.'' David Bingham At 6-foot-3, David Bingham knows he can't be a post player in college. But at West Side, he sure did dominate down low. On a team that didn't so much fight the urge to shoot 3's as realize it couldn't do so well enough to win, Bingham stayed busy near the basket. As a senior he averaged 12 points per game, scored 22 points in the state title game and helped the Pirates to back-to-back runner-up finishes at 2A state. ''He could dominate a game when he was on,'' said West Side coach Tyler Brown, ''and when he was on his game, we were tough to beat.'' Article RatingReader CommentsSubmit a CommentCommenting RulesWe encourage your feedback and dialog. All comments are subject to deletion by our Web staff.
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