re: Tide Hoops | 31-6 (16-2)

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Practice runs along — and we do mean run because, at Alabama, there is not much idling in two hours of a January afternoon work session — and nothing extraordinary happens. It’s almost easy to lose Brandon Miller in the red blur of action and effort.

Until.

Until during an otherwise innocuous drill, the freshman gets the ball at the top of the key. Crosses over to his right, crosses over to his left with a little head bob and zips to the rim, leaving defenders flat-footed in his wake.

Until during defensive work against the scout team that is not going terribly well for the red team, Miller forces a turnover with quick hands, follows it up with a block at the rim, and then forces another turnover in the lane.

Until a few minutes later, he dribbles and fakes a stepback for a 3. No one bites on the move. So he does it again with a little more sizzle, and this time, there’s just a fraction of a nibble, a brief enough hesitation that allows Miller to find a few inches of clarity. Swish.

Until, on the very next possession, after a scout team turnover, Miller flies down again and squares up for a transition 3.

As he launches, someone in the gym yells, “Here comes another one,” and a manager sitting courtside mutters, “Boom,” calling the make with the same arrogance Jay Wright used on Kris Jenkins’ national championship-winner in 2016.

Because, as it turns out, everyone in the gym is that certain when it comes to Brandon Miller.

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Yet Oats credits Alabama’s turnaround to Miller’s approach to the game as much as his ability. Oats believes last year got away from the Tide because they lacked leadership and cohesiveness, and even more because a few players worried more about their own stock than the team’s.

Miller is blissfully disinterested in all of it. He admits he’s dreamed about the draft, but is decidedly not tunnel-visioned about it. Asked how he’d spend his first paycheck, he hems and haws. He already bought his dream car with an NIL deal. A big fan of muscle cars, he tools around campus in a souped-up 2022 Dodge Charger, purple, tricked out with speakers and lights. It’s maybe the only time Miller begs to be noticed. “I mean I’ll sign autographs, or whatever,’’ he says, “but I’d rather just talk to someone. Be me, you know?” Me in this case being the player who drove the hour to Birmingham uninvited to hang out with the managers at a TopGolf outing, and who likes to snap a selfie with Saban every time he sees him.

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