High School Sports

Talking sports with … East guard Moses Miller

Moses Miller is a 6-foot-1 senior guard for the East boys basketball team. He led the Thunderbirds to a championship win over Dimond in the Dimond Prep Shootout last week.

Q. "Moses" is a unique name. Do your friends ever joke around with you about it?

A. All the time. All the time. With the whole Red Sea thing, every time something pops up, they're like, 'Oh, so you parted the Red Sea.' I get that a lot from teachers too.

Q. How old were you when you could first dunk a basketball?

A. I got my first little dunk about my sophomore year and then my junior year I started to jump pretty high, but I didn't know quite how to hold the ball when I got in the air. Over the summer is when I really started to easily put it down.

Q. When was your first dunk in a game?

A. My first in-game dunk was against Barrow this year in our home opener. They threw a lob pass and I came and grabbed it, and in my head I was like, 'There's no one (who's) gonna catch me.' I saw the hoop and I was like, 'I'm dunking this.'

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Q. Have you ever missed a dunk in a game?

A. Not quite yet. I'm 1-for-1 right now.

Q. Trey Huckabay is another good shooter for you guys this year. Do you guys ever do shooting contests against each other?

A. All the time. We're really competitive when we go to the gym because we grew up together from a young age playing on the same team. Me and him have always went at it, whether it was going 1-on-1 outside the house on the hoop, or going to the gym and just playing 1-on-1 or just playing HORSE.

Recently, we started getting into a game called 'peas in the pod.' It's a free-throw competition: if I make one, that's one, and then if he misses he gets one point. The first one to 10 loses. We battle each other in shooting all the time.

Q. You had a good tournament last week, getting MVP at the Dimond Prep Shootout. Do you consider yourself one of the leaders and go-to players on the team this year?

A. Yeah, I'm sort of a captain (so) when we fall apart, I try to be more vocal and keep us together 'cause we've got some young guys. I'd like to have the ball in my hand if it's the last few minutes, last few possessions.

Q. How would you describe your playing style?

A. Pass first. I like to set other teammates up, but I can score when needed, or when (I'm) open. But I don't like to be more aggressive to where it feels like I've been holding the ball too long. I like to get everybody to touch the ball a few times.

Q. You've made some big shots with games winding down. Do you have a favorite game-ending moment in your career so far?

A. Last year, in our season opener, I hit the game-winning 3 against West. I also hit the game-tying 3 against South to send it to overtime. Those two are really big moments for me.

Q. How does it feel when you do something like that?

A. It feels good 'cause the team trusts you to take that shot, and when you (make) the shot, you get a good feeling … They put their trust in me and I did it for them, so it feels good.

Q. What goes through your head in tense moments like those at the end of close games?

A. I just imagine the ball going in. Not a lot going through my head at all. If I get a look at the rim before I shoot, I imagine the ball going in, and it's just, like, a regular shot.

Q. Do you have any solo routines that you do to become a better shooter?

A. The South shot, when I did a little floater, a lot of people thought that was a lucky shot, but I do that a lot actually (laughs). If you see me at open gyms, I'll just come down, mess around, sprint down the court and throw it up with one hand.

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I'll be at the gym counting down (a fake clock) in my head and practice shots like that. You never know when a situation is going to happen and you only have one hand to throw the ball up with. A lot of people think it's goofy, but it helps.

Q. Speaking of goofy shots, do you have a favorite trick shot for games of HORSE?

A. I like to throw it behind my back at the 3-point line. I can bank it in or sometimes it just drops in.

Q. Is there anything else you want to share about yourself or your team?

A. I feel like we're underrated this year. I feel like getting these two (recent) wins against Dimond really showed everybody 'don't sleep on us.' We have a lot of talent and we play really hard and we work really well together.

Portions of this interview were edited for length or clarity.

Stephan Wiebe

Stephan Wiebe writes about all things Alaska sports.

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