July 14, 2015

Point Guard Andre Miller Signs with Division II-Level Chadron State

Point guard Andre Miller has become the fourth Allan Hancock College men's basketball player to sign a scholarship with a four-year university in the last two months. Miller has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Chadron State, a Division II-program in northwest Nebraska.

"Andre has persevered and succeeded both on and off the court," said third-year head coach Tyson Aye. "He has been with me since my first day at Hancock. I have no doubt he will succeed at Chadron State."

Miller was an All-Western State Conference First Team selection during the 2014-15 season for the co-champion Bulldogs. He played in all 26 games and averaged 8.5 points, 3.2 assists and a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game. Miller also led the team with a 78.6 free throw percentage, and drained 38.6 percent of his shots form three-point range. As a freshman, Miller led the conference by averaging 5.4 assists per game.

"For two years, I have never had to worry about the point guard position," said Aye. "He is always looking to set up his teammates and is a very unselfish player. His teammates at Chadron State will appreciate his ability to share the ball and create scoring opportunities. Andre can also hit shots when they matter the most."

Miller played 56 games over two seasons for Hancock, and averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He also made 39.5 percent from three-point territory (36 for 91), and shot 77.6 percent from the free-throw line (187 for 241) in his career.

Aye said Miller will have a chance to play right away for the Eagles. The Eagles are a Division II program that competes in the Rocky Mountain Athleic Conference Last season, Chadron State finished 7-19 under ninth-year head coach Brent Bargen, who has also served as a Division I-level assistant coach at Kansas State and Long Beach State.

He joins Alioune Tew (Niagara University), Kadeem Minor (University of Antelope Valley) and Rijo Jackson (Northland College) as former Hancock men's basketball players who have signed with four-year programs since the 2014-15 season ended. Last year, Hancock sophomores Joshua Varney (Peru State) and Yuki Yashiro (Bethany College) signed with four-year colleges.

"We try to run a program that mirrors what it's like at a four-year university to prepare our student-athletes," added Aye. "We stress academics, skill development, as well as strength and conditioning."

Miller plans to enter the pre-law program at Chadron State.