Darius Miller plans to give Mark Pope 'my full support' going into new era
Darius Miller‘s ties to the Kentucky men’s basketball program go beyond his playing days.
A Maysville native who attended Mason County High School and won Mr. Basketball, Miller was recruited to the Wildcats by Billy Gillispie and played his freshman season under the former head coach before spending the next three under John Calipari (including winning a national championship in 2012) and then enjoying a fruitful professional career that included multiple stops in the NBA.
It’s now been over a decade since Miller suited up in the blue and white, but the 2012 SEC Sixth Man of the Year won’t be leaving the Kentucky program behind any time soon. Staying true to his roots, he intends to help out new head coach Mark Pope in any way he’s needed.
“I’ve briefly gotten to chat with him and I’m excited. I’m giving him my full support for sure,” Miller said of Pope during The Basketball Tournament’s bracket at the Joe Craft Center reveal earlier this week. “Especially him being one of the guys, former player, won a championship. I know he knows the expectations and what’s expected in this program. So I’m just trying to be there to support him in any way that I can.“
Miller will make his return to Rupp Arena later this summer as the Director of Player Personnel on La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team in this year’s The Basketball Tournament. La Familia will be coached by Tyler Ulis and is headlined by some of the biggest names from the Calipari era at UK. Rupp Arena will host the Lexington Regional from July 19-23 as La Familia looks to make a run at the $1 million winner-takes-all grand prize.
Roaming the Rupp sidelines will be Miller, who understands the importance of having the backing of former players helping support the new era in Lexington.
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“I think it kinda helps to bridge the gap and to provide a little bit of comfort,” Miller added. “We’re just trying to be there and help with the small things.”
Some of those small things include La Familia practicing and scrimmaging against the 2024-25 edition of the Kentucky Wildcats, which is expected to happen ahead of the start of TBT. La Familia is also hosting a charity game at Tates Creek High School on July 13 where the players and coaches will sign autographs and take pictures with fans.
For Miller especially, he holds bigger ties to the state and the program than most Kentucky players of the last 15 years. It doesn’t matter who’s in charge of the team, he’s going to cheer them on regardless. It’s a bonus when the new head coach once played in the same jersey, too.
“With me being from here, I have a lot of pride in the program and just our performance,” Miller said. “I take a lot of pride in just being available, and being able to support them in any way. And that was the same way with Cal, too. Whenever he called me and I could pop out, I tried to. It’ll be the same with Coach Pope. Especially, like I said, with him being a former player, we all kinda look at it as like a brotherhood.”
Kentucky men’s basketball is in good hands heading into the new era.
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