Despite Scoring Record-Breaking 105 Points, Why Did Reggie Miller?s Sister Cheryl Never Play in the?WNBA?

The Miller name is linked to excellence in basketball history. While Reggie Miller may be well-known to NBA fans, his older sister, Cheryl Miller, made her own path in the game. In a 1982 game against Notre Vista High School, Miller established the single-game record with 105 points while representing Riverside (CA) Polytechnic High School. Following her high school playing days, she went on to play with the USC Trojans, bringing women’s basketball to the forefront of American sports. She has even represented the United States on the Olympic stage in 1984. Her list of accomplishments doesn’t stop here.

However, despite her impressive career, she never went pro. Why did Cheryl Miller never play in the WNBA?

Cheryl Miller set a historic record at the age of eighteen

Born in a competitive family, Cheryl was destined to command the floor. The Miller family was led by their father Saul, a jazz musician playing alongside the likes of Lione Hampton and Ike Turner. Darrell, Cheryl’s older brother, achieved success as a Major League Baseball catcher, while Reggie earned the moniker ‘Knick Killer’ in the NBA. And then there was Cheryl Miller, terrorizing the courts at Riverside Polytechnic High School.

Cheryl had only started Riverside Polytechnic High School in 1978, but she had already begun to swiftly grow into the height of her 6’2″ frame. She started for her team for four years and guided them to a 132-4 record while tallying 3,026 points, 1,353 rebounds and 368 assists. Cheryl even broke the scoring mark for the state by averaging 37.5 points per game.

She was the first female player to master the dunk, and that was what really made her stand out. She even outscored her brother one night.

Cheryl’s brother Reggie had a memorable night during the spring of her senior year when he scored 40 points in a game. The Hall Of Famer, Reggie Miller returned home bragging about it. However, little did he know that Cheryl had just completed something similarly remarkable.

The Lady Bears destroyed their opponents in a game against Riverside Norte Vista, winning 179-15. Cheryl Miller, who contributed a staggering 105 points in just one game, broke the previous record and was the overwhelming force behind this triumph.

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Her supremacy resulted in four All-American nods, four state titles and a plethora of additional honors. It was then time for her to move to the court of USC.

Cheryl Miller’s illustrious college career

When it came to colleges, Cheryl had little trouble finding ones pining for her talent. Nevertheless, she made the decision to join the Trojans, because USC was conveniently close to her Riverside home. Cheryl, a rookie starter, wasted no time in demonstrating her extraordinary abilities, guiding USC to a 31-2 record and a national championship in the 1982?83 season. She repeated this achievement the next year, winning MVP honors in both tournaments.

Cheryl was chosen to represent the USA National women’s basketball team during her second year at USC. Cheryl and her team rebounded to win a gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games following a defeat to the Soviet Union in the 1983 World Championships. The team’s success carried over to the William Jones Cup in early 1984, where Cheryl’s direction helped them to an undefeated 8-0 record. However, it was at the 1984 Olympics that her international career reached its apex, where she led the National Team to a gold medal.

Cheryl was named Sports Illustrated’s National Player of the Year as her star rose even further. With a career-high 814 points and outstanding field goal and free throw percentages, her senior year at USC in 1985?86 was undoubtedly her greatest. She finished her time with the Trojans with an incredible 3,018 points, 1,534 rebounds (third all-time in NCAA history), and 462 steals. Cheryl became a 4x time All-American who won the Wade Trophy in 1985 and the Naismith Player of the Year award from 1984 to 1986. Cheryl even shared the 1984 Honda Broderick Cup with swimmer Tracy Caulkins as the best collegiate athlete in any sport.

In 1986, USC retired her number 31 jersey, making her the first male or female basketball player in school history to acquire such a distinction.

The basketball career of Cheryl Miller continued after she graduated from college. Later, in 1986, she represented the United States on the women’s basketball team in the first Goodwill Games in Moscow, where she once again guided her team to victory by averaging 20.6 points per game and winning the gold medal. She maintained her dominant form at the 1986 World Championships, helping the National Team defeat Russia by 20 points in the gold medal match.

And then came the fateful day in 1986 when Cheryl Miller’s basketball career took a surprising turn. A casual pickup game at USC handed her a crushing blow. Her playing career was abruptly halted by a severe knee injury, placing her at a crossroads. She was even considered for professional leagues like the United States Basketball League, a league with an abundance of male players.? However, Cheryl Miller was not someone who could be simply defeated.

Cheryl Miller took on the role of a coach

Following her injury, Miller made the decision to impart her hoop knowledge rather than packing it in. She became an assistant coach for the USC women’s team and also worked as a TV analyst on the side. Miller took over as the USC women’s team’s head coach in 1993, and the team dominated the court with a 44-14 record and NCAA tournament berths.

Cheryl was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996 thanks to her skill as a coach. But don’t be fooled by her modesty; she was a dominant player in basketball. ?I wasn?t the greatest athlete, and I couldn?t jump out of the gym,?and I wasn?t an extraordinary ball handler,??Miller stated once. ?I was just someone who loved the game so very much and had a passion for sport and life.? This passion made her the first female commentator to call a nationally broadcast NBA game for Turner Sports.

In 1997, she heard the Phoenix Mercury calling. Cheryl then took on the role of their general manager and head coach. Her philosophy was straightforward: run quickly, play hard defense, and understand the game. The Mercury made it to the 1998 WNBA Finals, but they were unable to win the title. Following her stint in Phoenix, Cheryl worked as a basketball analyst for NBA TV and TNT Sports. But in 2014, she got the urge to coach again. She went back to coaching at Langston University in Oklahoma. She guided the team to a 48-12 record and berths in the national championship in just two years.

Her success as a coach earned her a position in 2016 with the California State, Los Angeles Golden Eagles. And Cheryl Miller continued to inspire and lead up until the 2020?21 season.

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Cheryl Miller’s tale name may not be as well-known as it once was. Nevertheless, she continues to inspire proving that sometimes, the most extraordinary thing happens when life throws you a curveball.

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