The United States Naval Academy extended its footprint into the Queen City Friday when Meridian senior Miles Miller announced his commitment to play basketball for the Midshipmen next season.

Miller, who held offers from 15 schools, took an unofficial visit to Annapolis, Maryland, last September, where he said he was blown away by the environment.

“My first impression was the difference from the other universities that I had visited,” Miller said. “The Naval Academy definitely brings its own type of environment. I got to interact with a couple of the other students, saw the campus, and I fell in love immediately.”

The Naval Academy, which competes in the Patriot League and counts former San Antonio Spurs star David Robinson among its basketball alumni, began recruiting Miller last summer. 

While Miller will compete for a Midshipmen team that went 20-12 and reached the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League tournament last season, he said the school’s main draw lies in its academic prestige.

“The setup for life after basketball,” Miller explained. “If you graduate from the Naval Academy, your whole life is going to be planned out for you. It’s just a great environment — a lifetime of support, and a great tradition to be a part of.”

Academically, Miller scored a 29 on the ACT and carries a 4.5 grade-point average. Athletically, he recently capped a senior basketball campaign where he averaged 17 points and four assists per game, and he was a member of Meridian’s 2017 6A championship team. 

He eagerly awaits the opportunity to continue his basketball career at the collegiate level.

“I’m ready for a new chapter in my life,” Miller said. “High school was great for me. It was definitely a great experience. I grew as a man, and I’m just ready to take the next step.”

Miles Miller’s father, Sherrod Miller, is the school administrator at Magnolia Middle School. The magnitude of the opportunity isn’t lost on him.  

“Just knowing that that school takes the best of the very best, and him having the opportunity to go and experience that, it’s just a blessing within itself,” Sherrod Miller said.