Cheryl Deann MILLER

Cheryl Miller was considered the greatest women’s basketball player of her era. She played at Southern Cal, was a three-time Naismith College Player of the Year, was a four-time All-American, and led the Lady Trojans to two NCAA titles in 1983-84. In 1986 Southern Cal retired her jersey, the first basketball jersey retired by the school, male or female. She is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame. Internationally Miller led US teams to gold medals at the 1983 Pan American Games, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and the 1986 Goodwill Games. In the late 1980s Miller sustained a serious knee injury which prevented her from playing professionally.

Miller was an assistant coach at USC from 1986-91 and was head coach there from 1993-95. She became a popular television commentator on basketball, both women and men, notably as a sideline reporter for the NBA on TNT Sports. She also coached the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA for four seasons, 1997-2000. Miller’s brother, Reggie Miller, was an All-Star player in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers, and another brother, Darrel Miller, was a major league baseball catcher.