Paper #2 draft 1

Shane Hennen

Paper #2

Ross Fugslang

October 7^th 2012

A True Leader

Trent Miller has accomplished many things on the basketball court, but the most important accomplishment seems to be the man that he has turned into off the court. Depending on where you first meet Trent, you will see both sides of his personality. Off the court you will be introduced to a well-spoken, generous man that seems to put peoples needs before his own. On the court, Miller quickly turns into a focused, intimidating leader. Trent seems to have a high motor that never seems to stop running. Either way you will be glad you met him.

Trent choose Morningside because he was treated very well here and the team was successful in the past years. As any normal kid, he faced new challenges in his life when he moved off to college, but Trent wasn’t just a normal kid going to school. Trent came to Morningside College not only to get a good education but to play basketball as well. The percentage of kids that get to play collegiate sports is low, but the percentage of kids that get play collegiate sports and get playing time their freshman year is even lower. Trent Miller was one of those kids talented enough to do so. One goal he focused on was “making varsity and trying to contribute.” This seems like a hard task to accomplish but he achieved it by outworking others around him. The biggest challenge he faced his first year was his time management off the court and the physicality of play on the court. By hanging out with people that had similar goals as him and listening to upper classman these challenges got easier. Millers freshman year, the team went 12-18. He played in 16 of those games and got around eight minutes a game.  “My freshman year was a blast, I met most of my closest friends and was able to play varsity.” With a successful year behind him, he was now looking forward to become a better player and take on new roles.

The next two years for Trent brought new goals and more accomplishments. Trent was voted captain of his team his sophomore and junior year and became the everyday starting point guard. This was one of his goals after his first year. Taking on this responsibility as a sophomore can bring a lot of duties and obligations but he handled it like any coach would want a player to. His sophomore year the team improved to 15-17. This wasn’t easy said Miller, “ My sophomore year was a tough year, we were a young team so we took some bumps.” Off the court his academic workload was increasing and continued to increase his junior year. The determined, hard working student athlete overcame these challenges and during his sophomore and junior year became one of the leaders in steals and assists in Morningside history and also managed to achieve a high grade point average. He also was voted defensive player of the year by his teammates, as well as making the All Conference Second Team. Trent got his team ranked all the way up to 15^th in the nation during his junior year. This was the highest the Mustangs have been ranked since Miller came to Morningside.

Trent did not accomplish everything he wanted to his junior year. The team did improve their record to 18 win with 13 losses but came up short in the playoffs with a first round loss. Getting kicked out of the playoffs left Miller hungry to get better and to improve his team’s chances at winning as this coming season will be his last. He continued to work hard during the off-season like every year and is once again very focused on his new goals. Miller wants to help his team reach the national tournament, win the GPAC conference, be the best point guard in the conference and graduate in May with a degree in biology with a minor in Spanish. Trent is excited about the personnel on the team as he said “I believe we have as much talent as any team in the GPAC, I firmly believe that our team chemistry will give us an edge.”

No matter how the team turns out this year Trent Miller will have a bright future ahead of him. He has been a role model for many of the players at Morningside and will continue to be that type of person throughout his life.  Trent’s back up Stephen O’Neill said this about Trent, “Trent knows the game better than anyone I’ve seen. He’s a great role model by doing the right thing on and off the court. He just doesn’t let people down, he always gives 100% in whatever he does.” His drive and will to work hard at everything he does has gotten him far and will continue to do so.