The Houston (Tennessee) high school boys’ basketball team, who is head coached by South Dakota native Mike Miller is coming back to his home state this week to play against two teams from the Mt. Rushmore State.
On Friday, the Mustangs will play at the Corn Palace in Mitchell against Lower Brule and on Saturday they’ll play Brandon Valley at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.
In an interview with the Mitchell Daily Republic, Hoop City Classic Director Ernie Kuyper said it was nice that it worked out for Houston (Tenn.) to come, despite the Hoop City Classic event, which was scheduled to take place in Mitchell in Sioux Falls at the end of December, being canceled.
Houston (Tenn.) first locked in a game with Brandon Valley at the Pentagon, but were then looking for an opponent for the night before in Mitchell.
“It just worked out beautifully, because Lower Brule had a game open and they responded to us,” Kuyper explained. “I just emailed them and said ‘hey, would you guys like to play at the Palace?’ Obviously, we would love it if we could play a game at the Palace for obvious reasons with Mike [Miller] and our ties there.”
This past July, Miller took the head boys basketball coaching job at Houston (Tenn.) high school after spending two seasons as an assistant coach for the University of Memphis. Miller has two boys of his own who also play for the team. Mason Miller, a senior, has already committed to Creighton, and Maverick, who is a sophomore, is also on the squad.
Mike Miller is no stranger to the Corn Palace as he grew up in Mitchell and led the Kernels to a pair of ‘AA’ basketball championships during his time in high school. While playing under South Dakota high school hoops legend Gary Munsen, Miller was also a three-time first team all-state player. He would go on to play college ball at the University of Florida and in 2000 was the No. 5 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Throughout his pro career, Miller played for seven teams over the span of seventeen years. He was an NBA Rookie of the Year (2001), a Sixth Man of the Year (2006), and a two-time NBA champion (2012 and 2013 – Miami Heat).
The Houston (Tenn.) boys basketball team is currently ranked No. 2 in Tennessee’s 3A Class. Last season, the Mustangs won their district championship and were set to make their first state tournament appearance in program history until it was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Friday’s game between Houston (Tenn.) and Lower Brule (Corn Palace) is scheduled for 6 pm CT, and Saturday’s game between Houston (Tenn.) and Brandon Valley (Sanford Pentagon) is set for a 4 pm CT tip.
