Hall of Fame
Being California’s all-time leading scorer with 1,924 points and all-time leading rebounder 1,052 boards is quite an accomplishment. And Joe Miller, a member of the second class of Cal’s Athletic Hall of Fame, understands how much work he had to do to get there.
Miller didn’t plan on attending a Division II school like Cal, but circumstances that he could not have controlled brought him here.
“A lot of Division I schools (Maryland, Virginia, James Madison and George Mason) were looking at me, but I did nothing in high school but goof off so my grades weren’t real good,” Miller said. “Rather than go to a junior college, I decided to go to a Division II school, and with all of the ones that I looked at, Cal interested me the most.
“It was a chance to get away from Virginia Beach where all of my troubled friends were. Actually, I went up there before my senior year for a Metro Index camp,” he continued. “I got to see the school and meet Coach (Phil) Stewart. I just really liked it up there and thought that it would be a good place for me.
Miller went on to explain that he scored over 1,000 on his SAT’s but that his grade point average, under a 2.0, hurt him.
Miller only played basketball in high school at Princess Anne, where he earned himself first-team all-beach district honors and got to play in the Virginia High School All-star game.
At that point in time, Miller didn’t know whether he wanted to go to a junior college or a Division II school, but he said that in the long run he made the best decision.
“I went and visited a junior college in Florida. I decided that rather than go to a junior college for two years, where anything could have happened, then go to a Division I school, I would just go Division II,” Miller explained. “Cal was a pretty good program as far as I could see, and I liked the people. So, it came down to the Cal and the junior college, and I decided on Cal.”
Miller continued his incredible playing abilities at Cal and received many awards and honors for his skills. He was a two-time all-PSAC selection, the PSAC player of the year in 1989, a first team all-ECAC pick in 1989, an all-East player, team MVP and an all-American to name a few.
During Miller’s senior season, he led the entire PSAC in scoring and was seventh overall in the nation, according to the NCAA News. He finished his career averaging 17.2 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.
Miller also had the opportunity to be a starter on the 1987 PSAC-West title team and the 1988 PSAC state championship team. He was four-year starter for the Vulcans.
“I expected it (to start as a freshman), but I had too much of an ego, which probably hurt a lot of my play as a freshman. Like I said, I was recruited by a lot of bigger schools, and I thought that coming into a Division II school that I would be the star immediately,” Miller said.
“It didn’t turn out that way. I found out that there were still a lot of great players in Division II. I was just fortunate enough to be a role player and start as a freshman,” he continued.
For his first three years, Miller said that he was a role player behind Cliff Mitchell, a first-team all-conference selection, and Dana Zajicek and Daryl Norfleet, who were both first-team all-conference players.
Miller also said that his role was never primarily to score until he was a senior because “we always had great players.” Holding the scoring record for someone who wasn’t the primary scorer on the team is an incredible statistic.
Miller believes that the turning point for the Vulcans came when Coach Loomis went to Penn State and Coach Jim Boone took over.
“It really hurt me because I thought when I signed at Cal that I was going to play for him (Loomis). I had thoughts of just giving up basketball because I didn’t know what kind of a coach Boone would end up being,” Miller explained.
“But I think with Boone coming to Cal, that was the best thing for me, my teammates and the program. That was when the program really turned around,” he continued.
Miller went on to explain, “I would say that by far, Boone is the best motivator and the best coach that I have ever had the opportunity to play for, and he is a great person. He made me a better basketball playe., I also became a better person under Coach Boone because he wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Miller now spends his time back home in Virginia Beach with his wife Elizabeth. He is into private real estate investments and buys and sells foreclosed properties. He also spends his time taking care of his ten month old daughter Ariel.
When he found out about being inducted into the hall of fame, he didn’t believe it because he didn’t know that Cal had one.
“I figured that I had just finished playing in 1989, and I didn’t believe it because of that too. I had to hear it from someone else before I could believe it, “Miller explained. “I am very, very happy about it, but I would have never expected it.”
Miller wants people to remember him as someone who always gave 110 percent to his coach, teammates and university.
“Cal was a great experience for me and was four years that I will never forget. It made me a much better person even outside of athletics,” Miller said.
Joe Miller was a four-year starting post-player from 1985 through 1989. A model of consistency and durability, he finished his career as Cal's all-time leading scorer and all-time leading rebounder with 1,924 points and 1,052 rebounds. He is the only Vulcan in history to score more than 1,000 points and pull down over 1,000 rebounds. He was a three-time All-PSAC selection who helped the Vulcans win consecutive PSAC-West titles in 1987 and 1988 and the PSAC state title in 1988. Miller led all players with a 24-point, 13-rebound effort in Cal's 73-64 victory over Kutztown in the 1988 PSAC "State Game." As a senior, Miller averaged 24.6 points and 11.1 rebounds a game while shooting nearly 55% from the floor. At season's end, Miller received a plethora of post-season honors, including 1989 PSAC-West Player of the Year, 1989 first-team All-ECAC, and 1989 NABC All-American. He finished with career averages of 17.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 72.3% from the foul line and 51.9% field goal percentage. He helped the 1987-88 Vulcans compile a 25-6 overall record, the school's best single-season record in history to that point.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and graduate of Princess Anne High School, Miller, who played professional basketball both overseas and in the U.S., still resides in Virginia Beach where he is a private real estate investor.
