Basketball keeps taking the Miller family places

The Millers embarked upon their first state tournament trip in a whirlwind of jubilation.

The scene was almost overwhelming as they walked through a packed gymnasium filled with eager fans clamoring for their basketball team to come back home with a state championship trophy.

“That whole journey is probably something I'll remember the rest of my life,” Zach Miller said. “It was one of those feelings I'll never forget.”

That feeling came 11 years ago when Zach was a wide-eyed 7-year-old and his father, Scott, was in just his third season as a head basketball coach at Plano. As much as things changed in the past decade, they've also stayed remarkably the same.

The father-son duo longs to enjoy that feeling again, only now Scott is coaching his son as Glenbard East pursues the same monumental achievement. The bond already is strong between the two, but their immense love of basketball makes it that much stronger.

“I think it's been a great experience for both of us,” Scott Miller said. “I think it's brought us closer together.”

Scott began immersing his only son into the world of basketball as a 1-year-old, and even at that young age Zach knew not to cross over the purple lines on Plano's home court. Before long, though, Zach became more and more involved with the program — especially with the 1999 Reapers team that finished fourth in Class A.

When the family, including Scott's wife, Lisa, and their younger daughter Aly, moved to DuPage County the following season, the atmosphere differed greatly.

“Zach saw firsthand how tough it was to win when we got here,” Scott Miller said. “Then he saw us turn it around and he understood what it takes to win games and become a great player.”

As Zach Miller rose through the ranks of the Future Rams program created by his father, Glenbard East won three straight regional titles and two DuPage Valley Conference crowns while establishing itself as a program on the rise.

Zach entered Glenbard East as a freshman in 2007, and injuries soon forced Scott Miller into a difficult coaching decision. Should he promote his own son to varsity to fill the void?

He did, and Zach's been a fixture for the Rams at point guard ever since. Now a senior, he's become the program's record-holder for career wins by a player, he's surpassed the 1,000-point mark and he holds every assist record at the school.

The Rams won the DVC title with an unbeaten record last year, and they're on pace to repeat the feat. Despite a rugged playoff field that includes an unbeaten Benet squad that already beat them, the Rams (18-3, 10-0) are hoping to improve upon last season's regional title and claim the Class 4A East Aurora sectional crown.

The Millers' top goal, of course, is to reach Peoria. Not only as father and son, but as coach and player.

It's a relationship that became a little more complicated because of the latter, but both agree it's been a great experience.

“I give him a lot of credit,” Zach said. “He's been really good about balancing being a coach and a dad. We're really close and we're around each other every day, but it's been good.”

That's not to say they haven't had their disagreements. Scott Miller still remembers chewing out Zach as a sophomore as the two drove home together following a disappointing loss.

“The next morning I apologized to him, and since then we've kind of created a 24-hour rule where we don't talk about the game unless we both want to,” Scott Miller said. “I just felt like I crossed the line and it was a lesson learned not to let that happen again.”

The two admit a large chunk of each day is spent with basketball, and it's helped plant the coaching bug in Zach. He'd like to follow in his father's footsteps and become a teacher and basketball coach.

Scott Miller believes Zach would make a great coach because of his innate anticipation of every move on the court. Zach's best attribute, his father says, is his uncanny ability to know where each of the other nine players are at any given time.

His high basketball IQ is one of the reasons Zach overcame any perceived notions that, at 5-foot-9, he might not be tall enough to be a Division I-caliber college player. In June Zach accepted a scholarship to play at Northern Illinois University.

It turned out to be the perfect fit for Zach, who wanted to stay close to home so his family could see him play. It was equally important for his father, who said he was prepared to walk away from coaching if Zach chose to play his college ball farther away.

Despite Scott Miller's own love of the game, the chance to watch his son play supersedes his own desire to coach.

“I was fully prepared to give up coaching,” Scott Miller said. “It's a fleeting moment, and I can't imagine not seeing him play.”

With the playoffs in sight, there will be many more chances to see Zach play in a Glenbard East uniform. As the Rams attempt another deep postseason run, the Millers will try to fulfill a downstate dream that's been 11 years in the making.

“That's been our goal for so long,” Zach said. “If it happened it'd be an incredible experience.”