[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4661-4662]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        LEADERSHIP OF SOUTH DAKOTA BASKETBALL GREAT MIKE MILLER

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, it is a great honor for me to represent 
the people of South Dakota in the United States Senate. They are the 
best resource in a state with an infinite number of tremendous 
attributes, and the best part of my job is getting to know and work 
with them on a daily basis.
  I have often stood before my colleagues here in the Senate to 
recognize the accomplishments of South Dakotans. Many times, the names 
sound unfamiliar to those in this chamber. Today, however, I want to 
congratulate a young man who made the country stand up and take 
notice--and who showed the country how we play basketball in South 
Dakota. His name is Mike Miller, and, as every college basketball fan 
knows, he recently led the Florida Gators to the NCAA Division I 
National Championship basketball game. Although the Gators fell in a 
hard fought battle to the Michigan State Spartans, anyone who saw that 
game knows that Mike Miller is a very special basketball player.
  Mike was named Most Outstanding Player in his region for the 
tournament. That is a tremendous feat for

[[Page 4662]]

any college player and was made possible only because Mike's last-
second shot against Butler advanced Florida and kept his team's hopes 
of reaching the championship game alive. His clutch play continued in 
every game of the tournament, making it easy to see why Mike was named 
the best player in his region. Remarkably, Mike did all of this as just 
a sophomore.
  Mike Miller is from Mitchell--a leader in South Dakota high school 
basketball--and as a Kernel he played under the legendary Gary Munsen. 
Mike started learning about the game of basketball long before he got 
to high school, however. His uncle, Dakota Wesleyan great Alan Miller, 
is the all-time leading college scorer in South Dakota. And Mike's 
older brother Ryan, who played for Northern State, currently plays 
professionally in Australia. The Millers are a big part of the reason 
that growing up in Mitchell means growing up around basketball.
  In a time when too many athletes seem to be more concerned with 
individual statistics than playing as a team, when the bottom line 
seems to matter more to some professionals than the love of the game, 
it's refreshing to see someone like Mike Miller on the court. Through 
the course of the tournament and the championship game in Indianapolis, 
Mike showed his opponents and the country how basketball is played in 
South Dakota--and how it should be played everywhere else. His 
unselfish play makes the players around him better; he has an uncanny 
ability to step up his game during crunch time; and he never stops 
working to improve. That's what he learned in Mitchell--that's what he 
learned in South Dakota--and that's what he's showing the college 
basketball world.
  Although the Gators fell a few points shy the other night in Indiana, 
Mike Miller made us proud in South Dakota. He proved to the country 
what those at the Corn Palace and at Mitchell High already know--that 
Mike Miller is a champion. We are very proud to call him one of our 
own.
  Let me, of course, congratulate the Michigan State Spartans and the 
University of Connecticut Huskies women's team for their championship 
seasons. But, on behalf of everyone who cheered for him, I would also 
like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mike, his team and his 
parents--Tom and Sheryl Miller of Mitchell--for the incredible run the 
Florida Gators had this season. It was fun to watch, and I know we all 
look forward to seeing more of Mike Miller in the years to come.

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