Showcase Q&A: Central-Southeastern’s Miller discusses West Point, pilot’s license and Netflix
The fourth annual Muddy River Showcase takes place June 21 at John Wood Community College’s Student Activity Center. The girls game will tip at 2 p.m. with the boys game to follow at 4 p.m. General admission is $10.
CAMP POINT, Ill. — Mason Miller’s decision to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point made a lasting impact on his younger sister.
She even contemplated following in his footsteps.
“I talked with the Army women’s basketball coach,” said recent Camp Point Central graduate Lauren Miller, a first-team all-state forward last winter for the Central-Southeastern girls basketball team. “I looked at the Naval Academy, too.”
Ultimately, she decided to sign with SIU-Edwardsville and is currently spending the summer working out with the Cougars. But the interest in the armed forces and her brother’s progress from plebe to firstie has never waned.
“It’s something you have to be really sure you want to do,” Miller said. “It’s nine years of your life you’re making a commitment for. If I’m really wanting to do it after this first year, I’ll come back to it. Right now, I’m really happy here and I love watching Mason succeed.”
She even has a backup plan so she gets a small taste of one aspect of military life.
“My dad and I want to get our pilot’s licenses,” Miller said.
Until then, she’ll keep her focus on basketball and academics.
Miller chatted with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman about her college experience, her impressions of West Point and what to binge watch on Netflix for this Muddy River Showcase Q&A.
Q: So you want to get your pilot’s license. Why?
A: My dad and I have been talking about it for a little while. SIUE doesn’t offer it. Maybe one day we’ll get it and maybe invest in a plane or not. I don’t know. Planes are pretty expensive. It’s definitely something I’ve wanted to do and that’s to be a pilot.
Q: What got you interested in that?
A: Probably when we went to an air show two years ago in Chesterfield. It was so cool. My dad has always had a fascination with planes. Both he and Mason do. If you see a plane in the sky, they both can point it out and tell you everything it does. It’s insane they have so much knowledge about things like that. But it goes back to my dad and his interest in planes. I just kind of follow his footsteps. Anything he’s interested in, I get interested in, too.
Q: How proud of him are you to see your big brother thriving and wanting to serve his country?
A: It’s been such an incredible thing. I know for him the process has been crazy. For me and my family, it’s incredible. I just get choked up over it honestly, just how proud I am of him and everything he does each day. It brings me so much inspiration. I could not be prouder of him and I miss him so much.
Q: When you first visited West Point, what was that experience like?
A: You can’t even put it into words. The views are breath-taking, just how pretty the campus is. You see these men and women and everyone wanting to serve our country and you have the utmost respect for them and everything they go through each day. The courageous, selfless act of defending our country. Everything they do there is so hard and difficult that it makes your life and your problems feel a little smaller. I’ll think I had a hard day, then I’ll hear how his day went and I’m like, “All right, maybe my day wasn’t so hard. Maybe I should put my head down and get through it.” It’s incredible there and an inspiration.
Q: It appears he’s able to stay in touch, right?
A: We get so many pictures from Mason. Right now, he’s in what they call cadet field training, which is kind of like basic training again. He doesn’t have his phone very much, but he’s been sending us photos here and there. We follow about every West Point page you can think of to try to sneak some pictures of him here or there. I know he usually has some camo face paint on. I know they just did some marine water training. He loves it. He loves the military stuff. The academics are very difficult, but he’s such a smart kid and he needs to give himself some grace here and there. He’s grown up around it. He and my dad are hunters and big shooting guys. My dad is a huge military buff. We’ve learned so much about it and I’ve learned so much about it through Mason’s process.
Q: As a multi-sport athlete, do you ever take a day off?
A: Yeah, I do. It’s definitely busy being a three-sport athlete. It’s given me all these positive relationships and friendships. There are so many things you can practice on and take your mind off of things. It’s a lot at one time. It’s pretty busy, but also I’ve known nothing different. I enjoy doing different things, learning different things and pushing myself. I’m trying to be the best I can be in each sport that I play.
Q: When you take a day off, what do you do for fun?
A: I enjoy running errands with my mom. Anytime we’re in Quincy, we usually go get lunch. I do like to go get my nails done. If I’m just chilling at home, I like to cook sometimes and just watch Netflix. I’m a big show watcher. I can binge watch some shows for sure.
Q: What’s the best show you’ve binged on Netflix?
A: Well, my favorite show of all-time is “The Office” and I’ve watched that countless times. “Suits,” which I think is nine seasons, is one I watched pretty quickly. My friend and I both got pretty hooked on it. Mason watched it before me and told me I should watch it.
Q: You mentioned coming to Quincy with your mom. Do you have a favorite restaurant to visit for lunch?
A: We like Thyme Square. Either there or Kelly’s. I think Kelly’s is underrated. I really like Kelly’s.
Q: You’re already on campus at SIUE. What are you looking forward to most about college basketball?
A: Being in a position where I can really push myself. There are going to be a lot of days that are really difficult and it might seem like I can’t do anything right or I’m behind. But I think I’m going to be able to push myself to another level. There are people here who will push me a lot more because of the competitiveness, the skill level and all that stuff. You’re at a different level here and everyone is super competitive, has the same goals and has the same like-minded love for basketball. They know the hard work that it takes. Being surrounded by those people is going to push me to another level.
Q: Do you know what you want to study at SIUE?
A: Right now, I’m in exercise science. I wanted to be a PT for a while, but I’m not really looking to go to medical school. So I could see that changing. But I’m probably going to stick to the health sciences department. I really like the medical field. Being able to help others is what I’ve had my mind set on for quite a while. I took an accounting class this year and I really enjoyed it. I really like math, so I could possibly switch it to finance or something like that. I don’t have a clean answer for that.
Q: What are you looking forward to about playing in the Showcase?
A: Just playing with some girls I haven’t played with before, some former AAU teammates and being around the community, not really one last time, but having everybody there is going to be really nice. It will feel like high school once again almost, although those really intense environments are something special to be a part of.
Q: And one last time to play for Central-Southeastern coach Matt Long, right?
A: Oh, yes, I’m looking forward to that.
Q: What’s the best way to describe playing for Coach Long?
A: A lot of the stuff you don’t know why, in the moment, he does things, and you can kind of have mixed feelings about it. Then, especially from freshman year to senior year, you understand why he does things. I did not understand that one bit when I was a freshman. He puts intention behind everything he does. He’s one of the most intentional people I have ever met. He does everything with a purpose. You might not understand that at the time, but he will show the true purpose to you when the time comes. It definitely pays off.
Q: You played in front of a great fanbase. What did that support mean to the team?
A: It makes playing a little bit easier. When you have fans that really get into it, the crowd boosts your morale and gives you energy. It gets you into the game more. It’s kind of a motivation factor, too. You want to play good for the fans so they keep coming back. You want them to be involved and invested in the game, too, so you want to perform well. You want them to say, “Hey, let’s go watch the girls basketball game tonight.”
Q: You were a fan as well, especially as part of the end zone crew at football games. How much fun was that?
A: It’s a lot of fun. I was supporting Mason and Elijah (Genenbacher, her boyfriend) throughout my high school career. Just being there, you’d see more and more girls joining us. We had that end zone that you’d see pictures of. It creates a neat little group, and everyone wants to see each other succeed and support the school. The football team has had a lot of success, so you want to go and keep rooting them on.
Q: Does having a boyfriend who is going to be a college athlete help you push each other?
A: Definitely. We keep each other accountable, but we’re also there to support each other on our hard days. As athletes, we understand you’re going to have difficult days and days where you’re just not feeling it. Being there for each other is super important.
Q: It comes back to being in a Camp Point community filled with great families and great people, doesn’t it?
A: Our community is amazing. All of my classmates, I have nothing but good things to say about them. Great families, always supportive. Anytime I see someone at the grocery store or anywhere, they’re super supportive, super nice.
Check out more of the Muddy River Showcase Q&As at the links below:
Payson Seymour’s Blake Schwartz
South Shelby’s Callie McWilliams
West Hancock’s Lewis Siegfried
Miss Clipping Out Stories to Save for Later?
Click the Purchase Story button below to order a print of this story. We will print it for you on matte photo paper to keep forever.