What’s up with Darius Miller?

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Photo by Helena Hau.

Update: There were internet rumors last night that Miller had left the team, but UK insists that’s not true. By some reports, Miller did appear visibly upset on the bench near the end of Monday night’s game. There was also talk that he returned home to Maysville on Tuesday, but remember it is Christmas break, and school is not in session at UK. Below is my post from yesterday:

Another update.

In his last two games, UK’s Darius Miller has played just 17 minutes and scored all of two points. Not exactly Mr. Basketball type numbers, or blue-chip recruit type numbers. But the former Mason County star is a freshman, who appears to be encountering the usual rookie struggled.

Asked Billy Gillispie about Miller after UK’s win over Central Michigan last night:

His attitude is great. He’s probably too good a kid, and I don’t mean kid in any kind of derogatory – I guess some people take offense to that. There’s not a better person that I’ve ever been around. He’s probably too respectful to his teammates, and that’s a pretty nice compliment for saying something that he could improve on. He’s got to be more competitive, and he’s got to go and take something from somebody. But I think he’s just going through a tough time right now. He’s probably not reacting naturally, and he is a very, very intelligent basketball player, he’s a very gifted player. He’s one of the most important players on our team, in my opinion, as we move forward. We just have to be a little bit more aggressive on defense. But I’m not concerned about long-term or anything like that. I’d be surprised if he didn’t play greater next time out. He just defers to people a little bit too much. I think that’s because of his niceness. He’s the best person you’ve ever been around – yes, sir; no, sir; no matter what, great teammate. But we need to get him going.

Here is Miller’s last four games: