Ever since picking up a basketball for the first time when she was four years old at a YMCA camp, Elizabeth Miller’s life has been shaped by the sport. She started competing in tournaments and games in the third grade and continued this into her sophomore year of high school. Miller also participated in a lot of coaching growing up both through club and high school.
“I never thought I was good enough to play in college,” Miller said, “then in my sophomore year of high school, I started to think that maybe it was going to be an opportunity that I’d have.”
Her dream however came to a halt during her junior year of high school. Tearing her ACL put playing basketball in college off the table in Miller’s mind. That, however, didn’t stop her from getting back to playing the sport that she loved, so she returned to the team her senior year, after she was deemed ready to play again.
Getting to know the players and seeing them have fun in their element has been the best.
— Elizabeth Miller
“During senior year, I had a really good year so [playing basketball in college] came back to me,” Miller said.
Miller played in an All-Star game after high school, an opportunity facilitated by a coach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The All-Star game was a chance for Miller and other recent high school graduates to show off their skills in a competitive game. Miller then became a preferred walk-on, meaning she was heavily recruited by the Madison coach but didn’t get any financial aid, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she majored in biology in addition to keeping up with basketball.
“I chose to go to Madison before I decided to play basketball,” Miller said, “so I still paid to go to school just like a regular student, but I was on the team. I played in the games, practiced, traveled and did everything you would normally do, but I just paid tuition.”
Being both a student and athlete was a full-time job for Miller, one she enjoyed more than she thought she would.
“It’s a lot and pushes you, but you spend a lot of time with your teammates, so it can be really fun,” Miller said. “I think the process itself was pretty tough and grueling, but it teaches you a lot of lessons, and at the end of the day you get to play basketball.”
We’d love to keep her here at McCallum because I think she can make a huge impact on a lot of young people’s lives.
— varsity head coach Carly Kehn
Miller ended up playing on the basketball team for a year before she switched to only playing club. She came to the realization her sophomore year because playing basketball didn’t allow her the time to get a degree in anything science-related. Growing up, Miller was surrounded by a lot of women in science and a very science-oriented household which pushed her into the S.T.E.M. field.
“My mom is a physical therapist and my two older sisters are both in the health field,” Miller said. “In high school, I had a great anatomy and physiology teacher and AP Bio teacher, and she solidified my interest in science.”
Coming out of college, Miller knew she wanted to continue doing something science-related while incorporating her knowledge of basketball. Playing basketball throughout her time in high school and college led to her finding her love for helping others.
“I loved coaching when I was in high school,” Miller said. “We would do a lot of youth clinics, and I always enjoyed having to run those and working with kids. After I stopped playing in college, I also helped coach a high school team. It led me into teaching because it’s a lot like coaching.”
When interviewing at McCallum, the school stuck out to Miller because of the science department, something she knew she wanted to pursue professionally, and also the availability of being a coach for the girls’ basketball team.
From there, Miller was introduced to the girls junior varsity coach Ivan Gonzalez, who put her in contact with the varsity coach, Carly Kehn.
Kehn quickly integrated Miller into the basketball program as an assistant coach who floated between all three teams.
“The first time we talked was nice because you could tell she had been around sports and athletics and had a lot of information,” Kehn said. “She’s helped out a ton on and off the court and built really good relationships with the kids.”
Both growing up in the Midwest, Miller and Kehn have grown up around similar views of basketball, which allows them to see the game through the same lens.
“It’s been nice because she can touch on something that I was just about to say or vice versa,” Kehn said. “She brings a lot of knowledge to the game that also matches our style of play.”
Kehn hopes to incorporate Miller more as a varsity assistant coach next season.
“She came in helping all teams, and I still want her to do that,” Kehn said. “She helped a ton especially on the varsity level, so I will probably have her be more of a varsity assistant going forward because it’s helpful to have those eyes.”
[Miller’s] really good at understanding who you are as a person and how you receive information.
— sophomore Amara Raab
Kehn hopes that Miller stays teaching and coaching because she’s made a big impact on many students’ lives in a short amount of time.
“I hope she doesn’t get out of coaching,” Kehn said. “We’d love to keep her here at McCallum because I think she can make a huge impact on a lot of young people’s lives. I hope she stays in coaching at least in some aspect or another because I think it’s something she’s really good at.”
Reflecting on her first season at McCallum, the team spirit and feeling of belonging stood out to Miller.
“The girls and coach that I work with are great,” Miller said. “We had a fun and successful year, which always contributes to a great season. Winning the playoff game was a lot of fun, but just getting to know the players and seeing them have fun in their element has been the best.”
Due to being both a teacher and a coach, Miller has some late nights as well as had to sacrifice classroom learning time for the court.
We have a big transition next year because we’re losing a lot of seniors, so I’m excited to build up the younger kids and help them grow and be ready to play varsity basketball.
— Elizabeth Miller
“I feel bad because I miss a lot of school during tournaments,” Miller said. “I feel guilty for not being in the classroom for my students, but it’s a balancing act, and my students do know I like to coach, and it’s also a part of my job.”
The kids and team surrounding Miller have made the transition to this dual-action job easier.
“The kids here are great and very respectful,” Miller said. “I taught eighth grade last year, so the transition to high school has also been really nice. My coworkers are also amazing. Ms. Sorto has helped me out tremendously, and just like all my coworkers, I love working with them. I feel like I have a strong team around me.”
For Raab, who has Miller as both a teacher and coach, there have been a lot of similarities between both her teaching and coaching styles.
“She’s really good at understanding who you are as a person and how you receive information,” Raab said. “She’s very in tune with how people receive information.”
One difference between the two for Raab is her coach’s voice on the court versus in the classroom.
“She can be pretty loud on the court but in the classroom, she doesn’t raise her voice that much,” Raab said, “but when she needs attention, she’s very good at commanding it.”
Looking towards the future, Raab is hopeful to receive more input from Miller, especially at the varsity level.
“I am really looking forward to having her input on different aspects of the game,” Raab said. “I also look forward to seeing the way she views the shifting and growing of our team.”
While the basketball team next year may not mimic how it looked this year, Miller is excited to work with everyone to continue to develop the program.
“We have a big transition next year because we’re losing a lot of seniors so I’m excited to build up the younger kids and help them grow and be ready to play varsity basketball,” Miller said. “I have no intention of leaving McCallum.”
Arwen Pelletier • Apr 4, 2024 at 10:21 am
I thought that this article was really great! It’s very cool to me that McCallum has a former D1 basketball player as one of the girl’s coaches. The article was written very well, and I enjoyed how the writer interviewed a player and went into Miller’s time as a teacher at Mac as well.