Dane Miller can have an immediate impact at Rutgers next season, according to his high school coach.
“I do think so,” said Chris Reed, head coach at Rochester (N.Y.) Rush Henrietta High. “I think they do, too. He’s kind of like a point forward. He handles the ball very, very well. But he has size. He’s an excellent passer, an excellent driver of the basketball. His shooting is really coming on. He can shoot the 3. He’s got excellent form.
“As that part of his game improves, he’s really going to blossom.”
The 6-foot-7 Miller averaged 21 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 3.5 blocks for a Rush Henrietta team that finished 20-3 and lost in the sectional final to Gates Chili. Miller had 25 points and 12 boards in the final.
“He finished with over 1,500 points,” Reed said. “He had 993 rebounds. Had we won another game, he would’ve had over 1,000 rebounds.”
Reed said Miller was “on pace to qualify academically providing he continues to do what he’s doing. He should be qualified in June.”
The coach said Miller was currently earning B’s in his classes and took the standardized test for a second time on March 14. Reed said Miller could take the test two additional times.
“If he gets a higher test score he probably doesn’t have to do as well in class,” Reed said. “If he finishes off with his B’s, he can use his current test score.
“He’s on pace to qualify. He’s not out of the woods.”
Miller is set to play in the Jordan Brand Regional Game April 18 at Madison Square Garden.
After finishing 11-21 overall, 2-16 in the Big East, Rutgers is bringing in three big men for next season: Miller, 6-7 Austin Johnson and 7-footer Brian Okam.
The Knights are still seeking a veteran point guard to replace the graduating Anthony Farmer.
James Beatty, a 6-2, 195-pound point guard out of Miami Dade College, will visit campus this weekend.
“He’s going to visit Rutgers this weekend,” Eisele said Thursday by phone. “They have probably been the most consistent school involved in his recruitment. They’ve done a great job. Jimmy Carr has worked his you know what off. They’ve pinpointed him and decided he’d be a great piece to put around the other two or three marquee players on their roster [Mike Rosario and Greg Echenique].
Beatty, who averaged 13.4 points, 7.9 assists and 2.7 steals while shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc, is also consideringSt. John’s, DePaul, Baylor, LSU and Kentucky.
“Those are the ones,” Eisele said. “To be honest, he’s going to be patient with this decision. Rutgers is the only visit he’s committed to at this point. He’s still wide open. I don’t think he has a strong direction on where he wants to go with this. He’s going to spend some time with his family next weekend [after the visit] and look over some things.
“He’s still wide open. I don’t know if he has a frontrunner right now. He’s felt that Rutgers has shown him the most love of anybody so far.”
