When Lockport’s Collin Miller started playing basketball in third grade, he quickly discovered he was far from a natural at the sport.
But Miller loved it anyway, and he was determined to get better.
“I started out in a rec league and I was honestly terrible,” Miller said. “The whole season I only scored two points, but I told my dad, ‘I really like to do this.’
“I worked my butt off all offseason and I was an all-star the next year.”
Now a senior forward for the Porters, Miller delivered an all-star performance Friday night.
He poured in 24 points to help visiting Lockport knock off previously undefeated Lincoln-Way East for a 63-58 SouthWest Suburban Conference victory in Frankfort.
Anthony Kosi finished with 18 points and eight rebounds for the Porters (5-3, 2-1). Nojus Venckus scored nine points and Ramzy Barbarawi chipped in with six.
Brenden Sanders led Lincoln-Way East (5-1, 2-1) with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Jonathan Aluyi added 12 points and seven rebounds, while Jaymon Hornsby scored 11 points and Will Buchanan and Luke Vetter contributed eight points apiece.
Miller, meanwhile, buried four 3-pointers and helped the Porters maintain the lead for most of the last three quarters.
About the only things that almost slowed Miller down were his shoes. In the middle of the game, he had to borrow a pair from a player on the sophomore team.
“Early third quarter, it just blew out,” Miller said of his footwear. “It kept getting worse and worse. I switched in the middle of the fourth. I’m not even sure whose shoes they were, but shoutout to him.
“My shoes and his were both (Ja Morant shoes), so that was pretty good.”
Aside from those days in third grade when he struggled to make a basket, Miller has pretty much always been a strong outside shooter.
Lockport coach Dave Wilson has pushed him to do more this season.
“We’ve challenged him as a staff to be an all-around player,” Wilson said. “It’s one thing to be able to stand in the corner and shoot threes. It’s another thing to be able to defend your position and execute an offense, be able to slow down and distribute that ball where it needs to be.
“From my perspective, you can’t expect it to happen overnight. It’s very encouraging that over the last year, he’s making progress going forward toward being an all-around player. He’s accepted that challenge and that’s what he wants, too. I’m proud of him for that.”
For Miller, it’s a process he’s willing to put his all into.
“Every day, I’m working my butt off, trying to be the best player I can be,” he said.
Down 38-30 in the third quarter, Lincoln-Way East closed within 44-42 with just over five minutes left in the game, but the Porters responded with a 6-0 run, sparked by two steals.
Miller then hit a big 3-pointer and made two late free throws to seal the win.
“We just wanted to let it fly on offense and stay in front of them on defense,” Miller said. “I think it was our best week of practice and our shooting has been really solid.”
Miller and Kosi are poised to be the Porters’ senior leaders this season. The duo has grown together as teammates for nearly a decade.
“Our chemistry is great,” Kosi said. “We’ve been playing together since fourth grade so we kind of know each other as players. Physically, he’s gotten a lot bigger. He’s put on weight, which has helped him drive to the basket, and he’s continued to develop his jump shot.
“He’s a great player to have as a teammate.”
