As the 2024-25 season starts for Florida Atlantic men’s basketball team (2-0), one of the transfers’ names stands out from the bunch: Baba Miller. He is a 6 feet 11 inches tall junior forward transfer from Florida State University (FSU). Last season, Miller averaged 7.6 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game and one stock [blocks+steals] per game. 

Life began for Miller in Mallorca, Spain, an island east of the mainland. He started playing for the Real Madrid Organization at 12 years old. The organization is a Spanish professional club that strives to teach its players about the foundations of social cohesion and education through sport. 

Miller played for the organization for years slowly rising through the ranks and eventually representing his country in multiple Fédération Internationale de Basketball [FIBA] tournaments. He left Spain to enroll at FSU, where he played his freshman and sophomore years.

The buzz around Miller’s name can be attributed to his talent and accomplishments. The skills that he possesses at his size have teammates raving about his potential play on the court.

“I just can’t wait for y’all to see him because it’s pretty crazy,” senior guard KyKy Tandy said. “He can shoot, pass, he can dribble. At his size it’s really crazy how he moves…it’s very scary.” 

Even head coach John Jakus has had an amazing time coaching Miller’s abilities and character. 

“This kid is a joy to coach, I mean, he is a 6 ’11 kid with point guard skills,” Jakus said. “He can dribble, pass and shoot, his three-point shot has taken a leap. But he’s an absolute sweetheart of a kid.”

One of the said accomplishments in Miller’s career is his championship role with Spain when they won the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup, where he averaged 9.4 points and 6 rebounds on 20.7 minutes per game during the run Spain beat France in the championship 73-69 while facing notable players like Melvin Ajinça and two current National Basketball Association (NBA) players, Washington Wizards forward Alex Sarr and Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher. 

“That was probably my proudest basketball moment yet,” Miller said. “Not many people can say they won a World Cup…Being able to go back home, play with my teammates from Spain and win the championship was amazing.”

Miller further explained that the FIBA U19 World Cup helped him transition from freshman year to sophomore year. He missed half of his freshman year due to a suspension because he had a travel benefit from Spain, his native country. The World Cup helped Miller make up for the lost time he had in his freshman year. 

During this World Cup run, Miller was still playing for FSU. However, after this last season, he went through the pre-draft process for the NBA. But, he made the decision to withdraw from the 2024 NBA draft and chose to bring his talents to Boca Raton. 

FAU wasn’t Miller’s only option either Jakus said that Miller could have gone to University of Kentucky, Wake Forest University and Kansas State University but he ultimately chose the Owls. 

It seems like Miller hasn’t regretted that decision either since he’s had a seamless transition to the team. “It’s been great, we got such a good group of people that it’s been really easy to come down here and connect as a team,” he said.

Jakus loves Miller’s potential and believes that his decision may have made him one of the most underrated players in the nation.

“Baba is my guy, I think he’s not getting enough recognition and in some ways that’s happening because he chose us [FAU]…it’s kind of like he’s just floating under the radar,” Jakus said.

FAU has almost an entirely different basketball team from last season with 11 new players. These new faces needed some time to connect with one another and build up team chemistry. During this time period, guard Ken Evans Jr. was inspired by Miller’s character off the court. 

“He’s a great guy,” Evans Jr. said. “When I first got here, I think all of the Americans were back home, so it was just the foreigners. We grew closer together during that time and we pushed each other during that week and that’s how we really got to know each other.” 

For this season, Miller has his eyes set on living up to expectations and winning many games right here in paradise. 

“I think everyone’s [goal] on the team is the same,” Miller said. “I think we just want to win. That’s everyone’s goal as a unit and that’s what we’re going to fight for the whole season.” 

Ultimately, Miller’s vision for the future is the NBA. Jakus and the team want to provide that opportunity so Miller could become one of, if not, the first FAU player to be drafted to the NBA. 

“I don’t want to see him miss things because he believes in us and chose us,” Jakus said. “I just hope the people see what the NBA saw, the NBA saw that he was good enough to invite him to the combine. I think we see the same thing.”

Morgan Larkins is a Staff Writer for the University Press. Email him at mlarkins2023@fau.edu or DM him on Instagram or Twitter @mj_larkins for more information regarding this or other stories.