Old News: Mercer Island reserve applies for NBA draft

I know this is OLD NEWS, but it was just hilarious on hearing this guy trying to enter the NBA draft as a reject at the end of the bench....

High School Sports
By Danny O'Neil
Seattle Times staff reporter

Brandon Miller had an award-winning senior season at Mercer Island High School.

He tied a state-tournament record for free-throw percentage. He held The Seattle Times' Class 3A State Player of the Year scoreless when he guarded him during the championship game.

Those were the credentials Miller included on his application to enter the NBA Draft as a high-school senior, and every one of the statements was true.

They just don't tell the whole story.

Miller was named the Most Inspirational Player for Mercer Island as the 12th man on the team that finished second at the Class 3A state tournament. He made both free throws he attempted during the tournament, and Nate Robinson of Rainier Beach didn't score during the 5 seconds that Miller guarded him during the state-championship game.

His decision to enter the NBA Draft last month wasn't a joke. Miller was serious about getting some attention.

"Receiving the letter back from the NBA in my mailbox was worth it in itself," Miller said.

He took the letter to school, proof that the NBA accepted his request.

"He's probably not a franchise player," Coach Ed Pepple told an NBA employee who called to inquire about the application. "He might not even be a first-rounder."

Miller played in 12 games, and never scored more than five points, but he was a fan favorite who was carried off the court by fellow students after he scored a buzzer-beating layin on Mercer Island's senior night, which was the team's last home game.

He is eyeing a future in college basketball — trying to become a team manager for the Washington's men's team. He wants to become a coach.

"That's a serious thing," Miller says.

His dream of making the NBA is not.

His father, Phillip, is a lawyer with an office in Lynnwood. He called the NBA office in New York to inquire about the specifics of how to enter the draft.

Brandon's motivation for entering the NBA draft was simple: he wanted the attention. He imagined seeing his name in Sports Illustrated along with other high-school seniors who had entered the draft like Brandon Roy, the senior at Garfield High School.

"There's no way they can discriminate against me in any way," said Miller, who has a 3.5 grade average at Mercer Island. "I'm pretty interested in the whole process."

You won't find Miller's name on the list of 55 early-entry applicants released by the NBA offices.

"We're only going to put the names of the real players to the NBA on the list we give to the media," said Matt Winick, NBA vice president of scheduling and game operations.

But every NBA team receives a complete list of early-entry applicants, and that list will include Miller, a guard from Mercer Island listed at 6 feet even though he reaches that height only standing on his tip-toes.

That wasn't the biggest stretch Miller made entering the draft.