LIGHTS . . . CAMERA . . . ACTION : CHERYL MILLER : In Latest Scene, USC’s Star Learns to Lose--but in the End Can’t Lose

The cameras roll away from the set and the final take of “The Cheryl Miller Story” is in the can. The director claps and gathers his crew around him. “I like it!” he says. “Can you believe this script? The girl scores 105 points in a single high school basketball game. She goes to USC and immediately leads the team to a national championship as a freshman. Then, she turns around and does it again as a sophomore! “And what’s more, the girl goes on and gets her dream--winning a gold medal in the Olympics. I tell ya, this is gonna be big! “OK, people, looks like we’ve got a wrap.” Cut! Yeah, it would have been great. The perfect ending to the perfect success story.

One problem: It wasn’t over yet, even if Miller might have wished it were.

“What’s Next For Cheryl Miller?” the headlines read last fall, as Miller prepared for her junior season at USC.

Funny thing, Miller was wondering the same thing.

She had already conquered women’s basketball. Next, she wanted to conquer the world.

Miller’s talents extend well beyond the basketball court. She is as poised, confident and entertaining in front of a television camera or behind a microphone as she is with the ball in the key.

With her Olympic success and her heavy increase in national exposure, there were people last fall seeking Miller to endorse products, to model, to do sports announcing.

When the topic turned to money, Miller’s head began spinning.

“People were saying if I got out (of school) now, I could easily make six figures,” Miller said. “I’d say, ‘Six figures? Wow! I could buy mom this, dad this. . . .’ ”

Yes, Cheryl Miller, the queen of women’s college basketball, was actually considering quitting before the start of her junior season.

“I just wasn’t sure if I wanted to play another year of basketball,” Miller said. “I was really tired, and I really wanted to pursue my career goals.

“I wanted to see what else Cheryl Miller was good at--what Cheryl has to work for. Everything has come very easy for me in basketball. I’ve had to work hard, but I’ve always been very talented. And when you have people saying you could make the big time, it gets to you.”

It didn’t get the best of Miller, though. After discussing the possibilities with her parents, Saul and Carrie, and USC women’s sports information director Elise Kim, who also serves informally as Miller’s booking agent, Miller decided it would be best to stay in school.

“She didn’t go to college to be a big movie star, she went to get an education,” Saul Miller said. “There were definitely some tempting offers--feelers coming through different sources who were not directly connected with Cheryl. But I can’t name any of them. They may materialize and they may not.”

Cheryl apparently is willing to wait now. The 6-foot 3-inch junior forward says now that she will play her last year of basketball next winter, then will graduate in the spring of 1986. She’ll be taking some drama courses this summer, and she hopes to get into acting.

“If I’m worth X amount of money now, hopefully I’ll be worth even more with a degree,” she said.

So, The Cheryl Miller Story continues.

Film clips:

Fade in to a full shot of Miller, swarmed by a group of admiring fans. Zoom to a closeup of Miller, signing autographs. Cut to a shot of Miller modeling an evening gown at Giorgio’s of Beverly Hills. Tilt up from feet to face. Emphasize glamour. It seems as if everyone is after Cheryl Miller these days. Whether it’s opposing teams triple-teaming her on the basketball court or a movie producer offering her a role, Miller has been in demand. She’s a hotter item now than she was during her first two years at USC.

She has appeared on six different TV channels in Los Angeles, several radio stations, and has been featured in many of the nation’s major newspapers.

She has been on such programs as “Face the Nation,” “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “The Tonight Show,” and the news shows of the three major networks. She was on the cover of Newsweek after the Olympics and appeared on the 1984 Grammy awards show.

There are few places she can go in Los Angeles without being recognized, and she has also become something of a national celebrity.

Last January, she and her USC teammates had just suffered a 21-point loss to the University of Georgia at Athens, Ga., but hundreds of Georgia fans wanted her autograph and she remained for an hour after the game, obliging them. The waitresses at the homey Po Folks restaurant in Atlanta recognized Cheryl, too, and asked her for autographs.

“It’s unbelievable how I’ll go into places I’ve never been and people will turn around and say, ‘That’s Cheryl Miller,’ ” Miller said. “They really roll out the red carpet for you.

“But it hasn’t changed my life much. I’m basically the same person I’ve always been. If anything, I’m more wide-eyed. Everything amazes me now.”

In a year or so, Miller’s life probably will change dramatically. When she’s through scoring points and earning All-American honors at USC, she’ll be free to pursue revenue-producing ventures.

She’s hoping this will lead to her ultimate goal--making lots of money.

“It’s important for me and my family, because I want to try to pay them back,” Miller said. “I’d like to be able to say, ‘Here, Mom, go buy yourself something nice.’ My biggest goal is to say to my little sister, ‘Tammy, there’s something out there in the garage for you,’ and she’ll walk out and see a car.”

It’s unlikely that Miller would have had such opportunities had she not been one of the world’s best female basketball players. But although she’ll ride the sport into the business world, basketball probably won’t be a big part of her future.

She’ll do a few basketball camps when there’s time, she said, adding that there is only an outside chance of her joining the Harlem Globetrotters. There has been recent speculation on that possibility.

“The Globetrotters is definitely an option, but I don’t think the body can hold up,” Miller said. “It depends on the financial situation. If I was going to make money like Magic (Johnson) or Larry Bird, why not? But until then, probably not.”

Cut to a two-shot of Miller blowing kisses at San Diego State’s Tina Hutchinson and pointing to the scoreboard during the closing minutes of USC’s victory. Dissolve to a medium shot of Miller on top of the basket, blowing kisses to the crowd after USC’s NCAA West Regional victory over Long Beach. Miller has the potential to be one of America’s most marketable athletes. She appeals to children, many of whom like to watch her play and try to imitate her flamboyant style.

She’s animated on the court, personable off it.

Still, her relationship with the public, especially with opposing teams’ fans, has not been one long, happy love affair.

Some only notice the Cheryl Miller who points her finger into the air after a win, as if to say, “We’re No. 1!” They see the Cheryl Miller who backpedals after making a jump shot, her right arm raised and her wrist cocked, as if to say, “In your face!”

They see the Cheryl Miller whose theatrics are surpassed only by her sheer ability.

Several coaches criticized Miller’s exuberance last year, but others said her enthusiasm excites the fans and her teammates, and gives the sport a needed boost. Love her or hate her, she certainly draws attention to women’s basketball.

“It only rubs you the wrong way when you lose,” Miller said. “If I make a good play and jump around, it’s not because you fouled me and I have a chance for a three-point play. It’s because I made a heck of a shot and I’m proud of myself.

“I guess, to a lot of people, that’s wrong. But it’s been successful for me. Why should I stop?”

Said teammate Rhonda Windham: “If someone blocked my shot on the backboard and ran down the court with her arms waving, it would bug me, but Cheryl doesn’t do it maliciously. She does it out of her own excitement. She’d never try to embarrass anyone.

“You get to see Cheryl Miller, the person and the player. Since she is on the opposing team, the fans want to hate her, but they always pay their money to see her. And everyone wants to have her on their team--I know that much.”

Although Miller’s personality may flow into her game, she feels people still get the wrong impression of her--that they just know of the glamorous Cheryl Miller who has won two national titles, who has been in all those magazines, who has been on every TV channel.

They don’t see the Cheryl Miller who goes home to Riverside on weekends, kisses mom and dad, throws the clothes in the washer and goes out back to mow the lawn and pull some weeds.

“I’m not the type who will shake everyone’s hands in the stands and say, ‘Hi, I’m Cheryl Miller. How are you doing? How are the kids?’ ” Miller said. “They think I’m a snob, but I know differently and so do my friends and family. If I’m a hotdog to them, I’m not gonna break my back trying to prove otherwise.

“They don’t see that I have a sense of humor, that I’m normal, that I like giggling. People are so in awe of this Cheryl Miller who never loses, they think they have to beat her.”

The Olympics helped Miller in that respect. She was the same, excitable young woman throughout the tournament, but the public, excited by the prospect of another gold medal, didn’t view her actions then as gloating.

Those close to Miller describe her as a caring, unselfish person, one who isn’t cocky around her teammates.

“She still won’t tell me when she’s won an award. I have to find out for myself,” Windham said. “She doesn’t want it to seem like she’s putting it in anyone’s face.

“A lot of others wouldn’t have handled (success) the same way. They might have thought they were the hottest thing since air conditioning. But she knows how to use it to her advantage and how not to make anyone feel less fortunate than her.”

Cut to a long shot of an elated Miller, diving headlong into the USC bench after making a basket to send the Louisiana Tech game into second overtime. Cut to a close shot of Miller after the Trojans have lost to Tech in the second overtime. Focus on the scowl on Miller’s face. Emphasize frustration. Freeze. If they were to make a movie about Cheryl Miller’s basketball career, she would probably want parts of this season edited out.

Personally, she is having an excellent year, averaging 27 points and 16 rebounds a game, which put her among the top five nationally in each category. Three times, she broke her USC single-game scoring record, which now stands at 45 points.

The Trojans made the NCAA tournament again, for the third straight year, and will meet Cal State Long Beach tonight in the West Regional semifinals at Pauley Pavilion.

But it also has been a season of unceremonious firsts.

It was the first time she had been on a team that lost eight games in a season. In four years at Riverside Poly High School, Miller and the Bears went 132-4 and won four Southern Section 4-A championships. The Trojans had a 60-6 record during Miller’s first two seasons.

This year’s 77-56 loss to Georgia was the first time her team had ever lost a game by more than 20 points.

This was the first time her team had not won the conference title.

There have been moments when the Trojans played extremely well. USC beat top-ranked Texas and third-ranked Long Beach in one of their two regular-season meetings.

But then, there were all the blown leads. USC had then top-ranked Old Dominion by 11 points at halftime on the Lady Monarchs’ court, but the Trojans lost, 52-48. USC led Long Beach by seven points for most of the second half but faltered in the final four minutes and lost, 64-61.

The Trojans led UCLA by 10 points in the second half but lost, 57-56. Miller even scored 43 points and grabbed 23 rebounds against Louisiana Tech, but the Trojans still lost in double overtime, 83-79.

For Miller, it has been frustrating.

“You have people who think that because Cheryl Miller is on the team, they should automatically win,” Miller said. “In high school, that was the case, because I was bigger and more talented than everyone. But you can’t get away with that in college. You can’t lead a team by yourself.”

Yet, Miller practically has.

She has turned in several outstanding individual performances, but USC simply didn’t have the supporting cast--most notably forwards Pam and Paula McGee--to match the success of the previous two seasons.

So, Miller has had to accept losing for the first time.

“It’s nice to know that people like you regardless of whether you win or lose, that they still think you’re the best,” Miller said. “It makes my job a little easier.”

Those who watch Miller regularly would hardly classify her job as easy. Miller may be a finesse player, but there’s a blue-collar streak in her.

She dives for loose balls, she takes charging fouls, she jumps over press tables, she often goes over or through several players on her way to the basket.

She doesn’t seem to have a lot of respect for her body.

“People used to bet that I would not make it through four years of college,” Miller said.

It still might not be a bad wager.

She hasn’t been injured yet, but there certainly have been some close calls this year. The most serious incident occurred during the Long Beach game in the Sports Arena. Miller’s momentum carried her into the bleachers under the basket. She tripped on a second-row seat and banged her neck behind the third row.

Luckily, Miller escaped without serious injury and returned to help the Trojans defeat the 49ers.

“I would prefer she just let those balls go, but that’s not in her nature,” Saul Miller said. “It’s not one play to her, it’s the play.”

Whenever Miller goes down hard, a horde of photographers usually crowds around, looking for the shot.

It’s almost like a freak show. Get the queen when she’s down.

“I guess they’re just doing their jobs, but it is a little awkward for me,” Miller said. “If I would have known I would get this much coverage by breaking my behind, I would have done it much sooner.”

Dissolve to a full shot of Riverside playground. Zoom in to 15-year-old Miller, who dunks the basketball. Cut to a medium shot of 17-year-old Miller after a high school game against Norte Vista, superimposing the box score with Miller’s 105-point total. Cut to a closeup of 18-year-old Miller, announcing her decision to attend USC. The Cheryl Miller myth had been firmly implanted long before she began leading USC to national championships.

She held her own on the basketball court with brothers Saul Jr., Darrell, who now plays baseball for the Angels, and Reggie, a member of UCLA’s basketball team, and with all the other guys on the playground.

She scored a state-record 105 points in a high school game.

She appeared on national television while she was still in high school, and was featured in Sports Illustrated’s college basketball issue before she had played her first game at USC.

They said she would revolutionize the game of women’s basketball.

Miller is 21 now and has almost three years of college ball behind her. Her list of achievements includes two NCAA tournament most-valuable-player awards, two Naismith Player of the Year awards and a Broderick Athlete of the Year award.

She’s sure to be a four-time All-American and is a leading candidate for the Wade Trophy, given to the top women’s collegiate basketball player every year.

So, what does she think she has done for the game?

“Honestly, nothing,” Miller said with a straight face. “I don’t see myself really making that big an impact on the game. I think I’ve been one of the many to help revolutionize the game. The combination of the (McGee) twins and I were devastating, and I think the Olympics showed a lot of people that there are others who can play the round ball.

“I’m sure I’ve helped the game a little here and there, but I’ll have to wait 10 years when they have me on “Sports Legends” to see what I’ve done. Until then, I’m not going to say anything. It’s hard to look at yourself that way.”

Many, however, see Miller as a main force in creating interest and excitement in the women’s game. She is the sport’s first entertainer, it’s first idol. Many young girls tell Miller that they want to grow up to be just like her.

“I might be considered a hotdog or flamboyant, but it gets the crowd into the game,” Miller said. “I think women were scared to play like that, because it was considered unladylike. But I’ve always been like that.”

Just when women’s basketball needed that extra boost, Miller came along. She was in the right place at the right time, and seemed to be doing all the right things.

“I’ve been very lucky,” Miller said. “I don’t think I could have been born at a better time. My whole life seemed paved, like a story-book ending.”

Fade out.