The Colleges : Miller’s Defensive Qualities Pay Off for Fullerton

The Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball team will take its best defense onto the Long Beach court at 6 tonight when it faces UC Irvine in its Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. tournament opener.

Or at least its best defender, freshman center Gena Miller.

Miller wasn’t expected to start this season because Fullerton’s front line already was filled with returning upperclassmen, but she broke into the lineup in mid-December when Titan Coach Maryalyce Jeremiah started juggling her lineup.

Miller has started 14 games for the Titans (17-10), and they have won 10 of those. So Miller has made a difference, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to.

“(Starting) was a surprise. I was nervous when (Jeremiah) told me,” Miller said. “I probably thought: ‘I don’t want to start, I don’t want to start, I don’t want to start.’ ”

Her nervousness is easy to believe. Her not wanting to start is harder to figure. Very few good players do not want to start.

Said Miller, who was named the PCAA freshman of the year: “(It was because I was) nervous, plus being a freshman.

“At first I thought Wendy (Anae) would be upset, but it turned out she wasn’t.”

Miller replaced Anae, a senior forward, after her shooting percentage dropped to 41%.

Not that Miller was a big offensive threat. She’s a threat on defense.

“She is a very intimidating defensive player, and her all-around game has improved gradually through the season,” said Anae, who doesn’t seem to be outwardly concerned about the loss of playing time and points.

Miller is third in the PCAA with 70 blocks this season (2.7 per game). She held San Diego State center Chana Perry--who is second in the PCAA in scoring and two inches taller than Miller at 6-feet 5-inches--to six below her season average of 22.8 points per game by blocking five of her shots in Fullerton’s 55-53 victory on Feb. 25.

Miller makes up for any height disadvantage with her leaping ability. She has never been measured for her vertical leap, but she high jumped 5-feet, 8-inches at Crenshaw High School.

What is surprising is that Miller has led Fullerton in scoring four times.

“(Jeremiah) tells me that I need to shoot more,” Miller said. “I have to work on my shot; my shot has been off.

“I’m gaining confidence, but I have more confidence in my defense.”

Miller, who averages seven points a game, is not considered an offensive threat. Each time she has led the team in scoring, Fullerton has lost.

She also has led the team in rebounding seven, times which is surprising because of her thin, 148-pound frame.

Miller is on a program to add muscle to slow down opponents’ tendency to post up against her.

“They do that because they know they are bigger,” Miller said. “It’s like a tree against a twig.”

The way from twig to big is “eat, eat, eat,” according to Miller.

“I eat a lot but I don’t gain weight,” Miller said. “They know I’m not going to be a big person, but I will be stronger.”

Miller may not muscle well against bigger players, but she “intimidates other players with her quickness an jumping ability,” teammate Amy Torczon said. “They know about her ability to block the ball, and that forces them to change their shot.”