Prep talk: Reggie Miller wore red to support nephew Mike Lindsay at Rose Bowl

UCLA football fans who spotted one of their favorite athletes, NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, wearing Aztec red on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl were wondering what happened to his usual Bruin blue-and-gold attire?

It’s called family comes first.

His nephew, Mike Lindsay, a former football and basketball player at Bishop Alemany who was considered a late bloomer to football, was starting at cornerback for San Diego State. And what a performance turned in by Lindsay, who contributed three solo tackles, a pass breakup and an interception in a 28-10 loss.

Miller kept telling UCLA recruiters to go after Lindsay, who went from 5 feet 8 as a sophomore to 6-2 as a 17-year-old senior. Lindsay ended up getting a scholarship to Idaho State but rarely played. He transferred to San Diego State this past year and has grown into his body, becoming faster and stronger at just 20 years old.

He was so impressive against the Bruins that uncle Reggie has every right to say “I told you so” to his UCLA friends.

Afterward, Lindsay offered a lesson to high school football players about finding a way to stay the course to fulfill your dreams.

“It’s just a lot of patience, patience, patience,” he said. “Just trust in God, honestly, that you just can’t get too far ahead of yourself, thinking that your time is supposed to be coming, and it’s not. You just have to sit there, keep grinding, keep working, keep staying with it.”

To come home and play at the Rose Bowl, where he used to watch games as a fan, was emotional for Lindsay.

“It was a great atmosphere, honestly,” he said. “I was grateful. It’s a huge stadium.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.