LSU transfer guard Adam Miller “lit up the gym” during Arizona State’s practice this week ahead of Saturday’s game against TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, because Miller has gained temporary eligibility to play after having to sit the first nine games.
Miller, a four-star recruit that originally spent one season with Illinois before spending the last two seasons at LSU, was initially denied the chance to play this season by the NCAA due to being a second-time undergraduate transfer.
Miller again received an unfavorable ruling by the NCAA earlier this month after he applied for a waiver to play this season because of a mental-health condition that resulted from his time at LSU.
However, a federal judge issued a 14-day temporary restraining order Wednesday that will allow Miller to be eligible to play against TCU.
“We brought Adam Miller in because he’s a really good player, he’s a good person,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “He had numerous hardships over the last 18 months at LSU and we felt like he had a very strong case for his mental health.
“He lit up the gym just because of the (temporary restraining order) news when he heard about it. Just how he went about his business, you could finally see relief in that kid so it was really great to see that.”
Miller averaged 11.5 points while shooting 33.6 percent from the field last season at LSU. He sat out his first season with the Tigers recovering from an ACL injury.
Arizona State (6-3) is coming off an 89-84 loss at San Diego last week that snapped a four-game winning streak.
The Sun Devils’ defense allowed the Toreros to score 61 points in the second half behind 62.9-percent shooting from the field.
TCU (7-1) suffered its first loss of the season last Saturday in a 74-66 defeat to Clemson in Toronto.
Clemson used its size advantage as its frontcourt combined for 42 of the team’s 74 points and 26 rebounds.
“We got what we deserved,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “They were the better team — more physical inside and on the glass. Our offense was stagnant, and we got what we deserved.”
Emanuel Miller finished with a team-high 16 points. It was the fourth time this season he led the Horned Frogs in scoring. He scored in double figures for the seventh straight game.
TCU defeated Arizona State 72-70 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season on a JaKobe Coles basket with 1.5 seconds left.
–Field Level Media
