Hercy Miller, the son of music and business mogul Master P, began his freshman season at Tennessee State in November. He chose the Tigers over offers from a handful of Power Five programs.
https://twitter.com/hercymiller15/status/1375941656382296064?s=20
After committing Miller sounded like a player who was ready to help change the stigma of HBCU athletics.
“I want to be a leader and a dream of mine and a goal of mine is to change the narrative. I want to show people you don’t have to go to one of these big schools, Power Five conference schools, just to be great. There are a lot of great people who came out of HBCUs or mid-majors schools. I want to be the next one.”
Miller completed his high school career at Minnehaha Academy where he teamed with 2021 No.1 overall recruit Chet Holmgren to bring home the Minnesota 3A state championship.
Boys' basketball: Led by Chet Holmgren and brothers Hercy and Mercy Miller, Minnehaha Academy raced to an 80-29 victory over Alexandria to win the Class 3A state title #MSHSL https://t.co/7b9vgEKSzz
— Star Tribune Sports (@StribSports) April 11, 2021
Master P said the decision to attend Tennessee State was solely Hercy’s.
“He had a lot of big schools on the table — Vanderbilt , LSU, USC and UCLA — and I said, ‘Son, this is all your decision, you’ve got to live with whatever you do.”
“We’ve been in and out Nashville before and everybody thought he was going to pick Vanderbilt. When he told (TSU) coach Penny Brian Collins. This is where I want to go,’ it was a surprise to all of us. I think this is bigger than just going to a school and bigger than basketball. What Hercy is doing is going to change the game and I think a lot of great players are going to want to go to HBCUs.”
After Seven Games And A Hip Injury Miller Enters Transfer Portal: Chooses Xavier
Miller played in just six games for the Tigers and was injured in the opening minutes of his seventh game. He suffered a hip injury which required surgery, ending his freshman campaign.
In December, following the subsequent injury and surgery, Master P said Miller entered the portal because the feeling was TSU didn’t have the proper medical team and state-of-the-art facilities to effectively nurse him back to complete health. This week Hercy announced his destination is Xavier.
Master P told the Tennesseean:
“We’ve got a great program at Tennessee State, we’ve got great people, we loved the culture, we just have enough trainers. We don’t have enough medical people to take care of what needs to be taken care of. We don’t have the technology that the Dukes and all these major universities have. An injury like this could’ve been prevented.”
P, goes on to say he doesn’t blame the medical staff at TSU, instead he blames the disparity in medical resources allotted an HBCU and major universities.
TSU’s athletics department defended itself in wake of these allegations. The school says it has an adequate amount of trainers and isn’t understaffed or underfunded.
TSU director of sports medicine Trevor Searcy vehemently defended his staff:
“The issue is not that we’re underfunded at all. It’s actually the opposite. The issue is that since Mikki Allen (athletics director) has been here we’ve been growing and when you grow your facilities have to grow as well and that’s what we’re in the process of doing now.”
Master P then said he was never to keen on TSU’s medical staff during Hercy’s short stint there.
“How can we help HBCUs if we’re going to sugar coat the truth? Then we are failing the next generation. What do we need to fundraiser for if staff members are saying we have everything we need?”
Miller recently joined the Xavier Musketeers as a walk-on. So, ultimately, he still ended up at a Power Five school after stating he didn’t need a Power Five program to be great. But in his defense he claims the medical facilities and resources weren’t up to par at TSU. He won’t have that problem at Xavier, a Power Five program that has everything they need and more as it pertains to medical capabilities.
https://twitter.com/hercymiller15/status/1483209382431051776?s=20
Miller Still Has A $2M NIL Deal In Tow:
Miller capitalized on the NCAA’s new name, image and likeness deal prior to enrolling at TSU. The talented point guard bagged a $2 million deal with Web Apps America. It is one of the most lucrative deals in the new NIL era of college sports.
Hercy Miller Son of Master P Signs $2M Deal As Incoming Freshman
Master P spoke to TMZ sports about the turn of events and how Hercy’s initial decision to attend an HBCU was driven by a desire to change the negative perceptions about HBCUs as a viable destination for elite students athletes.
“It’s incredible. This is gonna change the way college athletes want to stay in school.” Master P said at the time his son committed to Tennessee State.
It was a big boost for HBCU hoops to see Hercy choose a Black college over Power Five schools, keeping with the growing trend we see in the elevation of HBCU sports culture.
When @KingJames recognizes your game, it's quite a compliment. @MasterPMiller tells Gilbert Arenas & @KingJosiah54 when his son Mercy Miller was balling out against LeBron's kid's team. Full interview here: https://t.co/IsMSlsmX5O pic.twitter.com/r8CmIfjQz6
— fubo Sports (@fuboSports) November 24, 2021
To have a really good player with Hercy’s visibility transfer out so fast and join a Power Five was disappointing. But he stands to be healthy and once again doing what he loves, and that’s hoops. He also took a chance that most elite athletes still won’t take.
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