PEMBROKE — Ben Miller learned a lesson from his father, Eldon Miller, while he was rising up the college coaching ranks that has paid dividends for The University of North Carolina at Pembroke men’s basketball team the last two seasons.
“When I first got into coaching I remember my dad telling me to always have three point guards in your program,” Miller said. “In essence, it’s the most important position on the floor because it’s an extension of the coaching staff on the floor and it gives you the ability to control the ball.”
Miller, whose teams in the past have been known for their ability to dominate the paint and rebound the ball well, have a nucleus of young guards that have added on to the base principles that the 11th-year head man of the Braves still believes in. Two local products, sophomores Tyrell Kirk, of Whiteville, and David Strother, of Lumberton, not only have brought depth to the backcourt the past two seasons, but also a two-headed attack from the point guard position since stepping on campus last fall.
The Braves’ backcourt rotation can go as deep as junior Micah Kinsey and freshman Cam Hamilton on the bench, but the two sophomores are averaging the second- and third-most minutes per game on the team so far through five games, giving Miller and the Braves stability in his stable of guards.
“This is probably the best situation we’ve been in where you have David, Tyrell, Micah and even Cam that all can, in essence, play the point for us,” the Braves head coach said. “The way we play in transition, you’re typically better off when you have two of those guys on the floor, and sometimes you will see three out there late in the game.”
As freshmen last year, Strother and Kirk were among the top five in the Peach Belt Conference in assists to turnover ratio, while also adding a scoring lift. Now a year older and wiser, both are averaging more than 10 points a contest for the Braves that are averaging 86 points, and have combined for 28 of the team’s 83 assists. Kinsey leads the team with 19 assists through five games off the bench.
For the two natural point guards who are pass-first players, sharing ball-handling duties is no big deal.
“I knew that he was a point guard, but he was a bigger guard. Both of us can play on and off the ball. If he gets it, I know he can take it, and if I get it I know I can take it,” Strother said.
While being recruited during his senior year at Whiteville, Kirk was expecting Miller and the staff to tell him of the possibility of redshirting his first year on campus, but talks took a different turn.
“When he told me I wouldn’t be redshirting next year, I kind of knew when I came in that I was going to be a big part of the rotation,” Kirk said.
The chemistry between the two started almost 10 years ago when the pair was on the same AAU team, the Tri-County Blazers with Tyrell’s brother Shaun, who is redshirting this season after transferring in from NC State.
“He was shorter then and now he’s outgrew me,” Strother said of Tyrell with a smile.
Fast forward nearly a decade, and the combination at guard on the youth AAU circuit is now wreaking havoc on the Peach Belt Conference. Both were vital parts of the Braves’ conference championship run last season as both started as freshmen.
“Coach said we had good vision and coach said we could be the best guards in the PBC and I believed him. We work hard to lead the conference,” Kirk said.
Having the experience at point guard with such young talent has given the coaching staff a lift the last two season, according to Miller.
“They’re both very unselfish, team-oriented guys, which is another trait in all our guys, but especially that point guard position,” Miller said. “They both are capable of scoring, but they’re much more interested in how the team plays.”
As a point guard, what Kirk and Strother possess is expected to both direct the offense, but also to score when the team is in need of a lift. Both proved that was part of their skill set in high school, but have seamlessly transitioned that to college as well.
“He’s probably the most unselfish player on our team,” Strother said of Kirk. “He can score 20 points on any given night and all he cares about is winning. He cares about his teammates.”
Strother was named a team captain as a sophomore based on his leadership by example that stood out to his teammates.
“He is the hardest working player on our team and he can see the defense real good,” Kirk said. “Everything is unique about him.”
From the outside, it would look like both compete for the same position essentially as the main point guard, but there is no battle for minutes or time on the court in Miller’s system. The pair uses their chemistry with each other, and at their position to build each other up, and assist in more ways than on the stat sheet.
“I haven’t really played with any guard that can make plays for me. I’ve always had to make plays for other people,” Strother said. “He makes it easier for me, and that’s why I’m trying to become a better off the ball shooter because I know that he can drive and find me.”
After having to be the only point guard playing basketball from youth leagues to high school, the pair appreciates the option of having another person to facilitate the offense or attack an opposing full-court press with.
“In high school, I was the primary ballhandler. We didn’t have other options to go to. It feels better when there are other guys that can bring the ball up without one getting tired,” Kirk said. “That’s really helped us out.”
For Miller, that extension of the coaching staff on the court isn’t as much of a stretch as it has been in years past with a host of capable guards directing the offense.
“It is a blessing and it makes coaching a heckuva lot easier when you have that kind of intelligence, basketball IQ and skill set out on the floor,” Miller said.
