"I've always been able to see the joy and love that the mix between God and basketball had," Miller said. "And then when I began coaching, same thing." Miller made it a priority to start a team Bible study in her varying coaching positions. "I think it was just a way for them to learn and grow and express what they were going through in a different way than other people can," Miller said. "It allows relationships to be built and grown in a different way." Cross shared his sentiments on the importance that Miller places on her faith. "She loves Jesus, and that was evident," Cross said. "As we got to know Addy better, she talked about the mission trips that she took to Thailand that really put her on a great trajectory towards serving the Lord and growing in her faith. So, that was the first and foremost aspect that really intensified our interest in bringing her to Cedarville." Being a former athlete herself, Miller also finds ease in connecting with her players through shared experiences. "I think experiences [connect us], whether I'm conditioning them, or we're in the weight room or we're in practice, I've done it all," Miller said. "They can't act like it's too hard because I've already done it all. I told them mental toughness is a real thing, especially in college athletics and I feel like your body can take so much more than you can ever imagine, but it's your mind that stops you." According to Cross, Miller lacks few attributes they look for in coaches. ''Her enthusiasm, her passion for basketball, her knowledge of the game, it was a complete package," Cross said. "We couldn't have asked for a better fit at this point than Coach Miller." Miller has won, and won big, at every level she's been at. She does not intend to change that anytime soon. "My goal is to win, that's never changing," Miller said. "It's all I know how to do. That's what my goal is, to bring Cedarville to wins. Ideally that happens right away. Do I think it will happen in game one? I hope so. We're going o do everything we can to prepare for that and be as successful as we can. My goal is to one day win a national championship and that's never going to change." Prior to Miller's hiring former head coach Jason Smith failed replicate the success of coaches before him, such as ari Hoffman and Kirk Martin Smith finished his two-year career 24-31. In contrast, Hoffman finished her coaching career in 2021 with a 106-38 overall record, while Martin finis d his career in 2016 with a 380-108 overall record. Last season, the team's record sat at 7-19, the program's lowest since the 2000-01 season. Miller, along with Cross, hopes to bring this year's team bac to th powerhouse program it once was. "I'm e cit d to s Coach Miller grow the program back into th tatur that it was a few y ars ago," Cross said. ant to m cont ntion for G-MAC championships, nd ma mg national ct1amp1onshIp app aranc s, and see 1 t t11 ord for us aft r that " d Addy Miller watches intensely as her team practices. Miller 1s fresh off a 31-2 season at Drury last year. Julia Swain is a sophomore journalism student and the co on-campus news editor for Cedars. She enJoys listening to Taylor Swift, watching any Cleveland sports team, and hanging out with friends in her free time Graph, s b
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