Miller, Johnson part of building plan

The first word that came out of Fred Hill Jr.’s mouth at the Rutgers men’s basketball team’s Media Day was “excitement.”
The reason for that excitement comes from a team that Hill repeatedly called the most athletic group he has had since taking over the program five years ago.
“Excitement is the key word for the upcoming season,” Hill said. “Excitement is the best word that I can use to describe this team at this date. It’s always a challenge when you have new faces and talent, but they’ve injected hard work and competitiveness into this team.”
The explosive scoring of sophomore guard Mike Rosario and the energy of senior center Hamady N’Diaye is still there, but a key reason why this team feels like it can turn four straight losing seasons around is the six new members donning Scarlet Knights uniforms for the first time.
None have higher expectations or athleticism than freshmen Dane Miller and Austin Johnson.
“The one guy you will definitely be surprised by is Dane Miller,” Rosario said. “He’s a tall kid that plays above the rim and that is something where coach Hill says he reminds him of a Magic Johnson-type player.
“I can see that in him, he just has to learn all things as far as being a freshman and has to step up and be the type of player he was in high school. He has to step up and be more efficient because we need him to just jump into the fire the same way Greg [Echenique] and I did last year. Him and Austin have to do the same thing.”
Miller’s a 6-foot-7 forward with freakish athletic ability that he put on display at the team’s annual Scarlet Tip-Off with numerous rim-rattling dunks.
“Dane is a very versatile wing player that brings athleticism,” Hill said. “He’s a young guy that has to feel his way through, but he’s a high energy guy that is a great rebounder from the wing and he gives us a wing player with his width and athleticism that I haven’t had here in my tenure.”
Despite his physical attributes, Miller is still raw offensively, something he acknowledges but isn’t worried about.
“The only thing I feel like is going to be different is physical strength,” the Henrietta, N.Y., native said. “You’re going to get dinged over the course of the season, but as for pace and instinct, it’s not different [from high school].”
If Miller is the freakish athlete, then Johnson is the under-the-radar star in waiting.
“Austin’s a guy that I call crafty because he knows how to score around the basket,” Hill said. “He’s an extremely hard worker and really has a nose for the ball, and he worked hard this summer on his body to get stronger. He’s been a very pleasant surprise in terms of being more ready to contribute right away then what we thought.”
But just because everyone raves about Miller’s athleticism does not mean Johnson is lagging that far behind.
The Elkins Park, Pa., native cannot wait to start running.
“I didn’t have a real good sense of what the running style was like before I got here, but the one thing coach is emphasizing and implementing is a real quick pinch running system,” Johnson said. “You have to be in the best shape of your life and you have to be tough. Sometimes it can be draining, but I feel like we can wear teams down and put ourselves in a good position at the end of the game.”
Both Miller and Johnson said they know what they are getting themselves into. It’s not like RU has been setting the Big East on fire.
But the opportunity to be part of change was enough to sway them toward Piscataway.
“It’s really special to be part of a winning team,” Johnson said, “but not only a winning team, but the first winning team in a really long time.”
 

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