Eli Boettger | @boettger_eli | 06/04/20
Welcome back to Three Things!
The intention of Three Things is simple: Keeping you informed. The offseason can be a busy time and college basketball isn’t always on everyone’s radars from April to October.
Here’s how it will work: Every morning, Monday through Friday, we will provide you with three things that you need to know from the previous day. Pretty simple, right? You’ll be amazed by your new college basketball wisdom!
Here are the three things you need to know for June 4.
—Subscribe to Heat Check today!
Mike Miller steps down
In surprising news in the coaching world, Memphis assistant coach Mike Miller elected to step down Wednesday. According to 929ESPN’s John Martin, Miller is stepping down to “spend more time with family.” Miller, 40, played in the NBA for 17 seasons before spending the past two years with Memphis as an assistant.
Miller is widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation. With his help, the Tigers landed the nation’s No. 1 overall recruiting class in 2019, including potential lottery picks James Wiseman and Precious Achiuwa. Miller’s son, Mason, is a four-star forward out of the 2021 class.
MAC star returning
One of the top players out of the MAC is set to return this fall. Buffalo guard Jayvon Graves has pulled his name from the draft pool and will return to the Bulls as a senior.
Graves broke out this past season, averaging 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game, nearly doubling his scoring average from the previous year. The 6-3 guard will look to lead Buffalo back to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the past seven years.
Syracuse adds big
Jim Boeheim and the Syracuse Orange have added some much-needed depth for the upcoming season. Frank Anselem, a 6-10, 210-pound center out of Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif., announced Wednesday that he has committed to Syracuse. Anselem selected the Orange over Georgia, San Diego State and New Mexico.
After previously targeting a 2021 graduation year, Anselem reclassified to 2020. Prior to reclassifying, Anselem’s final three schools were LSU, Georgia and Alabama. Barring any major transfers, Anselem appears to be one of the final notable frontcourt commitments of the spring for the ’20-21 season. He joins a Syracuse team that brings back the bulk of last year’s 18-win team.
Eli Boettger is a college basketball writer and founder of HeatCheckCBB.com. He has previously worked for Sporting News, DAZN and USA TODAY SMG.
Boettger’s content has been featured by Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, FiveThirtyEight, Yahoo Sports, Athletic Director University, Washington Post, Illinois Law Review and Notre Dame Law Review, among other publications. Boettger is also a current USBWA member and Rockin’ 25 voter.