Darius Miller

LEXINGTON — Whether junior Darius Miller will be able to play against Mississippi State tonight because of a right groin injury he suffered against Vanderbilt on Saturday still isn’t known. “I don’t have any idea. We would like him to play, but if he can’t play, he can’t play,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said Monday. “It gives someone else a chance to step in and get an opportunity and show they should be playing more.” Miller, a junior forward, has started all 24 games this year and averages 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 29.2 minutes per game.

Darius Miller will shake hands with President Barack Obama on Friday. Before reuniting with his teammates and coaching staff for a visit to Washington, he exchanged high fives, hugs and handshakes with students Thursday at Strode Station Elementary. The University of Kentucky senior visited four schools in Clark County with former Wildcat standout Jeff Sheppard, who won a national championship with the school in 1998. The duo began at Strode Station, crossed over to Clark Middle, went across town to Central Elementary and concluded the trek with a visit to Conkwright Middle School.

NEW ORLEANS - It wasn't hard for Darius Miller to answer - or laugh - when he ever envisioned having the national championship net around his neck when he was a freshman at Kentucky. “No, not my freshman year,” the Kentucky senior said Monday after the Wildcats defeated Kansas 67-59 to win Kentucky's first national title since 1998 and eighth overall. Miller had five points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in the game. He finished his career with 1,248 points - 34th on Kentucky's all-time scoring list.

ATLANTA - Darius Miller isn't thinking about Louisville. He's stuck in the moment. The Kentucky senior is savoring the Wildcats' 82-70 victory over Baylor in the South Region finals Sunday afternoon at the Georgia Dome. Although it would be easy for Miller to look ahead to Saturday's national semifinal against instate rival Louisville, he's not buying into the hype, at least for now. He doesn't plan on thinking about the Cardinals until at least Tuesday. “This feels good and we're all taking it in, especially the younger guys,” Miller said.

Just how Unforgettable has Darius Miller's basketball career been at the University of Kentucky? Miller played in his school record 152nd game Monday when the Wildcats beat Kansas to win the national championship, UK's first since 1998. He finished his career with 1,248  points, 487 rebounds, 278 assists, 114 steals and 99 blocks. He played on teams that won 124 games and went 13-2 in NCAA Tournament play the last three years. "He's the most unselfish player I've ever coached," said Kentucky coach John Calipari.

He’s been overshadowed by three straight No. 1 recruiting classes, five one-and-done players, a coaching change and Kentucky’s national title quests the last two seasons. However, UK senior Darius Miller has grown into a talented player himself, as shown by his invitation to the 2011 USA Basketball Men’s World University Games Team training camp July 29-Aug. 7 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center  in Colorado Springs, Colo. The tryout will determine which 12 players will represent the United States at the  World University Games Aug. 13-23 in Shenzhen, China.

LEXINGTON - If there is one thing John Calipari appreciates, it is effort. Always has, always will. The Kentucky basketball coach liked a lot his team did - only four turnovers, 20 assists, five players in double figures - in Saturday's 87-63 win over Portland exactly one week before the highly anticipated showdown with No. 1 North Carolina in Rupp Arena. However, there was something Calipari liked even better on this day - UK's 10-7 win over Tennessee in football that snapped a 26-year losing steak to the Vols, even though the Cats had to depend on receiver-turned-quarterback Matt Roark to lead the way (and apparently the Rupp Arena faithful felt the same way, considering Roark's midcourt appearance got the biggest ovation of the game)

Darius Miller is closing in on 1,000 career points, has played in a Final Four and will compete for a spot on his second Team USA roster later this month. Yet when talk turns to Kentucky’s 2011-12 season, the focus normally is on the return of sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb or the arrival of freshmen Anthony Davis, Kyle Wiltjer, Marquis Teague and Michael Gilchrist. If Kentucky’s senior forward minds being overlooked by many, he never lets it show. “I am happy to be part of something like this.

He's never been the best player on any of the four teams he's played on at Kentucky. But senior Darius Miller has those who believe he could be No. 1 UK's most valuable player this season going into NCAA Tournament play, despite going scoreless in UK's first two Southeastern Conference Tournament games before bouncing back with 16 points Sunday against Vanderbilt. “Miller does so much and is so versatile. They use him so many different ways,” said Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury.

LOUISVILLE - Darius Miller's last appearance at Freedom Hall was a memorable one. The Kentucky senior and Mason County High School graduate scored 15 points and became the 58th-member of the school's prestigious 1,000-point club in Kentucky's 73-51 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock Tuesday night. Miller's first basket at the 10:57 mark of the second half was a 3-pointer during a 23-1 run in the second half that turned a surprisingly close game into a second-half spree for the Wildcats.

He has not been able to see any of his son's workouts with various NBA teams, but from what Brian Miller has been told, everything is “going very well” for Darius Miller. He has already worked out for six teams and has several more planned while trying to impress coaches, scouts and front office personnel before the NBA draft later this month. “He worked out for the Indiana Pacers last week and just goes where teams want him,” Brian Miller said. “There's no way to go with him because they just fly him out for the day, work him out and then he's off to somewhere else.

LEXINGTON - Based on what Kentucky coach John Calipari has heard from NBA contacts, he feels confident four of his players off the national championship teams “are locks” to be first-round picks in the NBA draft later this month. “I have been on the phones with different people as they work out with different teams, and I am trying to see if I can figure out how this is going to play out. The good news is all six will be drafted. It's just a matter of where they will all be drafted,” Calipari said.

Kentucky men's basketball coach John¿Calipari expects six of his former players to be picked in the NBA¿Draft. Terrence Jones, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and Marquis Teague will be on the draft board and Calipari said “it's pretty clear” that Davis will be the second Kentucky player taken as the top pick in the past three years. John¿Wall was chosen as the school's first No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft. Calipari isn't sure who will follow his former center, but said he thinks Kidd-Gilchrist and Jones will be close behind Davis on the draft chart.

During his successful Kentucky basketball career, Darius Miller never sought the spotlight. He was the perfect teammate on and off the court and endured a year under Billy Gillispie before being part of UK's resurgence under coach John Calipari that led to this season's national championship. That's why as someone who always thought Miller was somewhat under appreciated by many UK fans and predicted he would be the key to Kentucky's 2011-12 season because of his leadership on and off the court, it was hard not to appreciate what the Mason County product did over the weekend.

Darius Miller will shake hands with President Barack Obama on Friday. Before reuniting with his teammates and coaching staff for a visit to Washington, he exchanged high fives, hugs and handshakes with students Thursday at Strode Station Elementary. The University of Kentucky senior visited four schools in Clark County with former Wildcat standout Jeff Sheppard, who won a national championship with the school in 1998. The duo began at Strode Station, crossed over to Clark Middle, went across town to Central Elementary and concluded the trek with a visit to Conkwright Middle School.

Darius Miller's tour across Kentucky continues to be a huge success and the University of Kentucky senior continues to add new tour stops daily. “It has been amazing,” said Terrence Commodore, who is coordinating Miller's tour stops. “All the turnouts have been great. He stayed an extra hour in Pikeville to cover everybody in line, which is a good problem to have. People have been so thrilled to see him. One lady came up crying and shaking. “It has been fans of all ages, too. Adults, little kids, teenagers, men, women.

For Nicole Miller, her son's journey from high school star to gold medal winner to national champion seemed both long and quick. However, like University of Kentucky fans, she's extremely proud of what Darius Miller accomplished during his four years at Kentucky that culminated with the Wildcats winning the national title April 2 in New Orleans. “We are just really trying to get back to a normal life now and getting caught up on our rest,” said Nicole Miller. “But we are still so excited for Darius and the team.

Just how Unforgettable has Darius Miller's basketball career been at the University of Kentucky? Miller played in his school record 152nd game Monday when the Wildcats beat Kansas to win the national championship, UK's first since 1998. He finished his career with 1,248  points, 487 rebounds, 278 assists, 114 steals and 99 blocks. He played on teams that won 124 games and went 13-2 in NCAA Tournament play the last three years. "He's the most unselfish player I've ever coached," said Kentucky coach John Calipari.

NEW ORLEANS - It wasn't hard for Darius Miller to answer - or laugh - when he ever envisioned having the national championship net around his neck when he was a freshman at Kentucky. “No, not my freshman year,” the Kentucky senior said Monday after the Wildcats defeated Kansas 67-59 to win Kentucky's first national title since 1998 and eighth overall. Miller had five points, six rebounds and two blocked shots in the game. He finished his career with 1,248 points - 34th on Kentucky's all-time scoring list.

NEW ORLEANS - Kentucky's year-long national championship quest is over thanks to a 67-59 victory over Kansas in the national championship game. Not only did Kentucky win 38 games, go unbeaten in regular-season Southeastern Conference play and lose just twice all season - a buzzer-beat at Indiana that led to fans storming the court and a rare final four-minute scoring collapse against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament - but the Wildcats started...