For the past year, Janti Miller had been eagerly waiting for his chance to face Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
And in his debut in the Philippines’ most intense rivalry, the 21-year-old Filipino-American guard did not disappoint.
The high-flying winger scored 22 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out two assists, and made a crucial endgame block to lead San Beda University to a 68-58 victory, giving them the early lead in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament.
For Miller, the wait was more than worth it.
“Since my residency year, as soon as I landed, they kept saying ‘Letran, Letran, Letran,’ and that there’s a rivalry,” he said after the win.
“After waiting for a year and then practicing, I finally arrived here, and it was fun out there.”
Miller has lived up to the hype so far for San Beda.
In their opening-day 96-85 win over College of Saint Benilde, he contributed 16 points and six rebounds.
What surprised head coach Yuri Escueta, however, was Miller’s defensive intensity.
“Di ko naman sinasabi na ineexpect ko ito, pero this is something that I wish na makitang performance palagi. Not only on the offensive side, but also on the defensive side,” said Escueta, noting how Miller effectively guarded players like Jonathan Manalili and Deo Cuajao.
“That’s what I’m happy to see from him right now.”
Despite the early success, Escueta reminded Miller to stay grounded. After all, it’s only Game No. 2 of a long season.
“As a coach, of course, it’s always nice to have a talent like Janti,” Escueta added.
“I told him after the game to stay humble. This season is still early, so I’m sure he’s gonna see a lot more of different kinds of defense. The best way to handle this is for him to stay grounded.”
Whether coming off the bench, starting, being the ace scorer, or just a lockdown defender, Miller is ready to embrace any role.
“It doesn’t matter if I come off the bench, because when I go out there on the court, it’s go time. So whenever coach puts me out there, I will just go, that is our connection,” he said.
“So it doesn’t really matter to me.”
