Inside Mercy Miller’s Basketball Life — Chris Paul Neighbor Stories, LJ Cryer UH Mentorship & Embracing the Grind While Waiting For His Time

Mercy Miller used to walk down the street to go to The Point God Chris Paul’s house to play basketball. He considers 16-year NBA veteran DeMar DeRozan to be like another uncle to him. He played on an AAU team with young NBA stars Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs and still keeps in regular contact with both, staying at Suggs’ house when he’s in Orlando. Yes, 19-year-old Mercy Miller’s lived quite the remarkable basketball life already. His first year at the University of Houston has brought its share of challenges, but this talented true freshman is more determined than ever.

“I feel like everybody coming here, you have to adjust to the way they play, the play style,” Miller tells PaperCity. “We have a great group. Just coming in to do my part and help out. I don’t want to be a guy who’s just on the floor. I have high hopes for myself. And I want to be a defensive stopper as well.

“Come in the game and impact winning in different ways besides scoring.”

Miller’s playing time is anything but guaranteed on this deep Top 10 worthy Houston team with an ultra experienced elite starting backcourt in LJ Cryer (85 career starts at Baylor and Houston), Emanuel Sharp (46 games started the last two season at UH) and Milos Uzan (70 games started at Oklahoma and Houston), a Sixth Man of the Year candidate in Terrance Arceneaux and a dramatically improved fifth-year backup point guard in Mylik Wilson. But Miller’s played 11 minutes or more in three of the last five games heading into a Saturday evening road game at Kansas State (and more importantly is gaining Houston coach Kelvin Sampson’s trust for the way he’s now playing when he does hit the floor).

Sampson specifically pointed out Miller as one of the guys who excelled in their role in UH’s thrashing of a talented BYU team. “Mercy is learning a lot from LJ,” Sampson says. “He’s learning how to be mature. He’s learning not to go out there and start vomiting shots up. That’s just silly.

“He’s learning maturity. It’s something that’s always been a part of our culture here is our older guys teaching our younger guys.”

LJ Cryer’s taken it upon himself to spend more and more time with Miller. Cryer knows what it’s like to score a ton of points in high school and then largely sit as a freshman on an elite team. Cryer averaged 10 minutes per game in the 20 games he got to play for Baylor’s 2020-21 national championship team.

“He’s told me his stories and the ups and downs he had,” Miller says. “That he had to deal with. How it’s about coming when the time is ready Being prepared for any moment. That’s what I’m going to try and do. Just stay positive and be ready when my number is called.”

Mercy isn’t pretending that it is easy to sit and wait for his chances. And no one in Kelvin Sampson’s hyper-competitive program would want him to be content with it. This is a four star recruit who averaged 29.8 points per game as a high school senior, breaking Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California’s school record by dropping 68 points in one game. Mercy Miller is a player, a talent who will be heard from at some point.

“I feel like it’s definitely a tough adjustment for me,” Miller tells PaperCity. “Just being in the position I was. But it’s different in high school playing all the minutes. This is college. I’m going to be OK. Just be ready for when my time is called. But this isn’t the first time I’ve played on a team with great players. . . I’ve played with a lot of good guys coming up.

“Just knowing what to do in the moments. Just being able to be a basketball player, I feel like that will all check out in the end.”

If Mercy Miller had wanted an easier path to playing time he could have went to USC and chucked up shots for a team that will need to fight for a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. Instead, he chose Kelvin Sampson’s rolling national championship contender of a program, one built around developing players with NBA guard success stories like Quentin Grimes, Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead.

“He’s told me his stories and the ups and downs he had. That he had to deal with. How it’s about coming when the time is ready Being prepared for any moment. That’s what I’m going to try and do. — UH true freshman guard Mercy Miller on LJ Cryer

Master P and Sonya Miller’s Son Believes In UH’s Proven Way

The son of the rapper Master P and Sonya Miller (who are divorced) chose the hard path, betting that UH’s proven player development success will pay off in the long run.

Mercy Miller is used to having wise basketball voices in his ear. “There’s a lot of guys who’ve been in the league who have that, show what it means to be a professional,” he says. “Like one of the main guys who I’ve seen throughout my whole life, who is like an uncle to me, is Demar DeRozan. He was best friends with my brother and just seeing the way he approaches the game every single day like it’s the first time he gets to go out there. . .

“For somebody to be playing so long and to have that love still and to be able to watch guys like that and see how they approach the game, it definitely helps me.”

Mercy Miller’s been around high achievers most of his young life. When Paul played for the Clippers, he lived near Miller’s family. Miller would head down to Paul’s house and hoop with one of the NBA’s best point guards ever and Paul’s younger kids.

Some people play basketball with a gym teacher growing up. Mercy Miller played with Chris Paul.

“It’s amazing where the game of basketball can take you and what you can see,” Miller says with a grin.

As we talk, the sounds of basketballs bouncing off the Fertitta Center’s gleaming court are still in the air. Miller is one of the guys who stayed after practice to get in extra shooting on this day. Terrance Arceneaux and Mylik Willson are right there with him. With beloved former player turned first year graduate assistant Ryan Elvin passing them the ball and UH’s tireless students managers rebounding for everyone.

Miller is into this post-practice grind, determined to hit five straight shots from each of the five positions outside the 3-point line (top of the key, wings and the corners). This is anyone but someone who’s checked out because he is not guaranteed minutes. Mercy Miller is putting in the work. He can tell how much his game’s improved in Houston’s high-level basketball lab already.

“It’s not even that,” Miller says. “It’s the defense. The defense is so hard here. Everybody plays defense when they play basketball. But it’s knowing to be in the right spot. And not giving up on plays. Just rebounding. Even my handle. I feel like my handle’s improved a tremendous amount being here with Coach Q(unnnas White). He works on it a lot.

“But I feel like it’s more of a mindset thing that’s been improving with me. Just being mentally engaged in all the moments. To all the little details. I feel like that will take me a longer step.”

“Whatever I can do to help. I’m not going to be somebody who’s pouting. I definitely feel I can help out.” — UH guard Mercy Miller

When Kelvin Sampson looks at his true freshman guard these days he sees more and more of a UH player than the AAU player Miller had been. “Now he’s starting to figure it out,” Sampson says.

Mercy Miller knows there is some extra fascination around him, a lot of outside of basketball, because he’s the son of an iconic rapper and music producer. His dad’s drive for success has helped shape him. Fewer recognize how much impact his strong mom’s had on him.

“My mom, she’s my biggest supporter,” Miller tells PaperCity. “She tells me to go give it my all every time I’m on the court. If y’all ever seen my mom at the games, when she comes down she’s probably one of the loudest people in here. Just screaming.

“She just loves the team. Loves everything that we’re all about. She’s definitely the biggest reason for me that I go so hard. Because I just want to give her the world. Because she gave me the world.”

Miller smiles. It’s well into the grind of the college basketball season and he’s not playing a lot. But he’s still going, still pushing, embracing the hard.

“Whatever I can do to help,” he says. “I’m not going to be somebody who’s pouting. I definitely feel I can help out. Whenever Coach believes in me and my time’s called, I’m just going to try and do my best and do what I’ve been doing my whole life. Play basketball. What I love to do.

“Just staying ready and being mentally engaged in all moments. Because I never know when my time may be.”

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