Miller Had Moments In Basketball, Baseball Too

By: Tim Hayes-Bristol Herald Courier

January 30, 2009

Former Honaker High School star Heath Miller will try to secure a piece of rare jewelry on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

A win by the Steelers would give Miller a second diamond-encrusted championship ring.

But before Miller started at tight end for the Steelers and played on the sport’s biggest stage, he was the crown jewel of the Black Diamond District.

Miller’s exploits as an all-state quarterback for the Tigers have been well-documented. However, he also shined in baseball and basketball.

Miller played three seasons of basketball at Honaker and was dominant in the post. Nearly nine years ago – Feb. 2, 2000 – Miller had 26 points, 13 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocked shots in Honaker’s 56-50 win over Russell County rival Castlewood.

Miller helped the Tigers reach the BDD tournament title game as a junior, contributing 17 points and 18 rebounds in a loss to Haysi.

Miller could also hit a baseball.

As a senior in 2001, he was selected as the Bristol Herald Courier’s Southwest Virginia player of the year after hitting .580 with four home runs and 22 RBIs. He also had 13 doubles and scored 31 runs.

He played his last game in a Honaker uniform in Bristol, where the Tigers dropped a 9-1 decision to John Battle in the quarterfinals of the Virginia High School League Group A state baseball tournament.

Miller went 2-for-3 in that final game and drove in a run against Battle starting pitcher Daniel Rutter.

Then, it was off to the University of Virginia for Miller, where he was moved from quarterback to tight end. The rest, as they say, is history.