Virginia Cavaliers Basketball Player Profile: Justin Miller

Justin Miller, another late addition to the Cavaliers in the spring, comes as a walk-on guard. Miller originally hails from Colombia, Missouri, and was considered a prospect on the rise before a tough run of injuries halted his prep career. As a sophomore at Rock Bridge High School, Miller started at point guard, averaging over 9 points per game, and leading his team in three point shooting, assists and steals. Things went downhill from there, however. The 6'1'' guard suffered a serious leg injury during his junior season, and never played high school basketball again. That pretty much ended his college basketball recruitment. Miller stayed close to home and attended the University of Missouri this year, but he did not play basketball. After a visit to Charlottesville earlier this week, Miller decided he would accept an opportunity to walk on at UVA.

This is basically a low to no-risk situation for Tony Bennett and the Virginia program. Miller is not taking up a scholarship, and any contributions he makes to the team, either in practice or in games, is a bonus. What type of impact Miller can make remains to be seen. If he is healthy, Miller could log some minutes for the Hoos over the next few years. Miller is known for having a great touch from beyond the three point line, and, as mentioned before, lead his high school team in steals.

If there's anything UVA could always use in a guard in Bennett's system, it's the ability to shoot and play solid defense. Virginia may have found a sleeper in Miller, but if not, he will at least be a practice body that the injury-depleted Cavaliers didn't have enough of this past season. With Virginia's depth issues at point guard early in the season, don't be surprised to see Miller get some playing time if the coaches are comfortable with his knowledge of the system.