COLUMBIA, S.C. — Alabama forward Brandon Miller, a standout freshman who is the team’s leading scorer, was in the starting lineup Wednesday night and scored his season high for points while starring in the second-ranked Crimson Tide’s overtime win at South Carolina.
He was back on the court just a day after police said Miller delivered a gun ahead of a fatal shooting that took place near campus in mid-January, with Miller playing hours after the university said he’d remain an “active member” of the basketball program and is not considered a suspect.
Alabama’s support for Miller, one of the nation’s top players, made little difference to Gamecocks fans at Colonial Life Arena, who focused on the 6-foot-9, 200-pounder from Antioch, Tennessee, even before the Southeastern Conference game started. The crowd booed each time Miller touched the ball, and members of the student section chanted, “Lock him up!” and “Guilty!” several times when he was on court.
Miller, who finished with 41 points, scored the decisive basket with 0.9 second left in overtime as SEC-leading Alabama beat South Carolina 78-76.
The game capped an eventful few days for Miller, who is considered a possible lottery pick for the NBA draft. Authorities allege he is connected to the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris last month. Tuscaloosa Police investigator Brandon Culpepper testified this week that Miller brought a gun to Darius Miles, who was on Alabama’s roster at the time, on the night of the shooting after Miles texted him and asked him to do so.