As his senior year of high school was coming to an end, Collin Miller had one goal on his mind. Growing up in the small town of Marlette, Michigan, basketball had always been a huge part of his life. “I wanted to play in college and I just remember being late in my senior year and not having secured an offer yet,” Miller says. “I had a couple of schools interested and UM-Dearborn reached out.” After connecting with the coaches, Miller realized he had found the right fit. “The coaches at UM-Dearborn felt like family,” he says. “And playing for the Block M, that was a pretty cool thing.”
His first year came with unexpected challenges — including a flooded home court that forced the team to practice and play off-site, sometimes an hour away. That, combined with a program that was rebuilding after the Covid pandemic, academic demands and the transition to UM-Dearborn from a high school with a graduating class of 30, created an adjustment period that tested him both on and off the court. “My first couple of years, I struggled with basketball and also with school,” Miller says. “Coming from a small town and you’re getting a Michigan degree, it wasn’t always easy.”
Over time, those challenges became the foundation for his success. “I feel like it’s made me who I am today,” he says. “Stronger in my faith as well as a student and a player.”
Now a team captain, Miller has embraced a leadership role shaped by those early experiences. Rather than focusing solely on his own performance, he’s committed to creating a better environment for younger teammates. “I wanted to try and be a leader and give the younger guys the experience that I wish I had,” he says. “And ultimately, I think our team dynamic is a lot better. We are all brothers at the end of the day.”
While that mindset was helping Miller grow into a leader on the court, it was also shaping the direction of his academic career. Originally a business major, he found himself drawn to a newly developing Sports Management program. “When I heard inklings through the Athletics Department about a sports management degree, I got right on top of that,” Miller says. “I actually reached out to the dean, and I was in her office talking to her about it. She was like, ‘How do you know about this? It’s not even official yet.’”
That initiative paid off. Miller transitioned into the new program and will be one of the first graduates to earn a bachelor’s in sports management from the College of Education, Health and Human Services. At the same time, he built a resume filled with hands-on experience. He secured a student job and internship with the Athletics Department working at UM-Dearborn’s Fieldhouse, where he helps run events across multiple sports and supports daily operations, gaining a behind-the-scenes understanding of athletics. “They have me doing a little of everything, but I love it,” he says. “And it’s been a staple for my resume and career development, but also for getting to meet all the people throughout UM-Dearborn.”
In addition, Miller has worked with the Detroit Pistons Academy for the last four years, helping run youth basketball camps across Michigan — an experience that has shaped both his professional goals and personal growth. “It’s definitely been rewarding,” Miller says. “It’s exposed me to a lot of different things that a small farm town kid probably would never get to experience — while also building me professionally and giving me mentors throughout the Pistons organization that have taken me under their wing and supported me.”
Through that work, Miller discovered a passion for coaching and a future that continues to be rooted in the game he’s loved since childhood. “I knew my personal basketball journey was probably going to come to an end one day,” he says. “But I always want to be around basketball. It’s been my life. So I knew I wanted to continue that in some aspect. And my love for coaching has definitely been exemplified through Pistons Academy.”
As graduation approaches, Miller plans to pursue graduate school while working as a college assistant coach, with a long-term goal of becoming an athletic director or head coach. Looking back, his experience at UM-Dearborn was not always what he expected — but it became something more valuable. “Being at this university is something I would never change. Even though it’s been super difficult at times, it’s also been super rewarding and made me the man I am today,” he says.
Some of those moments — like playing at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers, with his family watching courtside — he’ll carry with him long after graduation. “You’ll never forget playing on an NBA court,” he says. But for Miller, the most meaningful takeaway isn’t tied to a single game.
“It’s the experiences and the people, rather than the actual basketball at the end of the day,” he says. “My teammates, coaches and all the people I’ve met here — that’s something I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
Story by Kathryn Bourlier Kronner
