Brandon Miller explains what it means to win SEC Tournament MVP in hometown

Brandon Miller has been sensational all season long and it has carried over into the postseason.

As if earning SEC Player and Freshman of the Year honors along with a conference regular season title wasn’t enough, he had to go and sweep the awards in Nashville, too with an SEC Tournament title and MVP award as well.

It just so happens that the Alabama star freshman is a native of Antioch, Tennessee, which is 15 minutes down the road from the heart of Nashville. The future NBA lottery pick opened up about playing in front of his hometown crowd after beating Texas A&M 82-63 in the title game.

“It means a lot. Having my family come five minutes down the road to watch me play. I’ve seen friends. My high school coach was here. That’s probably the best thing,” Miller said about playing on the SEC’s biggest stage in his hometown. “The [most fun] part is coming out here, getting the win with my guys in the SEC championship.”

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Even more impressive, Miller played through most of the tournament through a groin injury, according to head coach Nate Oats. That didn’t stop him from averaging just over 20 points and 11 rebounds in three games in as many days.

Miller is likely in his final games in an Alabama uniform, as he’s expected to be one of the first names called off the board during the 2023 NBA Draft. Until then, focused on bringing the Crimson Tide its first national championship, and Final Four for that matter, in program history.

When the Tide made it to the Sweet 16 in 2021, it counted for just the second time since the turn of the century since Alabama made it that far in the NCAA Tournament. The 2004 Alabama team still stands as the only team in program history to earn an Elite Eight berth.

Alabama, with Miller at the helm, is looking to change that statistic forever as they enter March Madness as the tournament’s top overall seed. It’s their tournament to lose, and Nate Oats’ squad will only go as far as Miller is able to take them.