Desmond Miller has big plans at Appalachian State

BY MIKE LONDON
SALISBURY POST

BOONE — Most days, Appalachian State defensive tackle Desmond Miller spends four hours in the weight room. That’s how the former A.L. Brown High Shrine Bowler has increased his weight to 270 pounds and improved his bench press to 395.

And yet, every time Miller wearily departs that weight room, he knows there’s at least one person who’s even more dedicated than he is.

“My mom,” says Miller. “This is my third year and Mom’s never missed a thing. She’s been at every single game, every single play, even knowing I wouldn’t play much and maybe not at all.”

But Miller’s mom — Kim Hamilton — shouldn’t have any empty trips to exotic venus like Wofford and Chattanooga this time around. This year Ms. Hamilton’s strapping young man is going to play. He’s going to play early and he’s going to play often.

Miller, who turns 20 on Saturday, is reluctant to come right out and say he’s won a starting berth for the 1-AA powerhouse Apps of the Southern Conference, but it’s clearly on the horizon.

“Just say I’m sharing time with a senior,” says Miller, who’s classified as a red-shirt sophomore. “But, oh yeah, I’ll definitely play some.”

When Miller says, “I’ll play some,” you can bank on him being on the field, because he’d rather run laps in full equipment than brag on himself.

The Wonders won the 1997 3A state championship Miller’s senior year. All-World Junior Nick Maddox, now at Florida State, was the star of that team, but Miller got his share of props all the same. He was all-conference, all-Piedmont and was selected to the Shrine Bowl. But that’s exactly what made all that watching he did during the past two football seasons so agonizing.

“It was real hard,” says Miller. “You know, I’d been a two-way starter in high school and then I made Shrine Bowl. So it was sort of tough to red-shirt that first year in Boone.”

But Miller, like hundreds of athletes before him, now looks back with 20-20 hindsight and sees that it was the right move. The Apps realized immediately that the season the burly Miller is going to give them as a 22-year-old mountain in 2002 is going to be a heck of a lot more productive than anything he could have done for them as an overmatched 250-pound, 18-year-old in ‘98.

“I watched the guys that first year and realized how much work I still had to do,” says Miller. “The other thing I learned by watching was how much fun it was going to be when I got in there.”

Miller got in there a little bit last season. He even had a sack against The Citadel.

“Can’t say all that much about that,” says Miller. “But you know I’ll be going for a bunch against Citadel this year. My old coach (Bruce Hardin) is down there now and so are his boys (safety Blair and quarterback Justin). I like to talk junk to those Hardin boys.”

Bruce Hardin, who’s an Appalachian grad himself, made the trip to watch Miller play against Wofford. Miller says that, ironically, that was his worst game of the year.

“The guy ahead of me got hurt and I played a whole lot,” said Miller. “I didn’t do well. I got beat down pretty good.”

But older, wiser, quicker and stronger, Miller figures it’s his turn to do the “beating down” in 2000.

The first beatee could be Wake Forest. Appalachian opens with the Deacs in Winston-Salem on a Thursday night and Miller says the Apps will be ready when they invade Groves Stadium.

“Can’t wait for it,” says Miller, “because I hear Jamie Scott (of A.L. Brown’s fiercest rival Concord High) is the starting tailback. Jamie and I go back to a Concord Boys Club team in the sixth grade. Since then, we’ve been sort of friendly enemies, if you know what I mean. Jamie better be ready. It’s gonna be like old times.”

Miller says he doesn’t get home to Kannapolis much, but every time he does there’s a virtual reunion of the ‘97 team.

“We all got together for a cookout when Nick (Maddox) finally got his Honda Accord this summer,” laughs Miller. “We had to go out that night.”

Miller says that he and Maddox communicate regularly through the wonders of e-mail. They miss one another, but neither regrets his college decision, even though the road to playing time hasn’t exactly been easy.

“You watch. Nick’s gonna take care of things in Tallahassee,” chuckles Miller. “I’m gonna take care of things right here.”

And when Miller starts taking care of things over at Wake on Aug. 31, Mom isn’t going to miss a second of the fun. Her dedication — and her son’s — is about to pay off.