Kamiyah Paris Miller is always there for her teammates.
Whether it’s having their backs on the basketball court or being there to make them look their prettiest, the Frankford High School junior is always there to add a little happiness to her friends’ day.
And a little color to their hair, if that’s what they want.
“I like doing it because I feel like it brings the girl out on me,” said Miller, a power forward. “I’m not a girlie girl, but without hair, I can’t express myself. I change my hair every week, and I enjoy doing other people’s hair. Hair matters the most on a girl.
“My mom did hair, she had a little shop when I was 11. I started washing people’s hair. At 12, I started braiding. And now I do my own hair without anyone helping me. Most people can’t do their own hair. So many colors to choose. That’s me, I have red hair, it expresses who I am. I can change and have a new look.
“I do the hair, a few of my teammates. For media day, I’m doing it for flag football pictures. I think people will be shocked. My mom didn’t play basketball but my uncle played basketball. But the hair, I get that from my mom. I love doing it.”
What Miller can do in the salon is incredible.
Almost as incredible as what she can do on the court.
Miller, who transferred into Frankford this year, didn’t just become a key member of the team, she became one of the best players in the Public League. Miller made a fantastic debut, being named the Liberty Division Most Valuable Player this year in leading the Pioneers to the division championship.
The Olney native scored more than 12 points per game, pulled down better than 13 rebounds per game, grabbed 3.5 steals and provided the Pioneers with a double-double in just about every game she played in.
“I think as a team, I think we played great,” Miller said. “I really like the intensity we brought. People saw us as the underdog and we proved no team can mess with us. As a team, when we play together, we play way better. When I first met them, I never expected us to play the way we play now. Now, we talk more, we communicate. During a game, if I get beat, someone is there to step up. In the beginning, we didn’t talk. We played selfish. Now we play team basketball.”
The entire team worked well together, but what made Frankford special was the way its stars aligned. There was a lot of talent. While it helps to have good players around you, there’s only one basketball. But the Pioneers had no problem sharing.
Zanayiah Cross and Janeliss Laboy were two of the best players in the league, but they only got better with the addition of Miller.
Miller knows her teammates helped her, too.
“I think it was a team thing, Janeliss was our guard and I’m her wing,” Miller said. “We wanted to win really bad and it inspired the team to go harder because we were playing for each other.
“We were an unstoppable duo. I learned a lot from her, it was awesome having her. She helped me break out of my shell. She talked to me and we talked to the team together. I really loved being a part of this team. We worked really well together.”
All three stars were All-Public selections, and the pieces fit perfectly together.
But next year, two of the three First-Team selections are headed to college, while Miller still has another season of high school basketball ahead of her.
She is also playing a season of flag football this year.
“I don’t really know what I’m doing, but I’m fast and I can catch, so they told me I’m a receiver,” Miller said with a laugh. “It was fun. I’m learning. I don’t know everything about it yet, but I’m starting to learn. It should help me for basketball.”
Basketball might be on the backburner when she’s going deep on the gridiron, but she knows that’s her future.
It’s also a huge part of her present.
“I think playing with this team and doing everything we did this year, it helped me for next year,” Miller said. “I liked it. I think leading them, that’s all they need. Everyone needs a leader. If they have one and everything is together, I feel we can step up. I learned so much this year about being a leader from being around great leaders. I want to be that for everyone next year. They can come to me.”
She’ll always be there for her teammates because she knows there’s strength in numbers.
She learned that at home.
“My coach has helped me so much, he always pushes me and expects more,” Miller said. “My mom helps me, she teaches me a lot. When I would do hair, I would get frustrated. She’ll tell me to take a break and she’ll teach me. I hope she’s proud, I try to make her so proud. I have a big support system. My dad, my mom, her husband, my uncle and Coach (Jon) Michels. I’m lucky, I have a lot of people who care about me.
“My uncle played. He’s taught me a lot, when I say he comes over after he gets done work and we work on things. I’ll be so tired, he’ll take me to the track, he works out with me, along with my mom’s husband. They’re making me get better.”
The goal is to be as good, or better, as a team next year, while continuing to grow as a player.
“Goals for senior year, I honestly want to come out and be able to play the post, play the three to the five so I can be more prepared for college,” Miller said. “I definitely want to get MVP again and I want to be at a point where I’m way more confident with the ball. I want to expand my bag and I want our team to do well. We have talent, we can do it.”
