Rutgers star freshman Kiyomi McMiller's strange benching, explained
The women’s basketball freshman class, including Rutgers guard Kiyomi McMiller, has been pretty stellar.
McMiller’s a walking highlight reel with some of the sickest moves in recent memory. She’s had several clips that have gone viral this season, including this mind-boggling video in which she pushed the ball between a defender’s legs before 360-spinning around them and driving to the basket for a jumper.
The DMV native has quickly made a name for herself, and as her stardom has ascended, so have the number of eyes on her game. More people want in on the McMiller experience, including when the Scarlet Knights play ranked matchups. As expected, fans were excited to see the young guard in action when Rutgers played USC on January 5. But hours before tipoff, McMiller revealed she wouldn’t be suiting up, creating so many questions.
Let’s dive in with what we know so far as this story continues to unfold:
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Kiyomi McMiller quickly became a top-scoring threat for Rutgers
In her college debut, McMiller started but played just four minutes. However, she went 2-for-2 in limited action, scoring four points and snagging a rebound.
Since then, she’s started in 12 of the 14 games she’s played, including a career-high 31-point outing against LaFayette on December 21.
Rutgers started quietly limiting Kiyomi McMiller’s minutes
Shortly after her stellar day against LaFayette, in which McMiller played 40 minutes, something was potentially brewing.
During the Scarlet Knights’ next two matchups against Ohio State and Maryland, she played just 27 and 24 minutes, respectively, including just five minutes in the second half against the Terps after a tough outing.
Maryland being Maryland. Held the Scarlet Knights to 9 pts in the second quarter. Rough half for Kiyomi McMiller – 14 pts, 6 TOs and no assists. Terps defense hell to deal with. pic.twitter.com/y4S8gJadcp
— Raymond Lyons (@hoopsrealist) January 3, 2025
Kiyomi McMiller revealed that Rutgers benched her for a matchup against USC
Just hours before her game against top-ranked USC, McMiller stunned fans by taking to Instagram to reveal that she wouldn’t be playing against the Trojans.
Very few details were provided about why McMiller wouldn’t be on the court, but the young hooper explained that her head coach, Coquese Washington, made the decision.
Rutgers head coach Coquese Washington is mum on Kiyomi McMiller’s absence
PISCATAWAY, NEW JERSEY – JANUARY 5: Head coach Coquese Washington of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights reacts during a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Jersey Mike’s Arena on January 5, 2024 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
During a postgame press conference following the matchup with USC, Washington didn’t explain what prompted McMiller’s benching.
However, here is what she shared with the media:
“The thing with Kiyomi is, you know, we’re going to keep it internal. … For me, coaching is not just about what happens on the court on game day. It’s about how we impact these young women in our program in all aspects, from their character to their growth into womanhood to their decision-making.
So, I see my role as a coach as being more than X’s and O’s and wins and losses, but how am I impacting young women in my care? That’s always going to be first and foremost. … We’re going to keep the specifics internal, but I’ll never turn down an opportunity and use this position to do anything other than have an impact on young women’s lives.”
Kiyomi McMiller’s advisor speaks about about benching, hints about transfer
With so many unanswered questions about McMiller’s status with Rutgers, it’s hard to find answers about what will happen next, but one of her trusted advisors shared their thoughts.
Per Steve Politi and Joey Chandler of NJ Advance Media, Leonard Ellerbe from McMiller’s executive team was surprised by what transpired.
“It was shocking,” Ellerbe recently said. “In my opinion, this should have been handled in an entirely different matter, and I think this is embarrassing to the entire program.”
Ellerbe also considered McMiller’s future relationship with the Rutgers women’s basketball program, saying, “I don’t want to speak in terms of long-term, but this is—you don’t treat people like this … I’m trying to say the right thing here. Who knows what her future looks like right now? Who knows what her future looks like?”
A Rutgers alum posts cryptic tweets amid Kiyomi McMiller’s benching
McMiller’s absence has permeated basketball circles, including reaching former players.
April Sykes, who was with the Scarlet Knights from 2008 to 2012, shared several cryptic tweets to X (formerly Twitter).
That’s not how we do things on the banks!
— April Sykes (@AP_Slush24) January 6, 2025
Don’t let these new generation of kids fool yall on what Rutgers Basketball really represents!
— April Sykes (@AP_Slush24) January 6, 2025
Doesn’t matter how much money is in involved now, no one is bigger than the game!
— April Sykes (@AP_Slush24) January 6, 2025
Kiyomi McMiller seemingly shades Rutgers for how the team looks without her
On January 6th, things took another turn. McMiller shared several posts of fan support to her Instagram story.
However, she also shared several posts that showed how the Scarlet Knights played without her against USC and even posted (and deleted) comments that said she should transfer.
Update: The repost now looks to have been deleted. https://t.co/hKP6TS6HZ6
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) January 6, 2025