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John Pelphrey was among Florida assistant coaches heavily involved in Mike Miller’s recruitment in the late 1990s.
I asked Pelphrey whether he was at Miller’s doorstep in South Dakota at 12:01 a.m., the first minute of an open recruiting contact period. Or whether that story was somehow concocted and became urban legend.
With a smile, Pelphrey responded: “There was a lot of legendary things that took place.”
Florida’s aggressive recruiting helped the Gators land Miller, a five-star recruit many felt was headed to Kansas. Miller, now a forward with the Miami Heat, went on to become the centerpiece player in UF’s run to the 2000 NCAA finals.
“Somebody asked Mike Miller at his press conference at his high school, why did you choose Florida,” Pelphrey said. “And Mike said, very strong and convicted and without hesitation, 10 years from now. people will be asking, why not Florida.
“I don’t know outside of a small group of people anybody believed him. They thought, what’s this kid talking about, he’s just a high school kid. Very prophetic words. Because that next 10 years, a lot of things happened.”
Source: GatorSports.com - Hoops Scoop
