Rutgers guard Kiyomi McMiller transfers to Penn State women's basketball
Talia Goodman of On3 was the first to break the story Sunday afternoon.
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A Silver Spring, Md. native, McMiller averaged 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and three assists per game while shooting 42% from the field, 33% on 3-pointers and 83% from the free-throw line. She's also known for her flashy ball-handling and entertaining style that's been seen all over social media.
McMiller's move to Penn State could prove to be beneficial on both sides and both she and the Nittany Lions' program could use a positive change.
While the on-court product was entertaining, it was briefly overshadowed by a public disagreement between her and head coach Coquese Washington, who elected to bench McMiller for the game agasint USC, where fans were excited to watch her go against JuJu Watkins. McMiller responded to the action by posting to social media, apologizing to her fans that she wouldn't be playing in the game, and the decision was her coach's.
That, along with the team's poor play last season (13-20, 3-15 Big Ten) made it all but certain that McMiller would enter the transfer portal, which she eventually did.
Jan 12, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Carolyn Kieger during the first quarter against the USC Trojans at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
On the Penn State side, head coach Carolyn Kieger just finished a season where her team finished last in the conference (1-17 in Big Ten play), and all but two players entered the transfer portal. Needing something to help turn things around, Kieger brings in a player who has skill and a desire to be the face of the program, which is a better place to be than she could've initially planned for.
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With about a dozen roster spots left to fill, the work is far from over for Kieger and her staff, but they made a big acquisition by bringing Kiyomi McMiller to State College.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Penn State women's hoops gets transfer commit from Kiyomi McMiller
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New York Times
40 minutes ago
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Mandel's Mailbag: Big Ten's Playoff power grab and bold calls for 2025 season
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It gets interesting when you think multiple teams may get to six wins on the same day, and it comes down to which game ends first. As for the last team, good luck! — Eric Hazard I love this question, both because it's a lot more fun than Playoff plans and revenue sharing, but also, Eric submitted it by actual email! You can too: Stewart@ The first part is extra tricky because this is a year with two off weeks per team, so not many will be playing straight through for the first six weeks. So, it's no guarantee the first bid will be clinched in Week 6 (Oct. 4). And then to figure out the time of the games on top of that? Advertisement I strongly considered Jalon Daniels and the Kansas Jayhawks, who are going to bounce back in a big way this season and get a head start in Week 0, so they do play their sixth game on Oct. 4. Five of those games are Fresno State, Wagner, West Virginia, Cincinnati and at UCF. But the sixth is at Missouri. Can't pull the trigger. That brings me to two candidates playing on Oct. 11: Navy should be very good, and it opens with VMI, UAB, at Tulsa, Rice, Air Force and at Temple. Then there's Pitt, which I consider one of the top surprise contenders. The Panthers' first six are Duquesne, Central Michigan, at West Virginia, Louisville, Boston College and at Florida State. If Pitt is really 5-0 heading to Florida State, which, let's say is 3-2, that'll be the top ACC TV game that week. Last year, the No. 1 ACC game usually aired at noon on either ABC (though usually that was an SEC game) or ESPN. Whereas Navy's conference games were split either at noon on ESPN/ESPN2 or 3:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. No idea which one would get the Temple game. Given Pitt is more likely to be earlier, I give the nod to Pat Narduzzi's team, which would be its second straight 6-0 start. Hopefully this one doesn't finish 7-6. For the second part of the question, I looked for western teams that could conceivably get picked for the late-night window on Nov. 29. Not a single Power 4 team fit the bill, and Oregon State is playing Washington State at 3:30 on The CW that day. But then I turned to the Mountain West, and there was an obvious choice: Hawaii, which hosts Wyoming at 11 p.m. ET. Why not leave the CFP at 12 and give it five more years? — Shannon E. It's telling that in every previous iteration of the sport, back to the BCS, the majority of fans have clamored for a bigger playoff field. Now, having gotten an initial peek at 12, I'd guess more want to stay where it's at than immediately fast forward to 16. Advertisement Do you agree with Dan Lanning and others that the CFP should commence the week after Championship Saturday and finish Jan. 1 with bowl games played throughout the month on off days? Can we call it 'December Delirium?' — Don D. Yes, absolutely. The inaugural 12-team CFP dragged all the way to Jan. 20, and it showed in the surprisingly modest viewership (relatively speaking) for what should have been a blockbuster Ohio State-Notre Dame matchup. It should have been up from Michigan-Washington a year earlier (25 million), not down 12 percent (22.1 million). Nor was it ideal that the first-round Saturday goes head-to-head with big NFL games. I agree with Lanning that Week 0 should become Week 1. Not only would it help with CFP scheduling, but also it gives college football two weeks to itself at the start of the season, and, as Lanning pointed out, there could be less overlap with the season and the transfer portal window. I was a bit surprised, though, that he said he'd prefer to start the Playoff a week after the conference championships. I realize his team was red-hot at the end of the regular season, then completely laid an egg in the Rose Bowl following a 25-day layoff. But most players need a week or two off after the grind of a 12- or 13-game season. While his team was negatively affected by a long break, Ohio State and Notre Dame, which did not play in conference title games, looked pretty darn fresh coming off a three-week break. I've been beating this drum for three years, but my preferred schedule is: • First round on the second weekend in December (currently Army-Navy week). • Quarterfinals on the third weekend. Note: I believe the NFL would back off this Saturday, or at least schedule less-important games, if going against these games, which averaged nearly 17 million viewers last year. • Semifinals on New Year's Day. Advertisement • National championship on the second Monday in January, like before. And then you have a three-week portal window beginning later in December, when only a handful of teams are still playing significant games. If there were no preseason rankings, how would media outlets adjust to covering season previews and early season matchups? — Jon There will always be preseason rankings, whether official (AP and USA Today coaches poll) or unofficial (the other 3,000 of them on the internet), because lots and lots of people read them. And then complain about them. And then read them again the next year.
Indianapolis Star
3 hours ago
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Experts align on Purdue's starting quarterback: Who will it be, expectations, what's the future?
One quarterback chose Purdue football in the transfer portal only after leaving to study under six-time Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick at his new digs at North Carolina. Three other quarterbacks had transferred, one leaving the Boilermakers after spring practice, and those remaining will compete for the starting quarterback job in Barry Odom's first year as Purdue coach. An offense that was seventh-worst in yardage last season has plenty of room to improve. And quarterback play will be a key element. So, who emerges to take the first snaps? That battle begins Thursday and will run to Aug. 30 when Purdue hosts Ball State. IndyStar Purdue insider Nathan Baird and Courier-Journal reporter Sam King huddled with IndyStar assistant sports editor Aaron Ferguson to discuss Purdue's quarterback situation. Here is their conversation. Ferguson: Which quarterback will take the first snap of the Barry Odom era, and why do you think he will win? King: Ryan Browne. That nobody stood out enough to own the position throughout spring camp probably played a part in Browne's return to Purdue after a spring under the tutelage of Bill Belichick. He has dual threat ability and, though he doesn't have a ton of games under his belt, he's played meaningful reps at quarterback in the Big Ten over the past two seasons. However, this is a competition that still may not be settled when someone steps behind center against Ball State on Aug. 30. Baird: I agree Browne seems the likeliest candidate. I would not rule out Bennett Meredith, who held his own against the wave of transfers who came in before the spring. The best case scenario, though, would be Purdue having the opportunity to give two or more contenders a lot of reps in those first two games against Ball State and Southern Illinois. It needs multiple starting-caliber Big Ten quarterbacks and, frankly, it starts preseason camp uncertain whether it has one. If this competition must extend into the season, so be it. In the context of where this program wants to be long-term, the question of who takes the first snap is almost academic. The crucial question is does Purdue have the correct QB in place for a winnable span of games in mid-October? Boiler homecoming: Why this quarterback left Purdue football for Bill Belichick, and returns to 'home for me' Ferguson: Purdue's offense was seventh worst nationally in total offense, somehow ahead of two Big Ten teams, not even gaining 300 yards per game. Most of that had to come through the air due to large deficits the Boilers faced. Obviously quarterback plays a central role in the offense but what can we expect in terms of what this offense looks like? Baird: This team wants to establish the run. It has an offensive coordinator, Josh Henson, with a background on the offensive line. It has a reliable veteran running back in Devin Mockobee. All of its quarterbacks add some running ability. Maybe most importantly, its offensive line has some upside. Jalen St. John was a second team All-Mountain West tackle but may play guard. Giordano Vaccaro was a star in Canada and is in line to succeed Gus Hartwig at center. I don't know how explosive this offense will be, but if it can control the line of scrimmage it will give itself a chance. King: Barry Odom admitted at Big Ten media days that he wanted to know how many yards away Mockobee is from Mike Alstott's Purdue career rushing record. Like Nathan said, the transfer portal included major upgrades on the offensive line, which was a liability at some spots and a reason Purdue struggled offensively. Only six Purdue players have rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season. If Mockobee gets close, that will be a positive sign for the offense, which also appears to have significantly improved its receiving corps. Henson is getting his crack at play calling and I'd expect it to be pretty balanced in competitive games. Purdue didn't have many competitive games a year ago, which dictated what it had to attempt to do offensively. Insider mailbag: What will Purdue's offense look like? What's next for Boilers basketball? Ferguson: I know the nature of this conversation is about this fall, but it's hard not to look ahead as Barry Odom tries to build a program. Does the commitment of Corin Berry at QB show what he's looking for at that position, or is that reading too much into it? And the second prong of this thought would be, is there a quarterback on the 2025 roster who could take the reins into 2026 or will the position again need to be addressed? King: Any coach who isn't trying to recruit the best players is doing a disservice to the program regardless of who may or may not be returning. Odom has said previously he wants Purdue to recruit high school talent and develop from within. Given the situation he came into, a complete roster overhaul was necessary. Among the portal pulls were two young quarterbacks who began their careers elsewhere. I'm sure QB coach Darin Hinshaw would love to see Evans Chuba and Malachi Singleton elevate into starting caliber quarterbacks beyond 2025, much like he would returnee Browne and freshman Garyt Odom. Right now there are too many unknowns to pin down a potential long-term quarterback. Baird: All of the quarterbacks on the roster could conceivably be the long-term QB of the future. All also have some mobility, which Odom said is one of the attributes they seek when recruiting that position. We know Purdue has a plethora of young options. We have no idea if it has an answer. This season will be a 12-week proving ground to come up with that solution. Or, Berry and whoever transfers in restart the competition again next spring. Insider: How Barry Odom established Purdue football recruiting base, priorities after 1,800 mile move Ferguson: The way college football rosters have been constructed of late, I don't know that the 2026 QB is on the roster. However, we do know who is for this season. And, since both are in agreement on Browne, what are expectations for him this season? Baird: He is the most experienced option on the roster. He also created a tangible spark last season — at least for one game. He says his time at North Carolina was valuable and he learned a lot from being in meetings with Belichick. What we saw against Illinois was how much his legs could make a difference in the passing game. They had to respect him as a rushing threat, and even novice offensive play caller Ryan Browne could scheme up big vertical passing plays against those coverages. Browne should benefit from a more sophisticated approach, but he also needs some leeway. He was not yet ready to seize the starting job with a wide-open opportunity last season. He may be a better October and November talent than he looks to start the season. King: While Browne is the most experienced and, likely, the most suitable option to at least open camp as QB1, he is the least experienced with this coaching staff. Chuba, Singleton, Meredith and Odom all went through spring. Expectations are hard to place, but like Nathan said, we've seen Browne's ability to make plays. He did it two years ago at Northwestern and last season at Illinois. The Oregon game didn't fall fully on his shoulders, but last season the Ducks made Browne look pedestrian just six days after his performance against the Illini. It was always Hudson Card's job last season once he got healthy. If Browne earns the starting role, I think we'll see some dashes of brilliance but I'd temper expectations.
