Cheryl Miller was born January 3rd, 1964 in Riverside, California; the third of five children to Saul and Carrie Miller. The Miller children grew up with a backyard basketball court and it was there that Cheryl would begin to hone her raw talent. With competitive brothers, who all were great athletes, Cheryl would come to stand out as one of the best athletes in the whole neighborhood. By freshmen year she was 6’2”, towering over opponents in stature and talent.
Cheryl led her high school team, Riverside Polytechnic, to a record of 132 wins and a mere 4 losses, winning 4 state championships and taking home All-American honors in those all 4 years. In one 1982 game, Miller scored 105 points, a California high school record. She also performed what are thought to be the first two dunks by a female in an organized competition.
Wanting to stay close to home, Cheryl chose the University of Southern California where she would quickly become a star. Cheryl had developed a great shooter’s touch that made her formidable from the outside as well as being a staunch defender and dominant rebounder. In 1983, she would lead the Trojans to a national championship title while winning the most outstanding player of the tournament. That very summer, she would win a Gold Medal in the PanAM games.
