WASHINGTON (March 12, 2024) - A season that began with so much promise quickly turned as soon as you can say, Destiny Howell (Queens, N.Y.).  The 6-foot senior guard and reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Year was selected the Preseason Player of the Year after leading the Howard University women's basketball team to the title game a year ago.
 
Howell, regarded as one of the best shooters in the country, tore her ACL in an exhibition game; thus, her season was over before it started.
 
A team that returned some key pieces to go along with Howell's scoring, suddenly struggled to find an identity. Through the early part of the season, the Bison struggled to find points.
 
"Those were some trying times," recalls Howard Head Coach Ty Grace, in her ninth season. "We looked around and were trying to figure out how we were going to get out of all this."
 
Adding to their woes, the Bison had lost guard Aziah Hudson, an All-MEAC Second Team selection and team's second-leading scorer (12.0 points per game).
 
Moreover, the only seasoned returning starters were fifth-year point guard Iyanna Warren (Accokeek, Md.), who was coming off a shortened season with injuries, and senior guard Kaniyah Harris (Capital Heights, Md.) and senior forward Kaiya Creek (Seat Pleasant, Md.).
 
Yet, through all the long scoring droughts, Howard was able to rely on its defense to keep games close as it searched for an identity.
 
During those trying times, it was the play of sophomore forward Nile Miller (Haddonfield, N.J.), who emerged as an elite defender.
 
A strong candidate for MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, Miller has ranked among the conference leaders in steals, blocked shots and rebounding all season. It is the reason that in the absence of its normal staple of three -point shooting success, the Bison have been able to turn things around. They are one of the hottest teams in the conference as we headed down the stretch, winning seven-of-the-last-nine since February.
 
"After losing Destiny, I really felt like we were a new team, getting used to each other," said Grace. "We were trying to figure out our individual talents and how it could all come together. It was definitely a trying time."
 
The Howard full-court pressure has helped it turn opponents over and limit them to under 60 points and under 30-percent shooting from the floor.
 
Miller, who plays bigger than her listed 6-foot-1 dimension, causes disruption in the Howard press defense with her length on the front end. It has helped create turnovers 18 miscues per game. But that is just half the equation. In the halfcourt defense, she has become a force with her ability to block or change shots.
 
And while she is not a scorer, her ability to keep the ball alive for second chance opportunities, has been a major factor in the team's turnaround.
 
"I was in unfamiliar territory in last year's championship," Miller admits. "Then, it all hit after losing the (championship) game, I began to look at things differently. I said to myself 'I did not want to feel this way again.'"
 
To change that, Miller came back more determined to be improved after being named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team
 
The proof is in the pudding, as they say. Her scoring (6.9 ppg), rebounding (6.8), blocks (27) and steals (60) have increased from last year's rookie season.
 
"I saw my role as different," Miller said. "I knew that it was important to become more of a leader, especially with Destiny out. I was determined to come back as a better player."
 
With the season hanging in the balance, the Bison put together its best effort of the season in a home win over defending tournament champion and preseason favorite Norfolk State in Burr Gymnasium.
 
"That game was a confidence builder for us that we can compete for the title," notes Miller.
 
With the tournament looming (March 13-16), Howard secured the No. 2 seed with a 10-4 mark in league play.
 
Miller is a sociology major with a communications minor. Interestingly, she changed the normal script in recruiting.
 
"We heard about Nile and were looking at her," explained Coach Grace, who has led the team to three title games during her tenure on The Hilltop. "But she had already pegged us as her first choice."
 
Echoes Miller, "I had some offers from some PWIs, but I was not feeling them. I decided to attend an HBCU and that was when I decided Howard was the best place for me."
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.