| 16 September 2009
Sometimes as writers, we have grandiose visions of reaching back in time for a player from the past in hopes of shedding light on their present situation – where they are, what they’re doing today and how they got there.
But not everyone wants to be found.
Two years ago, Jerry Crowe – then a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times – wrote a piece titled, “USC lobs calls to Miner, hoping that one connects". In it, Crowe vividly describes how the school wished to honor Harold Miner – the Trojans all-time scoring leader in men's basketball - during a halftime ceremony commemorating his legacy as an All-American and subsequently NBA star.
The trouble was no one could find Miner. And those that did know of his whereabouts never received a return phone call. As Crowe discovered during his research, even a call from the Times wasn’t returned.
“I get the feeling that he does not want to be found,” Crowe, now a sports columnist with the Times, wrote me in an email when I inquired recently if he’d eventually spoken to Miner these years later.
“If you do find him and write a story, please let me know.”
Writing a story at times can be seamless. But tracking down someone who declines interviews, remains private and unreachable is tantamount to walking on water.
Much like Crowe and a scattering of NBA fans, Miner’s story intrigued me – particularly as someone with a love for the history of the game. And back in the mid-90’s, the man they called “Baby Jordan” was unarguably one of the biggest names in the game. A two-time Slam Dunk Champion (1993 and 1995) with the Miami Heat – where he was the 12th overall pick in 1992 – Miner was in and out of the league as quick as he rose from the hardwood to the rim. After averaging 10.3 points and 10.5 points per game his first two seasons in Miami, the 6’5 shooting guard had an uneventful season in Cleveland in 1995 and was cut by the Toronto Raptors in preseason the following season.
In 1996, Miner retired from the sport. He was 24-years old.
“I always felt the worst thing to happen to Harold was the "Baby Jordan" tag,” George Raveling, Miner’s former coach at USC, once said.
In the end, Miner played a total of four seasons and in 200 games.
Some say Miner had bad knees and opted not to try a career overseas because of the pain. A few even recall a Shoeless Joe Jackson moment of seeing Harold play with a ragtag bunch in the American Basketball Association. Others suggest he simply failed to live up to the expectations of the NBA. Yet those that know Miner and played with him at one time or another profess his decision to leave the game was not effortless by any means.
“I haven’t talked to him in a while,” said New Orleans Hornets assistant coach Robert Pack, who shared the backcourt with Miner at USC.
“It’s been a long while, but I’m sure the way he played the game, knew the game, knew the history and someone with that passion, it had to be hard to walk away.”
For Pack, discussing Miner’s anonymity today away from the game and interview requests seems a far cry the guy who left everyone in Trojan practices in awe.
“He was an amazing college player that I got to see every day in practice. You know everyone was talking about him as “Baby Jordan”, but there’s a reason he got that label,” Pack remembers.
“He was doing those things in practice. He wasn’t Mike (Jordan). There’s only one Mike. But his style of play, he was able to do a lot of things that you came to appreciate and understand why they called him that. He was very gifted and a student of the game. I think he ran into knee troubles his last year in Miami or Cleveland and that kind of slowed him, and not being able to do some of the things he did before kind of affected him.”
Today, the 38-year old Miner – according to newspaper clippings and personal sources – lives in Las Vegas and is a married father with a daughter who dabbles in real estate investing. It’s said he prefers family life over re-living highlight reel dunks or the direct pain of leaving the game of basketball with dreams in hand at such a young age.
“That’s probably why he hasn’t been accessible to anyone at all,” Pack said softly.
“I know it would be tough for a guy that was so passionate about the game like he was.”
True is that may be, I can respect Miner's privacy and lonerism and will continue the great search. Regardless of reason, his story is one that will always be a part of the history of this game - even if Harold Miner doesn't want to remember it that way.
pic via: nba.com/heat
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