you all to experience going to San Antonio , riding the charter bus , it ’ s a great experience .” So just being able to get that done was really a dream come true .
You said your mom really encouraged you a lot last season because of the regional tournament . So just kind of walk me through . You made it to regionals last year , then what happened next ?
We go to regionals and I believe we ended up losing by one point . Everybody was irritated , and she was telling me , it ’ s over now , because we had lost Kentoya , our post player . And I was like , no , we still have another year . We can do it . She was like , I don ’ t know . I don ’ t think so . Mainly because we did not know who would play post at that point .
You knew how she was feeling regarding your team . And then all of a sudden , you get into the summer and what happened ?
I was at AAU basketball at the time . She went to the hospital in June . And I played AAU in June , July and August . So she wasn ’ t able to come to any of my summer league basketball games . Actually , I think she made it to one of them . That was in May . But some of them were live streamed . So she ’ s like , she ’ s in the hospital , she would still watch and support me , of course .
Why did she go to the hospital ?
She had a doctor ’ s appointment one morning , I believe it was June 8 . She went in and they tested her blood . Her blood or sugar was like a 30 or something not good . So they said , “ you need to go to the hospital , and stay there for that night .” That ’ s what she did . I was at work at the time and she called me and she ’ s like , “ Hey , don ’ t freak out . But I have to stay in the hospital tonight .” And I was like , “ wait , what ?” So I was like , okay , it ’ s fine . So I stayed at home that night by myself . It was okay , I had work the next morning . Well , the next day , she calls me , she ’ s like , they need me to stay again . And I said , okay , and she said , also , “ I ’ ve been talking to Ricky Wyatt . He wants you to come over there and stay with him .” I said , “ It ’ s fine . You ’ re going to be out of the hospital 50
Peden earned all region , all county and all district honors as a senior . Paris wore No . 24 just like her mom .
Photo from 1989 Bear Tracks Yearbook
Miller ’ s mother , Misty Peden , was named most mischievous as part of the 1989 BHS class . Miller was recently named “ class clown ” as the superlative honor seems to run in the family .
tomorrow . I can just stay at home another night .” So I stay home another night . The next day she said , “ I don ’ t know how long they ’ re going to keep me here for . But they ’ re not letting me go home because I ’ m not in good shape .” And then she said , “ Ricky still wants you to go over there .” And I was like , okay , it ’ s the third night , I ’ ll go over there . So , I go over there . And the first thing I do when I go over there is Ricky takes me fishing . And he was telling Greg , his brother , “ Hey , she ’ s going to be staying with us for a while .” When he said that was like I ’ m literally going to be here for maybe one or two nights and then it just turned into all summer .”
What was your mom ’ s diagnosis ?
She ended up passing from cirrhosis of the liver . But why she was in there for so long was because they couldn ’ t figure out what was wrong with her . They tested her for everything , couldn ’ t figure it out . And they said something is wrong from the neck down , and it was cirrhosis of the liver . That ’ s the main reason , but I am sure there were other reasons .
Now you are starting your senior year , you ’ re living with a new family , and your biggest fan is gone . How did you maintain your focus on school , and basketball ?
Basketball wasn ’ t really going on when she passed . But I would still practice . So it wasn ’ t really that bad at first . I didn ’ t expect her really to , pass away that fast . I figured she would make it to the end of my senior year because I knew it was getting cut short . But I didn ’ t think it was going to be that fast . I worked out every single day , going to
the gym and stuff . And she told me , I remember her telling me , to keep that up , that ’ ll be good for this year ’ s basketball .
When the season started , was it hard to play without her in the stands ?
It was it was definitely a change . My teammates boosted me up . The coaches said if you ever need something just come to us . If I had moved to a different school , my senior year , I couldn ’ t have been able to do it . They ’ ve all known me forever because we ’ ve played together and that really helped .
The fact that you were basically sisters with everybody , do you think that helped you ?
“ Yes , for sure . They would always check on me every night like “ Hey , how are you doing ? Do you need anything ?” I would have some bad practices where I was like I just can ’ t right now . And they would stop practice , even the coach , and say “ Hey , it ’ s okay .”
Did you find like a sense of peace by knowing that “ Hey , I ’ ve got basketball ?”
Yes . I would go outside play basketball after she passed .
This season you girls finally crossed that hurdle ; you did what she thought you couldn ’ t do by making it through regionals . Did thoughts of your previous conversations with her cross your mind as you won the regional championship ?
For sure . Especially on the charter bus going to San Antonio , I was like , “ She ’ d be like really proud of me because she told me some stories while she was on a charter bus and how much fun it was . That was really what was on my mind .”
Knowing her stories , did what she ’ d say come true for you ? Did you have as much fun as she said she did ? It was everything she said , basically
Photo by Maria Olivares
During the senior recognition ceremony Miller was escorted on the court by Ricky Wyatt and Megan Kennedy . Miller credits them for helping her through her senior year .