This was inevitable.
Alabama star Brandon Miller was the recipient of ruthless “lock him up” chants from South Carolina Gamecocks fans as he returned to the court for the first time since being at the forefront of a murder case involving a former teammate.
The Gamecocks student section at Colonial Life Arena wasted no time in making Miller the focus of their derision.
Footage on social media captured students at the game chanting, “Lock him up, lock him up!,” when Gamecocks forward Josh Gray was at the free throw line early in the first half.
The crowd’s criticism didn’t affect Miller’s play on the court. The freshman tallied a career-high 41 points to lead Alabama 78-76 over South Carolina in overtime.
Before his career-scoring night and the opposing chants, Miller was in hot water this week when police testimony revealed he provided a gun to ex-teammate Darius Miles.
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The same gun was used in the deadly shooting of 23-year-old woman Jamea Jonae Harris near the school’s campus in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Miles admitted he gave the gun to his friend Michael Lynn Davis — who is believed to have fired the weapon. Both Miles and Davis are being charged with capital murder.
Miller, however, has not been charged in the ongoing case. Police have stated they have “nothing” to charge the basketball star with.
Attorneys for Miller claim he played no role in the crime.
“Brandon never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur,” a statement from Miller’s attorneys read in part.
Miller, a projected top pick in the NBA, is averaging 18.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game as the team’s leading scorer.
The 20-year-old was a highly touted five-star recruit in the class of 2022 coming out of Cane Ridge High School in Antioch, Tennessee.
During his senior year, he averaged 24.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.
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