THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 24, 1995 TAG: 9510240388
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Physically, there's no sense comparing Kim Miller to some of sports' most prolific scorers, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Wayne Gretzky.
At 5-feet, one-eighth of an inch tall and 113 pounds, the Cox senior doesn't have the bigger-than-life look of the NBA's career points leader or the NHL's all-time goal scorer.
But like Abdul-Jabbar and Gretzky, Miller has numbers. Goodness, does she have numbers. In high school field hockey, she is among the most prolific goal-scorers in U.S. history.
Going into her final regular-season game at Kellam today, Miller's 51 goals in 13 games this season and 148 career goals are both Virginia Group AAA records. Nationally, Miller is third on the career list, 26 short of the leader, and seventh on the single-season chart, 31 shy of the record.
Since the average Beach District field hockey game not involving Cox produces just 2.92 goals between the two teams, Miller might seem to have no shot at setting either national record during the playoffs, which begin next week.
But Miller is averaging an astounding 3.92 goals a game. For all of their mind-boggling scoring achievements, not even Gretzky or Abdul-Jabbar ever averaged more points than a whole league.
Should Cox advance to the state championship game, Miller could play eight more games. Do the math. Miller will do the rest.
``Her natural athletic ability, her vision and her desire'' are what make Miller such a dangerous player, said Cox coach Nancy Fowlkes. ``She sees the ball early and she is so quick she can beat people to the open areas. From there, it's her desire to score.
``She sees it as a job, and she loves doing it.''
``I always ask myself what makes me so good, and I just don't know,'' Miller said. ``God gave field hockey to me and he gave me 16 best friends. He also gave me this huge amount of determination to help us win.''
Bayside coach Kathy Mustain - a former goalkeeper at Cox and Old Dominion - has seen Miller play for four years. She's impressed.
``Kim's very tenacious,'' Mustain said. ``She doesn't let anything get in her way . . . she's got great speed and finishing abilities.''
And she's not finished yet. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
MARTIN SMITH-RODDEN / The Virginian-Pilot
Senior field hockey player Kim Millerr of Cox could become the
national high school record-holder for goals in a career and a
season. Averaging nearly four goals per game this season, Miller
plays her final regular-season game today and is likely to play
seven more in the playoffs. Here's how she stacks up in the national
record book:
[For a copy of the graphic, see microfilm for this date.]
SOURCE: National High School Sports Record Book, 1995 edition
by CNB