Just weeks after Percy “Master P” Miller expressed aspirations of owning a Historically Black College or University, his son Hercy Miller has now opted to enroll in one instead of several other institutions that recruited the talented basketball player.
Over the weekend, the Tennessean reported that the 19-year-old announced has committed to play basketball at Tennessee State University after declining offers from several notable schools, including Vanderbilt, Louisiana State University, UCLA, and more.
The 6-foot-3 senior guard at Minnehaha (Minnesota) Academy revealed that he had narrowed his decision to Vanderbilt or TSU and chose the Tigers because he wanted to be a part of a growing movement that has witnessed high-profile high school athletes choosing HBCUs over more prominent schools.
“I want to be a leader, and a dream of mine and a goal of mine is to change the narrative,” young Miller told the publication. “I want to show people you don’t have to go to one of these big schools, Power Five conference schools, just to be great. There are a lot of great people who came out of HBCUs or mid-major schools. I want to be the next one.”
Elaborating on his point, Miller highlighted successful public figures who attended TSU, including Oprah Winfrey and Portland Trail Blazers forward Rob Covington, who is currently in his eighth NBA season.
Miller’s father, Master P, spoke on his son’s decision, stating it was entirely left up to him. “He had a lot of big schools on the table — Vanderbilt, LSU, USC, UCLA — and I said, ‘Son, this is all your decision; you’ve got to live whatever you do,'” the business mogul explained.
Master P’s oldest son Romeo played basketball for two seasons at the University of Southern California. During that time, Master P said the family spent a lot of time in Nashville, so when it came time for Hercy to choose a school, the father said many thought Vanderbilt would be the obvious choice.
The No Limits Records founder continued, “When he told [Tennessee State] coach Penny [Brian Collins], ‘This is where I want to go,’ it was a surprise to all of us. I think this is bigger than just going to a school and bigger than basketball. What Hercy is doing is going to change the game, and I think a lot of great players are going to want to go to HBCUs.”
Master P said he and his son were highly impressed by Collins’ confidence to recruit Hercy and go up against coaches from so many larger schools. He also believes his son’s decision to join TSU is “going to bring the whole community together.”
Tennessee State, which competes in the Ohio Valley Conference, is one of two HBCUs in Division I athletics.
