🎙 The Jayhawker Podcast | Aaron Miles

Episode 44: Aaron Miles | Nov. 12, 2020

When you talk about Kansas basketball record holders, you’re talking about some of the very best to play the sport at the college level. That’s the company that Aaron Miles—the Jayhawks’ all-time assists leader and ninth in the history of college basketball—finds himself in.

Miles has made a knack of keeping himself in elite company. His high school team produced six D-1 players including fellow Jayhawk and Miles’ best friend, Michael Lee.

The talent he played with at Kansas also speaks for itself – legends like Gooden, Collison, Hinrich and Simien, just to name a few.

The tendency to surround himself with the best has followed him into his coaching career. Now an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, Miles works with an NBA champion coach in Steve Kerr.

This week on The Jayhawker podcast we explore Miles’ basketball life which has included incredible success at every level. From a 28-0 Jefferson High School team that finished #4 in the national rankings to going to back-to-back Final Fours in his first two seasons at Kansas, Miles has always been a winner. So much of his success stems from his own hard work and natural abilities, but the selfless floor general is quick to point out all the greats he’s had a chance to play with and learn under. That starts with his best buddy Michael Lee.

“I knew right then (when Lee committed to Kansas), it was kind of like God telling me that Kansas was the school,” recalled Miles. “My best friend that I’d been best friends with from middle school, played on the same basketball, baseball and football teams growing up. He lived literally a block away from me. It just felt like it was meant to be. That’s been my Day One Brother. I prayed and told God that I wanted to play with Mike Lee in college and He answered that prayer.”

With Lee by his side Miles left the west coast to come to the Sunflower State and take the reins of a team absolutely loaded with talent. He joined a backcourt that already featured Kirk Hinrich and Jeff Boschee and quickly made it one of the greatest guard trios in KU History.

“Coming in there you had Kirk Hinrich that was playing the 1, as well as Jeff Boschee,” said Miles. “I just went in there and did what I do. I’d played with great players in high school so I knew how to play with great players. One thing that I’ve always been about – and this is something I learned from my Pops coaching me – it’s about team and winning. What that was, was just to facilitate, get people shots and lead.”

That team-first facilitation earned instant credibility with teammates – four of which would go on to be 1st Round NBA draft picks. It also helped him jell quickly with Boschee and Hinrich.

“It wasn’t like I came in and took their spot,” Miles described. “They just slid over. We all were point guards. We played with three point guards out on the court which made us the fastest team out there. That’s why we were able to lead the country in scoring.”
Hear more on Miles’ journey to Jayhawk greatness, as well as his rise through the NBA coaching ranks on this week’s edition of The Jayhawker.