The Eccker 10 – Mason Miller

Mason Miller has spent his entire life and basketball career hearing about his father, 17-year NBA veteran and two-time NBA champion, Mike Miller. Growing up and witnessing his father win at the highest level was certainly a formative experience for Mason, but it is not what defines him. Mason is a different person and a different player. He’s a sharpshooting lefty who can jump out of the gym, and he’s used those skills to pave his own path in the world of basketball. This path led him to Omaha, Nebraska, where he is expected to start for the top 10-ranked Creighton Bluejays as a redshirt sophomore. Eccker Sports was lucky enough to sit down with Mason and discuss his drive to build his own brand in the world of basketball, how he’s been able to use NIL to achieve that goal, and much more.

10 Questions

Tyler: What is your greatest memory as an athlete?

Mason: I have a few good ones. One of them would be my senior year of high school. It was towards the end of COVID, so getting everyone back together and being able to win state was awesome. Going to the Maui Invitational was awesome. That’s another one, but the best has to be high school.

Tyler: What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an athlete and how were you able to work past it?

Mason: I’ve had a couple of challenges. One of the big ones is coming up with my Dad playing basketball and feeling like you have to live up to what he’s done. I try to be my own basketball player and make a point not to live in anybody else’s shadow.

And then, for me, gaining weight is a big one. I’m still trying to gain weight and get to the best size I can to play basketball. Right now, that’s probably my main challenge.

Tyler: Do you have any unique or hidden talents?

Mason: That’s a tough one…I can cook a little bit. I’ve learned how to do that a little bit recently.

Tyler: What was your first NIL deal?

Mason: The first deal was with a cookie company. It was founded elsewhere and was opening up in Omaha, so they called me up and wanted to do a little cookie campaign with me. I went in and shot a commercial with them and they made us some custom cookies. It was pretty cool.

Tyler: How has NIL impacted your experience as an athlete?

Mason: It’s really changed the game. Most people would say it’s really changed basketball. People leave places for more money and everyone’s always changing places. While I like it personally, it can definitely make things a lot harder because teams are always bringing guys in at your position, and they can recruit people from anywhere. I like it but it can also be hurtful for some people. To be honest, for me, it makes it more fun. It makes me work harder because there will always be someone out there who is better than me, which motivates me to hit the gym hard.

Tyler: How do you determine which brands to partner with?

Mason: We have a collective with our school. We’ll talk to them and make sure everything is clean and legal. They focus on making sure everything is a good deal and that we’re not getting taken advantage of us. It’s pretty helpful. Creighton does a good job, it makes it way easier for us.

Tyler: How do you educate yourself on NIL?

Mason: I have a lot of people around me who help me. The school staff helps me a lot, and my dad is really helpful with this type of stuff. I’ll talk to him, and he’s got plenty of connections so we’ll go over NIL together. My grandpa is there to help manage my money so having people around you that can help and make life easier is a big deal.

Tyler: How has education played a role in your NIL experience?

Mason: Make sure you’re doing things at the right level with the right people. People aren’t getting the money they were promised or are getting scammed in other ways, so it’s important to me to make sure I don’t mess up.

Tyler: If you could change one thing about NIL and how it’s worked so far, what would it be?

Mason: It wouldn’t even be with NIL, it would relate more to the difference between the top schools and the mid-majors. The top-level schools have more money and have an easier time fundraising that money than smaller schools and the mid-majors. That’s something I’d like to see changed.

Tyler: What piece of advice would you give to high school athletes as they start their NIL journeys?

Mason: At the beginning, don’t worry about the money you’re making. Focus on basketball because if you don’t focus on that and worry about the money, you won’t get paid later on because you were more focused on money than you were on improving your game and getting better.