“I’ve only ever really played basketball, so I’ve just always loved it and worked really hard. It just came from that. I didn’t have to be prepared because I was always preparing myself for this.”
– Charlotte Miller, Senior basketball captain
Our Girls’ Basketball program has seen definite highs in the past year. After a buzzer-beater basket sent their team to the State Championship game last year, anticipation for the prospects this season were hard to ignore, both for the team and for a specific senior player and captain: Charlotte Miller ‘25.
Aside from beating Rockford (a D1 team) in December, Miller had another, more personal milestone: one that will carry in the history of FGR Athletics for a long, long time. In a match against Mercy on December 23rd, 2024, Miller scored the 1,000th point in her career: the first girls basketball player at FGR to do so since Ann O’Sullivan, who graduated from FGR in 1982.
“It feels pretty great. It’s unreal to be the first to do it. I’m really proud of myself and super thankful [for] all my coaches and teammates and everyone who’s gotten me to this point.”
In speaking of teammates, junior Vanessa Rodriguez ‘26* weighed in on Charlotte’s distinction in a personal way: “I’m super happy for her. My sister, Charlotte, and I have been playing together since third grade, so to see the growth over the years for her skill set as a player is just so cool.”
Miller’s impact on Irish basketball goes far beyond her ability as a scorer. She also contributes to team success through her ability as a leader. That, in part, is due to a past teammate at FGR. “This season I was inspired by my teammate from last season to help me prepare to lead and to be the best teammate I can be.” That teammate, Miller recalls, was Elizabeth “Bethie” Benz ‘24. Benz “showed me what it means to be the best person you can be and how to love others and how to push them to do their best. That really helped me to be a leader this year.” Miller’s commitment to FGR’s core values of Love Others and Pursue Excellence is clearly seen and acknowledged in her abilities, both on and off the court.
Rodriguez can attest to Miller’s leadership this season already. “She’s very dedicated. She’s dedicated to winning and also dedicated to making others around her better. She’s constantly watching film, getting to practice early, and she’s one of the last ones to leave… she’s a very hard worker.”
In light of Miller’s victory, inspiration for other female athletes has followed, as stated by Rodriguez. “It gives me a stronger urge to reach 1,000 points, too. Her achieving that goal is a huge step in women’s sports, especially at FGR for basketball.”
Her growth from freshman year until now, Miller says, is encapsulated in one word: “confidence”, both “as a person and basketball player”. “The confidence coming from other people believing [in] me and believing in myself as well… just putting in the work to have that confidence.”
As for the future, Miller’s just getting started. She committed to Ferris State in the fall, which is a part of the GLIAC Conference, an NCAA Division II school. For now, though, there is still a lot of her senior season ahead and all eyes are on our Girls’ Basketball team as they work to finish this season as strongly as they started it – setting a goal, ultimately, for a State Title.
*As of publication, Vanessa is on the verge of reaching the 1,000 point milestone herself.