ALUMNI UPDATE: Ford and Miller find success overseas

(4/3/03)

Since graduating from UIC in 1995, Sherell Ford has been a globetrotter.

After playing his rookie year of pro basketball with the Seattle Supersonics (1995-96) in the NBA, Ford (pictured) has experienced pro ball from Grand Rapids, Mich. and Yakima, Wash. to Russia and Poland.

In his most recent stop, in Lebanon, Ford’s season was cut short after the Lebanese Basketball Federation decided to finish its postseason without foreign players, because of the war in Iraq.

Ford had been playing with Anibal and averaged 19.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. His season-high of 31 points came against Ghazir on Jan. 18. Ford scored 26 points in Anibal’s playoff opener on March 16 before the LBF made its ruling.

Ford was acclaimed as the best men’s basketball player in UIC and finished as the school’s No. 2 career scorer with 2,012 points in just three years. His No. 24 jersey was the first retired number in Flames’ basketball history.

With the Sonics, he averaged 3.2 points per game after being drafted in the first round (No. 26 overall). He also had stops with Grand Rapids and Yakima in the CBA to go with international stops in Venezuela, Greece, Russia and Poland.

MARK MILLER: The former three-year UIC standout recently joined Limoges in France and is averaging 16 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games. He was previously with Olympia Larisa in Greece before joining Limoges.

Miller was in France last year, averaging 17.2 points and 4.8 assists in 29 regular-season games with Paris Basket Racing. He has also played in Germany, Turkey and Croatia after concluding his Flames’ career.

Miller was the Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year in 1998 after leading UIC to a 22-6 record and the school’s first NCAA tournament berth. His No. 12 jersey was the second number retired in Flames’ history.