Kiyomi McMiller is turning the page.
The flashy guard with one of the most electrifying handles in women’s basketball is now suiting up for Penn State, leaving behind a brief but impactful chapter at Rutgers. In her own words, McMiller opened up about her decision to transfer, her hopes for the future and what it means to step into a new opportunity.
“I feel really good,” McMiller said on transferring to Penn State. “I’m very proud about my decision. I’m very excited for the next couple of years and really ready just to prove people wrong — they have a… I guess a ‘thought’ about me that’s…. And I don’t know where it came from, but it’s definitely not true so I definitely want to show who I really am and show everybody the truth about me and show them who Kiyomi McMiller really is.”
What Went Wrong at Rutgers?
Things didn’t go as planned at Rutgers. But for McMiller, it wasn’t a lack of effort — it was a lack of shared purpose.
“I would definitely say the mindset of how everyone thought,” she explained. “I’m a very… when it comes to winning I would say that I’m a very aggressive person and I’ll say, ‘I wanna win!!!’ straight off the bat, and I feel like that wasn’t the same for everybody else. Everybody didn’t come to win, or want to win, or show that they wanted to win and I came in everyday showing that I wanted to do that, you know?”
That drive may have ruffled feathers, but McMiller sees it as part of her DNA.
“Maybe it was ‘intimidating’ to people to show them how much you want to win and how much you want to get better,” she said. “So, I think that was one of the reasons why stuff didn’t go as well as it should’ve.”
And in the process, she learned something critical about herself — and about the basketball business.
“I’ll say what I’ve learned is to evaluate your decisions more and really make sure that you’re going to a place that you’re actually accepted for who you are and who you truly are, not who they want to turn you into.”
A New Chapter in Happy Valley
McMiller visited Penn State once — and that’s all it took.
“I actually visited one time but I’ve been… even in high school, I’ve been on the phone with Coach [Carolyn] Kieger and just getting to talk to her again these past couple of days has been kind of what I’m looking for,” she said. “Just the aggressiveness, the willingness to win and showing that they want to win just off of the recruiting and the conversations and just being around her and when you meet her you can feel the vibe; like this is real. It’s not a front.”
Her perception of Penn State had to evolve, though.
“The only thing I remember was a camp we did — it was like a team camp and they had us in the dorms,” McMiller laughed. “And all I remember even up to my recruiting when I was being recruited by Penn State and I was like, ‘I don’t want to go there because I’m gonna have to stay in the dorm with a roommate and have to share a bathroom…’ So I was like, ‘I can’t. I’m NOT going to Penn State.’”
Her dad convinced her otherwise.
“My dad was like, ‘No no. You’re not going to stay there. It’s really beautiful…’ and I was still like, ‘No! I don’t wanna go…’ and then just over time hearing about the school and then actually being there, it’s the total opposite of what I thought,” she said. “I didn’t know that it’s one of the most beautiful campuses in the world and just knowing that now is definitely… I’m very happy with my decision.”
Facing Rutgers Again
McMiller will now face her former school in Big Ten conference play — and yes, that’s something she’ll have circled.
“It definitely does!” she said when asked if she sees it as an advantage. “I get to compete against and play against people this past year and just show them and get a second chance or a second opportunity, I guess to fully showcase who I am and really give them a better impression of who I am.”
Representing Jordan Brand
One of the first high school players to sign an NIL deal with Jordan Brand, McMiller carries that distinction proudly.
“I have. I do have Aerial Powers’ number and I’ll hit her up every once in a while,” McMiller shared. “But, I haven’t met Michael Jordan yet; hopefully that will come soon but the only person that I’m in contact with a little bit is Aerial.”
Asked what a conversation with MJ would look like?
“Really, I would just take in everything I could,” she said. “He’s the best player of all time, so I would just sit back and listen to anything he has to say; any tips or…. Just anything that he has to say, I’ll just take it and pretty much just remember for the rest of my life.”
Her connection to Jordan goes back to her father.
“It was conversations that my dad had with me. It was him teaching because that was his favorite player; that’s who he grew up watching, right?” she said. “So everything I know is from him and some is from YouTube and old games from what’s it called again?… Hardwood Classics and just watching those games and I kind of get a chance to relive what he saw as a kid and just now, he’s just amazing and in my eyes he’s still the best player of all time.”
Kiyomi McMiller has never been shy about who she is or where she wants to go. At Penn State, she’s betting that her passion, intensity, and growth mindset will speak louder than any perception.
Now it’s time to show them — exactly who Kiyomi McMiller really is.
