Duke Miles Has Been Through "Tragedies." He Wants To Use Them To Help Others
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NASHVILLE—It was a near no-brainer when Oklahoma coach Porter Moser was set to hit the road for a speaking engagement, he had no reservations in regard to who he was bringing with him.
Moser used future NBA lottery pick Jeremiah Fears and star forward Jaylon Moore as his go-to guys on the floor, but when it was time to take the stage with a microphone Miles was Oklahoma’s most compelling player–and Moser knew it right away. While Moser and his staff recruited Miles, the Oklahoma head coach would tell Miles and his dad how impressed he was with how compelling Miles was as a speaker as well as his mannerisms.
Miles’ dad, Marcus, had seen the same thing that Moser did when the now-Vanderbilt guard got on stage or local TV to accept awards as a high schooler. The now-Vanderbilt guard–who transferred from Oklahoma over the offseason–says his passion for public speaking began when he took communications classes throughout his three years at Troy.
As he did so, he realized the impact he could make on people with his voice as he developed it.
“When I have people around and I can just give out my energy, positive energy, good aura,” Miles told Vandy on SI. “I just feel a great blessing for me will come from God.”
Miles says that he doesn’t get an adrenaline rush or nervous as he grabs a mic and begins a speech because he feels as if he was designed to perform on the big stage, like he does as one of Vanderbilt’s go-to guys. If the testimonials regarding Miles’ speaking are any indication, taking the stage is his calling.
Every time Miles would go with Moser to speak at an event, the Oklahoma head coach would report back to Miles’ dad telling him how well Miles did and how impressed he was with his son. In an environment that would be uncomfortable to some, Miles thrived and was always capable of embracing the moment—whether it was serious or not.
During one of the speaking engagements, Miles' dad says, Moser reported back that Miles pulled out a Michael Jackson moonwalk on the stage in an effort to give the crowd a show.
“He's pretty energetic, entertaining,” Miles' dad told Vandy on SI. “He has that big smile, it kind of lightens the room.”
When Miles takes the stage to speak life into those who are going through difficulties, nobody in the room can say that he’s not speaking from experience.
Miles wasn’t ever supposed to be sitting in a place like the Bridgestone Arena locker room, at least not as he was a mildly-recruited high schooler. Six years later, though, he’s experienced SEC stardom, the confines of going through a season as a role player despite knowing that he’s capable of much more as well as a midmajor come up.
Injuries–including one that held him out of six SEC games this season and forced him to play through pain for a few weeks prior–threatened to take Miles’ will. So did the searing pain of losing his grandmother Terry Martin–who motivated him to pursue a basketball career and was one of the most important people in his life.
If that isn’t enough to cement his college experience as one of the most interesting in the country, Miles had to find a way to deal with being one of college basketball’s most ridiculed players in the spring because of his up-and-down transfer portal process.
There’s a perception out there in regard to Miles because of his commitments and decommitments from Virginia and Texas A&M, but those who know him swear by him. Miles says that people externally won’t always understand what’s really going on in the midst of a situation despite what they perceive as a full understanding of it. Perhaps that’s one of the most powerful lessons he can share when he holds a microphone.
“That’s not an indictment on his character,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington told Vandy on SI over the summer in regard to Miles’ up-and-down spring. “He is a great person.”
Even in the midst of pain and misunderstanding, Miles seemingly always finds room to flash his patented smile–which his dad says he’s always had and is a result of all those who have invested in him. That’s why he’s uniquely equipped to use the turbulence in his life for others’ benefit.
As Miles' dad addresses what may be next for his son when he eventually decides that he’s gotten enough out of basketball to call it a career, he lights up and says that Miles wants to do “a little bit of everything.” It appears as if he’s not far off.
Miles says he wants to be a public speaker, a therapist and that he’ll also consider becoming a basketball trainer. If his final college season is any indication, the Vanderbilt guard is on track to have a long professional basketball career by the time this is all said and done. When it’s over, though, it doesn’t appear as if there will be much fear. Miles’ goals are lofty. But, if anyone is capable of fulfilling them; it’s him.
“He has a big heart,” Miles' dad said from the Bridgestone Arena stands. “I think he wants to give back the knowledge that he has from the game.”
Miles calls them his tragedies as he looks back on the adverse situations that propelled him to use public speaking as an outlet. The situations that Miles faced while at Troy–most notably a suggestion that he should medically retire from playing basketball–made it difficult to see the light.
They caused the now-Vanderbilt guard to take a deep reflection into what his purpose was and how he could be used in other people’s lives.
On the other side of that reflection, Miles realized that life isn’t all about him. He realized that giving back and helping people is a part of why he’s here. As a result of what he’s been through, Miles knows that he’s better equipped to connect with people going through difficult things.
“I want to be a public speaker because I want people to know that at the end of the day, whatever you go through is not your testimony or your end all,” Miles said from the locker room after Vanderbilt’s SEC Tournament win over Tennessee. “You can fight through anything. God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers, so just put your faith in God. I want to be able to go out and help people.”
More than anyone else on Vanderbilt’s roster, Miles is vulnerable in public settings as he describes what he’s gone through. He appears to feel as if hiding it would be a disservice.
Miles knows that he’s gone through all that he has for a reason. Perhaps he didn’t always have peace in that reality, but it radiates off of him these days.
“You can tell how much he's grown from the things he's been through,” Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner told Vandy on SI. “I know there's never been a selfish thought in his mind. And I think what he's been through has molded him and improved him into the person he is today.”
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_(1)-b3e453dfe426b2dd4b83a12540ebdb37.jpeg "Joey Dwyer")
Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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