Duke Miles is Dedicating This Season To His Late Grandmother. It Appears as if She'd Be Proud

NASHVILLE—Something about Kyrie Irving always captivated Duke Miles. Perhaps it was his ballhandling ability or his flair for the big moment. Perhaps part of Miles’ affinity for the longtime NBA guard was that his grandmother Terry Martin always told him that he could be like Irving one day.

Miles always wore No. 15 to follow in his father’s footsteps and didn’t plan to change anything about his jersey, but he knew it was time for a change upon his arrival at Vanderbilt. The decision to stray from what he’d always known wasn’t all that difficult for Miles, he knew what he had to do.

As the Vanderbilt guard has built his All-SEC case as a focal point of Vanderbilt’s 15-0 run, he’s done it while donning the No. 2. The number is notable in that it was Irving’s throughout the peak of his career and is worn by Miles to honor Martin–who passed away in the spring. Martin didn’t have an extensive enough playing career herself to claim the number as her own, but it’s become the one that Miles associates with her because of her comments about his ability to be like Irving.

“When I transferred my number last year from No. 15 to No. 2 because she passed, I just felt the energy, the spirit,” Miles told Vandy on SI. “She’s always with me.”

Duke Miles — Miles is working to make his grandmother proud in his final college season. | Battle 4 Atlantis staff

Miles says that "everything" about his grandmother made her special to him. “From the way she cared, to the way she loved, to the way she talked and motivated,” Martin became a “foundational” piece of Miles’ upbringing and basketball ascension. Martin was a die-hard Auburn fan, and thus Miles dreamed of playing for the Tigers for most of his basketball life--which began when he was three years old and became more serious while he was in third grade.

“The first thing” Martin ever taught Miles was that giving up isn’t an option and that if you start something then you have to finish it. The words have manifested themselves throughout Miles' day-to-day life and tumultuous college basketball career.

Miles could’ve opted to give up or back down when Troy wanted to medically retire him because of a string of concussions. He could’ve called it a career when he went to Oklahoma and was subjected to a 3-and-D role rather than the feature role that he expected to have when he arrived on campus in Norman. Here he is averaging 17.1 points and 4.7 assists on the SEC’s best team, though.

Whether Martin knew it or not, Miles may not have been a star of the show in Vanderbilt’s 96-90 win over Alabama at Memorial Gymnasium on Wednesday without what she instilled within him.

“She's a big part of his journey,” Miles’ dad, Marcus, told Vandy on SI. “She's one of the ones that kind of put the ball in his hand. She kind of motivated him a lot. I think a lot of his game, a lot of his fearlessness, a lot of his will to win comes from her.”

When Miles’ basketball career was in its infancy, Martin would often wake him up at 5:00 A.M. for workouts and “started” him with AAU basketball travelling. As Martin facilitated Miles’ development in those days, she likely imagined that something like what happened Wednesday–when Miles gutted out a 19-point performance despite injury–could happen at some point down the line. Perhaps that’s why she invested so much into Miles’ basketball career.

Miles says that no matter where he was, he could always feel that Martin was with him and behind him. The Vanderbilt guard can’t help but think about that often--even if it hurts sometimes.

“She literally is my whole heart,” Miles said. “Having someone there that can support your dreams, is always going to keep your head on straight and just wants to see the best for you and love you, you can’t ask for more than that.”

By the time Miles made his Vanderbilt commitment on May 11, he was already the subject of a public shaming for the way his transfer portal process played out. Miles had made and backed out of pledges to Texas A&M and Virginia by the time he finally settled on Vanderbilt, but had become a player that skeptics around the sport cite as an example of what the current, Wild West-like system surrounding college basketball unfairly allows.

Miles’ father says his son is a “very loyal person” and that there was a misconception about Miles’ character in the public narrative that had manifested itself. As the former Oklahoma guard went through his transfer process after mutually agreeing to part ways with the Sooners when he was informed he shouldn’t expect a different role than he had in 2024-25, he had a hard time focusing solely on the process that he was in the midst of.

While the world judged, Miles mourned the passing of Martin and went through a period of his life that was among the hardest he’s been through.

“Mentally he wasn’t in a place to make a decision,” Miles’ dad said. “That’s where I kind of stepped in and was like ‘hey, man. Let’s sit down, let’s not make a rash, emotional decision. Let’s get to the drawing board.’”

Miles and his camp say they eventually settled on Vanderbilt because of the role that its staff would allow Miles to play, its proximity to his Alabama home and the fanbase that is behind it. The now-Vanderbilt guard almost selected Vanderbilt a year ago, but opted to go to Oklahoma because former Vanderbilt guard Jason Edwards was already set to run the show in Nashville.

Regardless of what Miles does down the stretch of this season, he knows that some sect of college basketball fans will always judge him for his decision making in the spring, though.

“A lot of people don’t understand, you go through a lot of different stuff,” Miles said. “Even just recruiting processes have a whole lot of ups and downs, but when you lose somebody that is close to you and so valuable to you, that means so much, your head gets turned in so many different ways.”

The final decision Miles was tasked with making included deciphering messaging from different coaching staffs to find who was “actually telling the truth” about playing time and “different things” that factor into portal decisions. In the end, Miles says he put his head down and “prayed to God” before making his final choice.

Miles committing to Virginia, decommitting, committing to Texas A&M and decommitting before ultimately landing at Vanderbilt may be a red flag to people outside the Huber Center, but the Vanderbilt staff knew Miles through assistant coach Kenneth Mangrum–who recruited him at Troy. As a result, they scoffed at anyone questioning who he is.

“It was a topsy, turvy spring for him, but that’s not an indictment on his character,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington told Vandy on SI .“He is a great person.”

The crowd has dissipated and is down to under 100 people after Vanderbilt’s exhilarating win over Alabama, but there Miles’ dad is holding court. Miles’ dad had previously been preaching to Vanderbilt guard Mike James to wait for his time and saw the fruits of his labor earlier in the night as James knocked down a meaningful shot in Vanderbilt’s most meaningful win.

As Miles’ dad reflects on Vanderbilt’s 15-0 start and what it took to get there, he stands on the home baseline of Memorial Gymnasium talking to Vanderbilt guard Frankie Collins and engages with just about everyone else within the vicinity. Miles’ son was the last addition to Vanderbilt’s program this summer, but he’s already become one of the program’s most well known people.

It’s rare a week goes by when Miles’ dad–who lives in Alabama and makes a living as an engineer–is in Nashville chauffeuring Miles around the city as if it’s his own. The idea is one that likely makes Martin smile as she looks down.

“He’s here all the time,” Miles said. “He told me after she passed that he was going to be here for me, and he stood by his word. Seeing him every night at the game or even just seeing him at practices just gives me that confidence in knowing that he’s there even when she’s not there.”

Miles and his dad are closer in age than an average father and son, his dad says that the pair is “like brothers in a sense.” Miles’ dad considers himself a “basketball savant,” and often helps Miles find ways to exploit defenses or read coverages offensively. Off the floor, the pair plays video games together and often laughs like friends do.

The “day-to-day” process is often one that Miles and his dad do together as Miles goes through his final college basketball ride like his dad did back in his college days.

“I think it just shows how close we are,” Miles’ dad said. “We live basketball. I think him watching me do it at a young age, and now vice versa, seeing him do it, It’s just full circle for me, it's awesome.”

Throughout Miles’ Wednesday-night performance–which served as his true arrival to Memorial Gymnasium–his dad says he “was probably the most pumped person” in the gym’s lively crowd. For Miles to walk around with his infectious energy and smile on Wednesday night was as much a testament to the support system he’s built around him as it was a noteworthy example of the progress he’s made in his grieving process.

“He’s hilarious, he’s always joking,” Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner said of Miles. “Every time I see him he’s got a smile on his face. That type of guy, that’s what coach wanted to recruit.”

Miles says he made it through a difficult spring because of his parents and friends “being there” for him. Now, he feels like himself again with them behind him and his grandmother in mind.

“They comfort me, they know that loss is just one that’s gonna stay with me,” Miles said. “Just having those people in my support system behind me, even the coaches and staff and my teammates, I just feel like it’s a real moment.”

It’s been just 15 games, but Miles has already captivated Vanderbilt’s campus enough for his name to be brought up in places that basketball isn't often brought up on an academically-oriented campus.

“I’m in math class today, overhearing people talk about Duke Miles’ availability,” a prominent member of Vanderbilt’s student section told Vandy On SI prior to Vanderbilt’s matchup against Alabama.

Between his sudden rise, rolodex of celebrations, toughness and production, Miles has become a big enough fan favorite around these parts to be greeted with a “DUKEEE” chant upon his introduction each night.

Miles says that he “gets chills” and gets “thrill” going through his body when he hears Memorial Gymnasium get going. Wednesday represented a moment in which Miles has worked for and battled adversity for ever since he was an off-the-radar high schooler that was lucky to be picked up by Troy. Even in that moment, he says he still felt like his grandmother’s hands were on him.

“I’m dedicating this whole season to her,” Miles said. “I’m putting my head down and putting my foot forward.”

Miles and Martin “always” talked about his dreams of going “far” in the NCAA Tournament and making it to the NBA. Miles is as close to actualizing those dreams as he’s ever been while she’s looking down on him.

Through the searing pain of loss, Miles is prevailing.