Miller Kopp Welcomed Back to Bloomington During Transition Period: ‘Get Your Butt Up Here’

After playing in NBA Summer League with the Oklahoma City Thunder and in The Basketball Tournament with Assembly Ball, Miller Kopp’s basketball future is up in the air. But he’s grateful for support from Indiana’s staff as he prepares for his next step.

Jack Ankony | Jul 24, 2024

Assembly Ball's Miller Kopp (12) goes up for a layup on Tuesday during The Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. / Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Indiana Hoosiers

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Miller Kopp is unsure what his basketball future holds, but this summer he felt certain of one thing.

The best place for him to improve his game was Indiana University.

In preparation for NBA Summer League action with the Oklahoma City Thunder beginning in early July, Kopp spent about a month in Bloomington before heading out to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He lived with Isaac Green, a video and player development analyst on Indiana’s staff, and credited Mike Woodson, his former college coach, for allowing him to train at Indiana and supporting his professional career.

“It’s more than I could ever imagine. The support from the current staff, the players, the managers, Woody, everybody involved, it’s awesome,” Kopp said Tuesday night after Assembly Ball’s game in TBT.

“I came up here a month before summer league, knowing that this would be the best place for me to train and improve. I called Woody up and asked him if I could come up and work out, and he told me, he’s like, ‘Of course, duh. Get your butt up here.’ So it’s a blessing, and I’m really grateful for the staff and Woody and everybody involved. So yeah, it’s been amazing.”

What do they say… “it’s not about the journey or the destination, but about the company” ???

I drove 18 hours from Houston to Bloomington to live in this guys spare bedroom and train with him for a month before summer league. Immersing ourselves into the game and all it has to… pic.twitter.com/qjIMrWcc7w
— Miller Kopp (@millerkopp) July 23, 2024

Following eight summer league games with the Thunder, Kopp made a quick turnaround after Saturday’s game to join Assembly Ball for Sunday’s game in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) at Hinkle Fieldhouse. He endured flight cancellations and delays before making it to Indianapolis just hours before tipoff.

Kopp scored seven points and helped Assembly Ball, an Indiana alumni-based team, defeat Men of Mackey 68-55 on Sunday night. Assembly Ball’s TBT run ended Tuesday in the Butler Regional final with an 82-79 loss to Eberlein Drive, and Kopp finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals on 3-for-12 shooting. He was grateful for the opportunity to play with past generations of Hoosiers in front of thousands of Indiana fans.

“I think we’re stronger as a university and as an alumni group together and connected,” Kopp said. “When that’s all connected, you see it with some other bluebloods and stuff, they have that and we do as well. It’s just about continuing to build that, tying in generations and teams and eras and knowing that it’s just going to make us stronger and the program better for years to come.”

During Kopp’s time in Bloomington, he had a chance to see players on the current Indiana roster prepare for the 2024-25 season. He noted the high energy of the team overall, as well as Washington State transfer point guard Myles Rice’s quickness and the team’s concerted effort in building chemistry on and off the court.

Kopp said he’s heading back to Bloomington after TBT to train as Indiana wraps up its summer session, and he’s excited about the new-look Hoosiers.

“I played here and there with the guys, was able to check them out and see how they operate and get to talk to a bunch of them and connect with some of them,” Kopp said. “So it was cool. They’re a really good group of guys, high-character guys, which I think is the biggest thing, especially when it comes to such a new team.”

“Talent is one thing, but I think they’re doing a good job of focusing on connectivity and cohesiveness as a group off the court, which I think translates to on the court. So it’ll be a really exciting group if they can put it together, which I think they will.”

After three seasons at Northwestern and two at Indiana – averaging 7.0 points and shooting 40.8% from 3-point range as a Hoosier – Kopp spent his first season post-college with the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, the OKC Blue.

He’s not yet sure where he’ll play next season, though Kopp said he’ll play in TBT again if he’s not on an NBA contract. And no matter what the future holds, he knows he has a support system in Bloomington.

“Right now it’s just trying to play as much basketball as I can because the best way to improve is to keep playing,” Kopp said. “So for me, it’s staying in great shape, continuing to improve and just see what happens. A lot’s up in the air right now, but I feel good with where I’m at and excited to see what happens.”

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