King of the Court

With some people, certain things come naturally. It's like they were born or destined to do it. Jeff Miller is that way with tennis. The sport is like second nature to him and as he goes for his second individual state title in three years, there is little doubt, he's one of the best Havre High has ever seen.

When it comes to accomplishments, Miller has accumulated a laundry list of them from his time on the tennis courts for the Blue Ponies. It started his freshman year with a Central A divisional title and victories at the state tournament, but in truth, his path to the individual state title he would eventually win in 2014, started much further back, basically to the day he was born.

In Miller's family, tennis is king. All three of his brothers played for the Ponies and two of them, Jeremy Heninger and Kyle Miller, won state championships as doubles players. His other older brother, Nick Heninger, was also an accomplished tennis player at HHS and at one time or another, all three have assisted current head coach George Ferguson in coaching the team.

"I think they have been a big part of it," Miller said. "They (brothers) got me started in it, they got me into it. They raised me around it and going to all the tournaments and watching all of them play and going to the courts with them and going to practices, they have basically made me the player that I am today."

While Miller has been shaped by his brothers, he has also been shaped by his head coach, Ferguson, another relative of his, who has coached Jeff and Kyle during his tenure.

"I think it's been good," Miller said of his coach-player relationship with Ferguson. "I think sometimes it's been easier because we are family, but we have our disagreements, too. But he has really helped me a lot throughout my career. He is always there to talk and always willing to go play, no matter what, so it's been the best possible situation for me."

Miller may be quick to give much of the praise for his development to his coach and his brothers, but the simple truth is that he is the beneficiary of his own legendary work ethic. His records and trophies, which are many, are simply the result of countless hours on the courts, fine tuning and transforming his game into that of a champion.

"Jeff is kind of the last of a dying breed in Montana high school tennis," Ferguson said. "He's always played other sports, and he's a great all-around athlete, but tennis has always been his focus and his passion. From a very young age, he started putting a lot of time into his tennis. He's probably spent more time on our tennis courts the last 10 years than anyone in the history of our program. Actually, he's spent more time there than any resident of Havre probably. He's also traveled around with me, playing in a lot of extra tournaments and, anymore, that kind of commitment to tennis isn't as common.

"Add to that the influences of Jeff's and our families," Ferguson added. "With all of his brothers being really good players and having that same passion for tennis, as well as myself being there every day, and it's just been an amazing journey and one that was kind of set in motion a long time ago. But, at the same time, Jeff deserves all the credit for where he is right now because he chose this path for himself and he did all the things that it takes to get to the point is right now with his tennis career. He put in the hard work and he has been dedicated to this sport and to our program from the time he was very young. No one forced him or had to ask him to be a tennis player, that's what he wanted to be. And I really admire that about him, and am very proud of him for that."

For the past three seasons, Miller has been the standard-bearer of Havre tennis and largely because of him, that standard has been high. During his time at HHS, the Ponies have captured four Central A championships, an achievement that was helped by Miller's four consecutive titles.

In addition to winning four divisional titles, Miller is also the all-time record holder for team points earned in the Central A conference. In fact, the senior has been so good at divisionals, that he never even lost a set.

Yet, as good as Miller has been at divisionals, he's been equally impressive on the biggest stage, the state tournament. As a freshman, he finished fifth, before winning his state title as a sophomore. Last year, as a junior, he finished runner-up and is favored to win another state title this weekend at the Class A state tournament in Livingston/Bozeman.

No matter what happens this weekend, Miller will go down as one of the truly elite players in program history, as he is currently one of just five Ponies to have won a boy singles state title. However, a first-place finish Saturday would make him just the third player in school history to win multiple titles joining Kyle Baltrusch (four) and Kellan Malone (two).

And after a season in which he has posted a 34-2 record and finished third in the No. 1 singles bracket at the prestigious Helena Invitational, which is the best finish by a Havre player in that bracket, ever, his place among the best in the state in high school tennis is not in question.

"Jeff is as good as it gets as a high school tennis player in Montana," Ferguson said. "He's one of the most successful players Havre High has ever had in terms of a four-year career. When it comes to his tennis, he's got everything a top player needs. He has a very complete, polished game, he's strong on the baseline, and at the net. He has a serve that's very much a weapon, and most importantly, he's got an extremely high tennis IQ. He's always been a student of tennis, he's always wanted to learn and know more about the game."

Now after years of studying and practicing, Miller's career, at least his high school one, is coming to an end. However, the senior, who has been ranked by the USTA Intermountain Tennis Association and the Montana Tennis Association throughout his high school career, has a number of college offers he is contemplating, which means his tennis days could be far from over.

But for everything he has achieved, in Miller's mind, there is one thing that's missing and that's a team championship. Certainly, he wants to win that second state singles title, but ultimately, it would mean even more if he could hoist the one trophy that has alluded him as a Blue Pony.

"That would be the dream for us," Miller said. "We came in wanting to win a team title, and we have never really gotten close, so that would really mean a lot."

With so many great Blue Pony tennis players before him, where Miller ranks among them is certainly an interesting debate, but even more interesting is the argument about who is the best among his family, which is saying something in its own right.

"There is definitely some competition in our family about who is the best," Miller said. "I am just glad that I was able to live up to that. I think if I am able to get two, that would put me up there. All my brothers want me to win and they would be happy for me, but there is still that competitiveness about who is the best."

Win or lose this weekend, Miller's legacy as one of the greats in the annals of Blue Pony tennis is firmly intact. And not just because of the wins, the trophies and the championships, but because of how he did it: forging himself into a champion with a desire for excellence and exceptionalism that has yet to be distinguished and will not soon be forgotten.

"As a tennis coach, and someone who truly loves this sport, and someone who loves to go to the courts and teach this game every day, it has been an honor and a privilege to be able to coach Jeff Miller," Ferguson said. "I have been blessed in my career to coach so many really good tennis players and hundred's of just awesome kids. But, to be able to coach and be around a tennis player of Jeff's caliber every single day, really since he was 8 or 9 years old, it's been one of the best experiences of my life. Jeff is truly special, on and off the court, and it's just been an amazing ride for us together. I'm so proud of all that he's done as a Blue Pony tennis player, and I just really admire him in so many ways. It's been an incredible journey and one that I'm going to cherish forever. That's what he's meant to me and to Blue Pony tennis."