Miller strong-arms Neuqua Valley's foes
By Matt Le Cren
The punishment happened long ago, but Neuqua Valley sophomore Brooke Miller hasn’t forgotten.
Whenever she and her older brother Lou disobeyed their parents, they were made to do push-ups.
Today those memories are viewed through a different perspective.
“It does have benefits,” Miller said. “We weren’t happy about it when we were kids, but in the end, it works out.”
It certainly did for Miller, an uber-talented athlete whose prowess leaves veteran Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau in awe.
“Brooke is so athletic that she would excel in any sport,” Moreau said. “I don’t care what sport that is – boys or girls sports.
“She could play football as a receiver or a defensive back. If she wanted to play volleyball, she would be a standout volleyball player because she has an incredible vertical jump. Softball-wise she would be a slap hitter because she’s so fast and quick.”
Moreau has coached many All-American players, including some who have played professionally -- he knows what he’s talking about.
But he’s not the only person who is aware of Miller’s brilliance.
“Every coach in the Neuqua Valley program, boys or girls, knows who Brooke Miller is because she’s a great kid and a great leader, great motivator,” Moreau said. “You want her on your team.”
Miller, a member of Chicagoland Soccer’s Class of 2022 All-State Watch List, said she gets her athleticism from her parents, Louis and Joy. Her father played football at Naperville Central, while her mom was a soccer player at Downers Grove South and later became a bodybuilder.
The Millers passed their love of sports to their children.
“They encouraged us to try out different sports and be exercising all the time,” Miller said. “I like playing all different types of sports, so trying out all different kinds helps when it comes to soccer.”
Miller’s brother is a senior at Neuqua. He played football and rugby for the Wildcats and plans to join the club rugby team at Western Michigan.
Brooke’s best sport has always been soccer. She began playing in kindergarten in the Wheatland program and later club ball for Team Chicago.
But she also played varsity basketball this past winter, excelling as a 5-foot-6 guard. Neuqua Valley basketball coach Mike Williams is afraid Miller will eventually drop basketball to concentrate solely on soccer year-round, but Moreau hopes she will continue to play on the hardwood.
“It’s fun to watch her,” Moreau said. “She’s so energetic and she makes everyone around her want to play at a higher level. That says a lot.
“Her attitude is ‘I’m going to get better today, and I will be better today than I was yesterday,’ every single day. That’s the kind of kid she is, whether it’s soccer or basketball.”
It didn’t take long for Moreau to figure that out. He encouraged her to be a leader from the start of her high school career.
“She was a leader from the get-go freshman year,” Moreau said. “We’ve always said to kids, ‘We don’t care what year you are, be a leader.’”
Miller was surprised to hear that. For all her talent, she remains humble and said she didn’t know what to expect last year.
“I remember I walked into the room after tryouts, and he told me I was on varsity,” Miller said. “He was like, ‘I want you to be a leader on the field even though you’re a freshman.’
“I really thought about that when I was practicing and playing in games, feeding off how the seniors were being leaders and everyone was leading each other.
“I was ready to be helpful anywhere. I wasn’t expecting much, because I didn’t know if I was going to play (varsity) or even if I would see the field.
“I was really grateful to be on the field at all and help out any way I could because your (goal should be) helping the team out more than you should be worrying about individual accomplishment.”
Those are wise words from someone so young, but were music to the ears of Moreau, who like all coaches has had to deal with his share of selfish players. He never has to worry about that with Miller.
“She’s just a terrific athlete and hard-nosed player,” Moreau said. “There is no letdown in Brooke.
“Practice-wise she gives everything she has. There’s never, ‘Oh, I’m going to take off on this drill.’ She gives everything she has, and she loves competing.”
Moreau credits Miller’s parents with being supportive of their daughter and the coaching staff.
“Whatever you say as a coach, they support you,” Moreau said. “Brooke’s the same way.
“She doesn’t care what position you ask her to play, she’s going to do it.
“Some kids are “This is what position I play.’ Not Brooke. She just wants to be out there playing.”
Which is why Miller didn’t miss a beat when Moreau moved her from the midfield to center back three games into last season. She had previously played some center back in club, but had become acclimated to a more offensive role.
“When I first came in it was a little hard to get used to, but I got used to it easier than I thought I would,” Miller said. “With all the seniors giving me advice and pushing us to make sure that we were at the top level, it was pretty easy to get in the swing of things.
“I think it worked out really well with me playing next to Paige (Munar). She was really helpful in telling me what to do.”
The Ball State-bound Munar, who is now a senior, soon realized she was playing next to a rising star.
“I love playing with Brooke in the back,” Munar said. “I thought she would play more in the attacking side and when Moreau put her in the back with me, I was a little iffy at first.
“But once I got to see how good she is in the back and how she won’t back down from a fight, we built a trust. I feel her, and we were able to communicate well as a junior and a freshman at the time.”
Munar is renowned for her tackling ability. But Miller plays a similar hard-nosed, fearless style.
“It was pretty surprising to see her take on some of the tough forwards that we would go against,” Munar said. “I definitely see her improving even more throughout these (upcoming) years. She can only go up from where she is right now.”
By up, Munar means moving up the ranks of the prep soccer elites as her talent blossoms. But Miller will literally be moving up the field as Moreau has tabbed her as a holding midfielder.
Having established herself as one of the top defenders in the state, Miller now has a chance to work with Xavier-bound junior Katelyn Nardulli in the midfield.
“Playing at center back helps me to be a leader because you can see the whole field,” Miller said. “But we have a lot of defenders that are really great, so I was able to move back up the field and get a taste for what that was.
“Working with Katelyn in the midfield, I was able to be on both sides of the field. She helped me out, and we were playing together as a tag team (in preseason training).
I want to help out my teammates by being as enthusiastic as possible.”
Miller is willing to play any position on the field. Moreau thinks she could excel anywhere, noting that she is capable of being a top goal scorer if she played striker.
“She’s going to do whatever you ask from her for her team, not just herself,” Moreau said. “She’s a positive leader, and you can see that when you watch her play with whatever group she’s working with.
“That’s a rare quality. This is my 33rd year of coaching, and I’ve probably had (a half-dozen) kids like that, and Brooke is one of them.”
By Matt Le Cren
The punishment happened long ago, but Neuqua Valley sophomore Brooke Miller hasn’t forgotten.
Whenever she and her older brother Lou disobeyed their parents, they were made to do push-ups.
Today those memories are viewed through a different perspective.
“It does have benefits,” Miller said. “We weren’t happy about it when we were kids, but in the end, it works out.”
It certainly did for Miller, an uber-talented athlete whose prowess leaves veteran Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau in awe.
“Brooke is so athletic that she would excel in any sport,” Moreau said. “I don’t care what sport that is – boys or girls sports.
“She could play football as a receiver or a defensive back. If she wanted to play volleyball, she would be a standout volleyball player because she has an incredible vertical jump. Softball-wise she would be a slap hitter because she’s so fast and quick.”
Moreau has coached many All-American players, including some who have played professionally -- he knows what he’s talking about.
But he’s not the only person who is aware of Miller’s brilliance.
“Every coach in the Neuqua Valley program, boys or girls, knows who Brooke Miller is because she’s a great kid and a great leader, great motivator,” Moreau said. “You want her on your team.”
Miller, a member of Chicagoland Soccer’s Class of 2022 All-State Watch List, said she gets her athleticism from her parents, Louis and Joy. Her father played football at Naperville Central, while her mom was a soccer player at Downers Grove South and later became a bodybuilder.
The Millers passed their love of sports to their children.
“They encouraged us to try out different sports and be exercising all the time,” Miller said. “I like playing all different types of sports, so trying out all different kinds helps when it comes to soccer.”
Miller’s brother is a senior at Neuqua. He played football and rugby for the Wildcats and plans to join the club rugby team at Western Michigan.
Brooke’s best sport has always been soccer. She began playing in kindergarten in the Wheatland program and later club ball for Team Chicago.
But she also played varsity basketball this past winter, excelling as a 5-foot-6 guard. Neuqua Valley basketball coach Mike Williams is afraid Miller will eventually drop basketball to concentrate solely on soccer year-round, but Moreau hopes she will continue to play on the hardwood.
“It’s fun to watch her,” Moreau said. “She’s so energetic and she makes everyone around her want to play at a higher level. That says a lot.
“Her attitude is ‘I’m going to get better today, and I will be better today than I was yesterday,’ every single day. That’s the kind of kid she is, whether it’s soccer or basketball.”
It didn’t take long for Moreau to figure that out. He encouraged her to be a leader from the start of her high school career.
“She was a leader from the get-go freshman year,” Moreau said. “We’ve always said to kids, ‘We don’t care what year you are, be a leader.’”
Miller was surprised to hear that. For all her talent, she remains humble and said she didn’t know what to expect last year.
“I remember I walked into the room after tryouts, and he told me I was on varsity,” Miller said. “He was like, ‘I want you to be a leader on the field even though you’re a freshman.’
“I really thought about that when I was practicing and playing in games, feeding off how the seniors were being leaders and everyone was leading each other.
“I was ready to be helpful anywhere. I wasn’t expecting much, because I didn’t know if I was going to play (varsity) or even if I would see the field.
“I was really grateful to be on the field at all and help out any way I could because your (goal should be) helping the team out more than you should be worrying about individual accomplishment.”
Those are wise words from someone so young, but were music to the ears of Moreau, who like all coaches has had to deal with his share of selfish players. He never has to worry about that with Miller.
“She’s just a terrific athlete and hard-nosed player,” Moreau said. “There is no letdown in Brooke.
“Practice-wise she gives everything she has. There’s never, ‘Oh, I’m going to take off on this drill.’ She gives everything she has, and she loves competing.”
Moreau credits Miller’s parents with being supportive of their daughter and the coaching staff.
“Whatever you say as a coach, they support you,” Moreau said. “Brooke’s the same way.
“She doesn’t care what position you ask her to play, she’s going to do it.
“Some kids are “This is what position I play.’ Not Brooke. She just wants to be out there playing.”
Which is why Miller didn’t miss a beat when Moreau moved her from the midfield to center back three games into last season. She had previously played some center back in club, but had become acclimated to a more offensive role.
“When I first came in it was a little hard to get used to, but I got used to it easier than I thought I would,” Miller said. “With all the seniors giving me advice and pushing us to make sure that we were at the top level, it was pretty easy to get in the swing of things.
“I think it worked out really well with me playing next to Paige (Munar). She was really helpful in telling me what to do.”
The Ball State-bound Munar, who is now a senior, soon realized she was playing next to a rising star.
“I love playing with Brooke in the back,” Munar said. “I thought she would play more in the attacking side and when Moreau put her in the back with me, I was a little iffy at first.
“But once I got to see how good she is in the back and how she won’t back down from a fight, we built a trust. I feel her, and we were able to communicate well as a junior and a freshman at the time.”
Munar is renowned for her tackling ability. But Miller plays a similar hard-nosed, fearless style.
“It was pretty surprising to see her take on some of the tough forwards that we would go against,” Munar said. “I definitely see her improving even more throughout these (upcoming) years. She can only go up from where she is right now.”
By up, Munar means moving up the ranks of the prep soccer elites as her talent blossoms. But Miller will literally be moving up the field as Moreau has tabbed her as a holding midfielder.
Having established herself as one of the top defenders in the state, Miller now has a chance to work with Xavier-bound junior Katelyn Nardulli in the midfield.
“Playing at center back helps me to be a leader because you can see the whole field,” Miller said. “But we have a lot of defenders that are really great, so I was able to move back up the field and get a taste for what that was.
“Working with Katelyn in the midfield, I was able to be on both sides of the field. She helped me out, and we were playing together as a tag team (in preseason training).
I want to help out my teammates by being as enthusiastic as possible.”
Miller is willing to play any position on the field. Moreau thinks she could excel anywhere, noting that she is capable of being a top goal scorer if she played striker.
“She’s going to do whatever you ask from her for her team, not just herself,” Moreau said. “She’s a positive leader, and you can see that when you watch her play with whatever group she’s working with.
“That’s a rare quality. This is my 33rd year of coaching, and I’ve probably had (a half-dozen) kids like that, and Brooke is one of them.”