Not even a professional basketball contract can mask the fact that Jazz rookie CJ Miles is only 18-years-old.

His boyish appearance mixed with his happy-go-lucky demeanor serve as dead giveaways of his youth. Undoubtedly, the 6-7 guard out of Skyline HS in Dallas, TX has already made his presence known in the locker room.

“He’s got a lot of energy,” says fellow rookie Deron Williams. “He’s always talking. He can’t stop talking.”

Even coach Jerry Sloan, who is known for being a stern guy, gleams when he speaks of Miles.

“He’s a wonderful young man,” says Sloan smiling. “His parents and everyone around him should be very proud.”

Born to parents Calvin and Lanis, Miles was the oldest of four children. Like most children growing up in the nineties, Miles idolized Michael Jordan.

In the fall of 2001, he enrolled at Skyline, the same school that produced former NBA All Star Larry Johnson.

“Coming in to high school I was the skinniest dude you have ever seen in your life,” says the rail-thin Miles, with no trace of irony.

Under coach JD Mayo, Miles learned the fundamentals of the game.

“He was like one of the best coaches I ever had,” says Miles. “He taught me how the game correctly instead of just giving me the ball and telling me to go. And he helped me hone all my skills.”

As a senior, Miles averaged 23.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per contest. His silky-smooth game captured college recruiting interest that spanned coast to coast. The University of Texas eventually snatched the in-state star. Miles was all set to go to Austin, but a couple of impressive performances at the McDonald’s All American Game and the Jordan Capital Classic Game changed all that.

All of sudden NBA teams expressed interest, leaving Miles with a dilemma: big time college basketball or NBA fame and fortune.

Miles decided to throw his name in the draft. Although he did so carefully, by not hiring an agent, leaving the door open to return to college. It wasn’t until the draft deadline date, when Miles decided to eliminate the possibility of attending school permanently.

“I played pretty solid in the workouts in the summer,” says Miles. “I decided I had enough positive feedback from a lot of different teams. It was like, ‘okay I’m gonna to stay’.”

On draft day, Miles along with his family and friends sat nervously as they waited to see where he would end up.

“Every news station in Dallas was in my living room,” says Miles. “My whole family was there, and I was sitting there sweating waiting for someone to call my name.”

Despite being projected a late first rounder, Miles slipped in the second round, where Utah picked him up with the 34th pick.

“I was a little disappointed,” says Miles, “but then when I think about it, it was like I came to a team that wanted me instead of a team that just picked me because I was there.”

Though many people initially questioned Miles’ thin frame and inexperience, it didn’t take long for the south-paw to prove he belonged. During the Rocky Mountain Review, Miles displayed flashes of brilliance by showing his ability to hit three-pointers as well as get to the hoop versus stronger NBA competition.

“I mean I think he’s great,” says teammate Andrei Kirilenko. “His slasher abilities are unbelievable.”

So far in this young season, Miles has had his share good and bad moments. In a preseason game in Toronto, Miles hit a three-pointer at the end of regulation, to force the game into overtime. In a recent game versus Indiana, Miles scored 9 points in only 10 minutes of action.

For every good night he makes a contribution, there’s another night where he will log a DNP-CD (did not play, coaches decision). Miles admits that the speed of the game along with the strength and skill of NBA players is something that takes getting used to.

“It’s starting to slow down now, but when I first came in, everything was going 110 miles an hour,” says Miles. “It’s different. It’s like a freshman in high school thrown on the varsity. It’s bigger than that, but it’s kind of how I feel.”

Both Miles and the organization know that he still has a long way to go before he can be an effective player consistently in the league.

“I think he’s realized there’s a lot more hard work involved in basketball, then when he first got here,” says Sloan. “He’s made quite a bit of progress. He still has a long way to go because he is so far behind and he is very, very young.”

“Sometimes it is hard for him, because he’s (got to guard) some guy 25-26 years old, they look stronger than him,” says Kirilenko. “But he’s trying. He’s getting better and better.”

“The hardest thing for me is the downtime,” says Miles. “We practice from 10-12, then the rest of the day it’s like, ‘what do I do’?”

“You’re used to going from school to practice, and it’s like 7 when you get home. Now I have an empty apartment, when I came from a house with two sisters and a brother. I find myself at the mall sometimes, but not so much lately since it’s been so cold,” he adds.

Sometimes Miles will get together with the team’s other youngster’s, Andre Owens and Robert Whaley, and play video games together. Although Owens is the king of “Madden”, Miles says he can get the fellow rookie in “NBA Live”.

But regardless of the hardships that come with being an 18-year-old rookie, Miles cherishes the opportunity of playing in the NBA.

“It’s everything I pretty much dreamed of. Tonight I got Ray Allen, and another night I might have Kobe Bryant,” said Miles before a recent game against Seattle.

“This season I pretty much knew it be a big learning experience coming in. I try to work hard and get stronger. I just learn from the coaches and do what they want me to do.”
--Gerald Narciso