Player Profile: G Codi Miller-McIntyre

Earlier this week, I profiled junior forward Aaron Rountree III, and today I'm profiling his teammate, fellow junior Codi Miller-McIntyre, frequently known online as CMM.  Codi and Aaron are, in many ways, polar opposites.  Codi is tall, big, full of raw talent, and probably an NBA prospect.  Aaron, as i said, is a guy who doesn't have that level of raw talent and works off of spirit and hustle.  That's not to say that Codi doesn't fight and hustle, because he absolutely does.  As players, however, Codi is an athletic freak, smooth, and prone to dazzling offensive plays.  Off the court, Codi is also wonderfully humble and friendly.  That being said, I hope Codi can find some more swagger on the court, because I think the team could benefit from that.

Codi isn't really a pure point guard, at least not to this point, so I think we'll see a lot of situations where Codi is slotted at the two alongside Madison Jones and perhaps Mitch Wilbekin.  That said, Codi can absolutely play either backcourt  position, and the offense is probably the most dangerous with him running it.  Last year, CMM averaged 12.6 PPG on 43% shooting and only 20% from three.  Perhaps the bigger problem was the fact that he only shot 63% from the free throw line.  I love Codi's game, but if he's going to be slotted at the two, then I feel like he needs to be more of a reliable threat from outside.  He also averaged 4.6 APG, and much like with his shooting, if Codi is going to run the point, I'd like to see his assist numbers go up.  I actually firmly believe Codi can do both of these things, because his work ethic is without question based on how much he seems to have done between seasons to improve his strength and conditioning.  Right now, though, Codi is a pretty stereotypical combo guard, and those types of players don't necessarily garner a ton of success, especially if Codi gets a shot at the next level.  Codi can be a leader, and will need to be if the Deacs are going to exceed expectations and see any sort of substantial success this year.

Codi's a great guy, and I love watching him play.  He can slash to the basket with the best of them, and has unbelievable athletic talent and skill.  He's got speed, he's got handles, and he's got technique inside in terms of making guys miss.  Last season, when Codi scored the game winner against NC State, someone next to me put it very succinctly and very accurately.  "Once Codi got that first step, it was over.  Nobody was going to stop him."  That was absolutely true, and if Codi can supplement that with more range to his game and more showcasing of his passing ability, then there's no doubt in my mind that the Manning Era at Wake Forest can start off with a bang, and that Codi himself will have a real shot at the next level.

I think the future of the Wake program is looking very bright.  The only real question of that is how bright, and I'd say a fair amount of that hinges on Codi Miller-McIntyre.  The good news is, I'd be willing to bet he's more than up for that challenge.