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Mia Torres of TWCA stars for LSU's Tiger Girls
NATIONAL CHAMP: Texas "Tiger Girl" a Smooth Criminal
“I saw the ‘Tiger Girls’ when I was five-years-old,” freshman Mia Torres said. “That was it… that was what I wanted to do. They are iconic.”
The Woodlands Christian Academy-graduate earned her spot over a decade of hard work and found herself on the floor of the UDA National Dance Competition in Orlando, Florida in early January… as a Tiger Girl.
After their second performance to Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”, it was over.
“No one was nervous going on the floor,” she said. “We all thought, ‘We got this’. When we came off the floor, we were all crying. Our coaches were crying, our parents were crying, the fans were crying. If a hip-hop dance was making people cry, we knew we did really good.”
The Tiger Girls were soon after named the champions and then… social media blew up. They were trending all over Tik Tok, X, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Youtube.
“We had a feeling it might go viral,” she laughed. “Before I got here, the Tiger Girls won with a routine to ‘Like a Boy’ (Ciara). It got millions of views on Youtube and was a Tik Tok trend. Girls were dressing up at ‘Tiger Girls’ for Halloween. It was crazy how much of an impact that dance made on people.”
“The eyes have always been on the ‘Tiger Girls’ and when we won it again, it took off. We were seeing all of the dance celebrity Tik Toks doing the dance, it became a trend again and even the dances on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ were doing it.”
Sounds glamorous, right?
…
Torres began her journey at Dance Dynamics, where one of her coaches was… former Tiger Girl Devon Sells.
“She got me ready to live out this dream,” she said. “Recruiting for dance is different than other sports. I was auditioning for other schools and had to pull out of a few. I auditioned for the Tiger Girls and at that point, there was no back up school. I either made it, or I wasn’t dancing in college. It was a ‘Thank God’ moment when I made it. Everything fell into place and all my hard work paid off.”
She was off to LSU in August for months of training, performances at football games, promos and appearances, and never looked back.
“Everyone says the coolest moment is performing for the first time in Death Valley (LSU’s home stadium),” she recalls. “Everyone says you are going to cry. I was like, no way. Doing pregame with the band and Golden Girls and looking up into those stands, it’s emotional. I’m not gonna lie. At that point I thought, ‘I’m really here’.”
After the football season, came performances at basketball games before the gauntlet leading up to the UDA National Dance Competition.
“It’s eight-hour practices for months, but it is definitely worth it,” she said. “What is so cool about training for that competition is that it is all about us. We aren’t cheering or dancing for anyone else, it’s all about us.
“During the Christmas break, we are working tirelessly on our routine. After practice, we go home and look at the practice film and what we can improve on. We are completely locked in.”
…
Is there time for anything else for this Texas Tiger Girl?
“Well, I’m in a sorority (Phi Mu) and have met some many great people during my freshman year,” she said. “I’m studying to be a physical therapist for athletes and dancers, and would love to dance for an NFL or NBA team while in grad school. That’s the plan.”
How it’s going for Torres so far, I would bet on it.
Pasadena Memorial's Robert Miller III
READY TO GEAUX: Miller leaving it all on the floor before heading to LSU
Standing at 6-foot-11, the senior PF quite literally towers over the competition, and has done so since he was a child. However, it didn’t always come easily for the No. 2 ranked player in the state.
“I started playing at the YMCA, and I was going off on everyone,” Miller laughed. “Then my Dad moved me into AAU and I began to struggle on my first team. I feel like that experience built a lot of my character, because it helped me learn to take losses and work through adversity."
“As years went on, my Dad started making me play up an age group to teach me to play faster. When I got on the high school court, the pace was slower. I’ve been put in positions to make sure I’m ready for the next level.”
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
His coach, Trent Oliver, understood Miller’s value to the program right away, after he transferred from Baytown Sterling his sophomore year.
“He (Miller) is definitely the best player I’ve ever coached,” said Oliver. “He has a great basketball IQ,and he’s always looking to make great plays and decisions. Miller is obviously an impressive shooter, bu the really takes pride on the defensive side of the ball, which makes him a great teammate."
“Honestly, I think he’s only beginning to tap into his potential. Imagine how good this kid can be once he maximizes that... when he’s provided with all of the resources and competition that collegiate ball can offer him.”
Speaking of, Miller will be joining a top-tier NCAA program at LSU following his graduation.
“I was drawn to LSU mainly because of the coaching staff,” Miller said. “They were adamant about making me a priority on the team, and that I could make an impact from day one. I took that into consideration, and because I used to live there and have family there, I know I won’t get homesick. I have people behind me.”
Another draw could’ve been the fact that his father, Robert Miller II, played defensive end at LSU before eventually becoming one of the football coaches at Pasadena Memorial. Additionally, his mother played basketball at Tulane,so it would appear this guy was always meant to be an athlete.
The stars of 2023-24 Pasadena Memorial BasketballBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
Enough about LSU, Miller has unfinished business at Pasadena Memorial.
“I’m going to give it my all this year,” Miller said. “I’ve heard of a lot of stuff that is motivating me. I know what I need to do in order to go out on day one and be prepared to dominate on the floor.”
The Mavs finished third in the district a year ago before reaching the postseason. Could this be the year that Miller and company take that a step further?