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Miles Rose joined Putnam Science Academy’s Prep team for the second half restart last season amid a lot of promise. coach Tom Espinosa said the Class of ’23 guard had the potential to be a Top 50 player by the time he finished as a Mustang.
But the reality of playing at that level hit Rose hard, and he struggled to find his footing over the 19 games. He played sparingly and often on a short leash, averaging just 3.6 points with a true shooting percentage around 43 percent.
“It was definitely different than anything I was used to. You could say I wasn’t playing with as much confidence as I would have liked to,” he said, before adding, “and I am looking forward to changing that this year. Going through it already will help. I’m looking at that semester as a learning experience.
“I could have played a lot better. I can’t do anything about it now. It’s in the past, it’s something to learn from and get better from. Now I know what I need to do, what I can expect in practices, in games, in the weight room, and just be better.”
Rose has had a good summer on the EYBL circuit with City Rocks. He said he has been working on all parts of his game but has focused on getting stronger and getting more confident in his jumpshot. When he plays with confidence, when he plays like himself, he is a playmaker both for himself and for his teammates and gets locked in on the defensive end.
“He’s talented, we’ve said that before,” Espinosa said. “He could be a really, really good player. From what we saw, he finished the summer on a high note and playing well, so I expect him to come back ahead of the game and be ready to go.
“I believe you build your confidence before the season. If you don’t have confidence from the free throw line, if you shoot 500 free throws every day over the summer, you should have confidence in it when the season starts. I believe it’s hard for someone else to give you confidence. I think it’s something inside you and the only way you build it is to shoot, shoot, shoot until you do.”
Espinosa is hard on his players, something that Rose said he didn’t take well at first.
“One of the things I am definitely looking forward to is being a leader with all the new guys,” he said. “Last year can help me help them through the tough times they have, or how tough the coaching staff can be and just letting them know they’re doing it to get you better and help build you up. It’s going to be a different year for me.“
By Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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