Archive: Toledo Rocket Success Stories

By Steve Easton, Associate Director for Athletic Communications

TOLEDO, Ohio – Rocket fans may know senior Setric Millner Jr. for his highlight dunks and his high-arching three-pointers on the court. What they don't realize is that the trek from Little Rock, Ark. to the University of Toledo was a circuitous journey that almost never have happened.

Like most kids, Millner played baseball, basketball and football growing up in the Razorback state until he began to focus on basketball when he got to middle school.

"Football was my favorite sport when I was a kid, but my mama didn't really want me to play anymore," he said. "She said I had to choose one sport. I come from a basketball family, so I chose basketball."

That choice proved to be a wise one as evidenced by the success he started enjoying on the court. Unfortunately for Millner, a roadblock popped up at a ninth-grade spring AAU tournament in Indianapolis when he fractured his tibia.

"It was a freak accident," Millner said. "The ceiling had a leak in it, and there was a wet spot on the court.  I literally lost my footing and slipped."

After surgery, Millner spent several months in a wheelchair and still couldn't walk when school rolled around in August.

"We had only ramps and stairs in my school and didn't have any elevators because it was old," Millner said. "I wouldn't have been able to go anywhere in my school without an elevator."

That's when his cousin Duane Washington (who played at Ohio State and currently plays for the NBA's Phoenix Suns) suggested he move in with his family in Grand Rapids, Mich.

"I was super close with Duane and he was almost like my brother," he said. "Duane said that since we both played basketball it would be cool if I came and lived with them because his school had elevators.  The decision was made in two days."

Millner made the trek north to the Wolverine state and enrolled at Grand Rapids Christian High School. It wasn't a smooth transition though, which could be expected when a young person moves nearly 800 miles away from home. He also was not able to be as successful as he wanted while recovering from his injury.

"It was a bad time for me my first year when I was a sophomore," Millner said. "I love my cousin and uncle to death, but it was extremely difficult. My cousin was really good, and we were living in the same household.  Seeing him be successful and me recovering from my injury was hard to handle.  I played junior varsity the whole year, because I was coming off an injury and the coaches didn't know me. It hurt because I always thought I was good enough to play varsity."

His chance to prove himself finally came in his senior season and Millner took advantage. He averaged 20.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg on his way to earning Class A first-team all-state honors from the Associated Press and Detroit News. He also joined the football team as a wide receiver that year, which led to scholarship offers in both sports.

 

The choice to play football was what caused Millner to miss out on becoming a Rocket right out of high school.

"Initially I was planning to come to Toledo, but I wanted to wait to take an official visit when my football season ended." Millner said. "By then, It was too late because they didn't have any scholarships available."

Millner ended up at Cleveland State, where he started all but one game and averaged 7.1 ppg and 4.7 rpg as a freshman. Another roadblock popped up after the season when the Vikings' coaching staff was fired at season's end. He decided to attend Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Fla., a small town about 150 miles west of Tallahassee.

"My freshman year at Cleveland State, I learned how to play college basketball," Millner said. "Every freshman coming straight out of high school has a big adjustment as soon as they step on campus. The play is way faster, the weights are a little heavier. Being at junior college showed me how to play with different types of players. Everybody wanted to show their game and prove something.  It showed me how to learn how to intertwine showing your skills along with playing team basketball."

It was when Millner was in Florida that the Rockets re-started the recruiting process.

"Coach K started recruiting me again and we told each other we weren't going to mess it up this time," he said. "I remember when Coach Kowalczyk came to my house for an in-home visit the first time he was recruiting me. When he did that, I knew he was a genuinely good person. I kept that in the back of my mind."

"We both agreed that we made a mistake when we were recruiting him in high school,' Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "We had a chance to make it right, and it's been a great fit for both of us."
Millner's experiences prior to coming to UT were extremely beneficial, and he certainly hasn't disappointed Rocket fans since arriving prior to their 2020-21 campaign. He has helped Toledo win two Mid-American Conference titles, earning third-team All-MAC honors last season and scored over 1,300 points.

Besides his strong play on the court, Millner has also been able to take advantage of the opportunity to earn a business degree. He earned a spot on the UToledo Honor last fall and is scheduled to graduate this spring.

"Getting my degree in business is going to help me a lot," Millner said. "I give Coach Kowalczyk a lot of credit for that. I came here as a University Studies major, and I was just going to graduate in two years. When we received an extra year due to Covid, he told me that a business degree would be a lot more valuable than other majors. I'm super grateful for this opportunity. It hasn't been easy, but I know it will be worth it."

"Seth has been a great leader for our program on and off the court," Kowalczyk said. "He had to take a little bit longer path to get here, but we are both very happy he finally made it."
Now that Millner looks back on his journey to Toledo, he wonders a little bit on where life would have taken him if he hadn't broken his leg when he was in ninth grade..

"Who knows? I may have gone to college in Arkansas and stayed there for my whole career," Millner said. "I do know I am very thankful for the opportunity I have at Toledo. I know we are loved here and taken care of. I know that if I need to ask for anything here, they will help me as much as they can."