From the small college gyms across Minnesota to the arenas of professional basketball, alumni of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) are leaving a powerful mark at the game’s highest levels.
“MIAC basketball was the beginning of my college career and really just started the way,” Riley Miller said.
An All-MIAC guard at St. Thomas in 2020, Miller’s basketball journey has taken him from Division III to Division I, overseas, and now to the NBA, where he currently serves as a video and player development associate with the Houston Rockets.
Miller is not the only former MIAC basketball student-athlete to find success in the professional game. In fact, more than a dozen MIAC alumni are actively working in the NBA, WNBA, and G-League.
Fellow Tommies Will Dunn and Sean Sweeney, along with Jonah Herscu (Carleton) and Parker Hines (Augsburg), are all on the bench as assistant coaches; Dunn with the Houston Rockets, Herscu with the Portland Trail Blazers, Joerger with the Milwaukee Bucks, and Hines with the G-League’s Texas Legends.
“[Playing in the MIAC] taught me time management and what it means to be prepared,” said Herscu, who has spent time as a video coordinator, advance scout, and coach in all three leagues since his time as a guard at Carleton in the early 2010s.
Recent Hamline graduate Mick Wherley is already following a similar path. After spending a season as an assistant coach at Concordia-St. Paul, Wherley is now in his first year as a player development and video associate with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Another MIAC alum, Gabe Alada, worked with Bally Sports after graduating from St. Olaf and now works full-time with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx as a social media coordinator, while other MIAC alumni, like Bethel’s Andy Birdsong and former Macalester guard Dave Lewin, have worked their way up the organizational charts and into the front office as assistant general managers with the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics, respectively.
“Playing for a highly competitive athletic conference like the MIAC not only pushed me on the court but also made me strive for excellence in the classroom and in my internships,” former Macalester women’s basketball and volleyball athlete Nicole Norton said.
A dual sport student-athlete for the Scots, Norton worked with the Gophers’ “Leadership U” department after graduation and is now in her first year as an account executive in business development for the Timberwolves.
“Being a dual sport athlete especially taught me time management and how to perform under pressure,” Norton added. “Now in my current role with the Timberwolves and leading a boys' high school volleyball program, I’m able to not only manage my time but contribute to a professional sports organization while making a difference in young athletes' lives simultaneously.”
Norton is among several MIAC alumni - alongside the likes of former Saint Mary’s student-athletes Eric Lear, Mateo Means, and Ryan Tanke, as well as Saint John’s grad Nic Barlage - to have found their pro basketball callings on the corporate side of the game. Lear is now the Director of Partnership Marketing and Content for the Chicago Sky, and Means is the Senior Coordinator of Corporate Social Responsibility and Mavs Foundation for the Dallas Mavericks, while Barlage and Tanke have taken on three-letter titles in the NBA; Barlage is the CEO of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cleveland Cavaliers Arena Organization, while Tanke now serves as the COO of the Houston Rockets.
Regardless of the path, MIAC alumni consistently demonstrate the value of a Division III education: a holistic approach that prepares individuals for long-term success.
“The discipline, resilience, and confidence I developed during those years continue to guide me,” said Sara Sorbo.
The Concordia College graduate credits her MIAC experience with shaping both her professional path and personal growth. Now a performance trainer and media manager with The Athlete Blueprint, Sorbo works with elite athletes, including WNBA stars Kelsey Plum, Napheesa Collier, Paige Buckers, and Breanna Stewart. The responsibility and management skills Sorbo honed as a student-athlete now fuel her passion for helping professional athletes reach their peak mental and physical performance.
What unites these individuals is not just their shared conference, but the values instilled during their Division III experience of community, integrity, and a commitment to excellence that continue to guide them beyond their playing days. With a focus on developing the whole person, the MIAC equips student-athletes with the tools to succeed, not just in sports, but in life. As alumni continue to make their mark in professional basketball, their journeys reinforce a powerful truth: Division III is not a limitation, but a launchpad for lifelong success.