Bender Honored With Gabe Miller Award

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's basketball team hosted their post-season banquet Friday night (4/14/23), where sophomore Charlie Bender was presented the Gabe Miller Award.

Pioneers only give out one team award per season at the post-season banquet, the prestigious Gabe Miller Award. The Gabe Miller Award goes to the individual that exemplifies hard work on and off the court, dedication to the team and community, and being an all-around good person. 

Gabe Miller was a member of the 1995 National Championship team at UW-Platteville. Miller represented everything you could ask for in a student athlete. He worked hard on and off the basketball court, as well as in the classroom. He was well liked by his teammates, and by others that were around him. In the words of a former teammate Aaron Lancaster who sadly lost his own battle with cancer in 2021, "Gabe was the ultimate teammate. He didn't say much, but he made sure that things were done the right way. He was a 'Glue Guy' and kept everything together. Gabe was a very dependable friend. If you had a problem, Gabe was the guy to talk to." 

Unfortunately, Miller's time was cut short. He died of a heart condition a few weeks after the 1995 National Championship Game. 

Bender represented everything that Gabe Miller stood for and the UW-Platteville basketball team is proud to announce him as the 2022 recipient.