Kiyomi McMiller breaks silence on controversial Rutgers exit; brings up intimidation factor: "Everybody didn't come to win"

Former Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Kiyomi McMiller is setting her sights on a new home in college basketball. On Apr. 19, it was confirmed per On3 that the spitfire scorer will be playing for the Penn State Lady Lions in the 2025-26 season.

It was an up-and-down rookie campaign for McMiller. Despite her phenomenal play on the court, she dealt with personal issues and internal disputes with the program off the court. During a recent interview with basketball analyst Brandon Robinson, the incoming second-year star broke her silence given her controversial exit from the Scarlet Knights.

"I would definitely say the mindset of how everyone thought. I’m a very, when it comes to winning, I would say that I’m a very aggressive person and I’ll say, ‘I wanna win!!!’ straight off the bat, and I feel like that wasn’t the same for everybody else. Everybody didn’t come to win, or want to win, or show that they wanted to win," McMiller explained.

"And I came in everyday showing that I wanted to do that, you know?. Maybe it was intimidatingoto people to show them how much you want to win and how much you want to get better. So, I think that was one of the reasons why stuff didn’t go as well as it should’ve," she added.

McMiller then shared what she has learned moving forward when it comes to seeking out opportunitites.

"I’ll say what I’ve learned is to evaluate your decisions more and really make sure that you’re going to a place that you’re actually accepted for who you are and who you truly are, not who they want to turn you into," she said.

McMiller was later asked about her thoughts on moving to Penn State, a team that is in the same conference as her former squad in the Big Ten conference.

"It definitely does! I get to compete against and play against people this past year and just show them and get a second chance or a second opportunity, I guess to fully showcase who I am and really give them a better impression of who I am," she shared.

The Scarlet Knights concluded the 2024-25 season with a 13-20 overall record and a lowly 3-15 standing during conference play earlier in the year.

Kiyomi McMiller is excited for her fresh start with the Penn State Lady Lions

During the interview with Brandon Robinson, Kiyomi McMiller was asked about her feelings as she is now set to play for the Penn State Lady Lions for her second year in college. She asserted that she feels nothing but optimism towards her new beginning.

"I feel really good. I’m very proud about my decision. I’m very excited for the next couple of years and really ready just to prove people wrong — they have a, I guess, a thought about me that’s…And I don’t know where it came from, but it’s definitely not true," McMiller detailed.

"So I definitely want to show who I really am and show everybody the truth about me and show them who Kiyomi McMiller really is," she concluded.

In her first stint of college basketball with Coquese Washington's Scarlet Knights, McMiller averaged a team-high 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest in 21 games played.