Marlin Simms pushed a standing desk through Cane Ridge (Tenn.) High School and opened a door to the accolades of Brandon Miller.

A few banners celebrating Miller’s school records still hang above the gym. A blown-up picture of Miller during a playoff game is plastered on a wall outside the locker room. A pair of Adidas sneakers, game-worn and signed, sit in a glass case. While the main athletic wing of Cane Ridge holds the hardware he won, the words of the faculty paint a picture of Miller’s personality. The elite recruit who volunteered his time with the school’s special needs students. A kid who spent off days with his family at a local food pantry.

Miller graduated from Cane Ridge’s Academy of Law, with a focus on criminal justice, a year ago. His presence is still felt, like when Miller returned with Alabama men’s basketball to face Vanderbilt in January and he comped tickets to Simms and the Ravens’ varsity team. But of late, at least nationally, Miller’s image has prompted discourse.

During a bond trial last month, Tuscaloosa police said Miller was picking up former teammate Darius Miles when Miles requested his gun, which was in Miller’s car. The weapon was eventually used by a third person to fatally shoot Jamea Harris, a 23-year-old mother, outside the strip of bars off UA’s campus on Jan. 15. Miles and the gunman were arrested on capital murder charges, while Miller and freshman Jaden Bradley were cleared of any wrongdoing by police and the university.

“I never lose sight of the fact that a family has lost one of their loved ones that night,” Miller said on Tuesday in his first media availability since the news broke. “This whole situation is just really heartbreaking. Respectfully, that’s all I’m going to be able to say on that.”

The court of public opinion is still debating Miller’s acts. Some have questioned the presence of Miles’ gun in Miller’s car to begin with, potentially a violation of campus policy. Miller’s decision to bring a firearm to someone who was just leaving a nightclub past midnight has been scrutinized. (Miller’s attorney Jim Stanridge said Miller “never saw the gun nor handled it,” alleging it was underneath some clothing in the backseat.) But the Cane Ridge support is staunch.

One administrator audibly gasped after learning Miller’s involvement but went on to say Miller came from a great family. Another defended Miller’s “heart of gold.” Mose Phillips Jr., a teacher and football coach at Cane Ridge and Miller’s godfather, told AL.com he’s frustrated no one is talking about how Miller’s life was at risk also, with two bullet holes hitting Miller’s windshield in the exchange. To them, there has to be an explanation for Miller’s actions, a fact the public has yet to discover amid an ongoing case.

Social media, though, allows for instantaneous reaction and has led to competing perceptions of Miller — the kind-hearted, 6-foot-8 “fixture” of Cane Ridge versus the remorseless player that Alabama is protecting. True or not, the two will collide this week during the Southeastern Conference tournament, which will be played about 12 miles from Antioch, Tenn., Miller’s hometown.

“I know Brandon. I know the kid that he is. It would be hard to convince me he did something wrong that night,” Simms said. ” … Just in your heart of your hearts, if you know him, he don’t move like that.”

Just southeast of Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, Miller’s parents Darrell and Yolanda, enrolled Miller in Cane Ridge by design. Per U.S. Census data, Davidson County residents have a median income of $66,047 with 15% of the 700,000-plus residents living in poverty. The family fielded calls from powerhouse high school teams across the country with transfer offers, but Darrell and Yolanda thought Miller had a better chance of being “just Brandon” with the Ravens.

They believed in Simms on the court and the curriculum to guide Miller off it. Miller studied pre-law, taking four major-specific courses toward his degree. He developed into a ball-handling five-star recruit under Simms, scoring 2,000 points and being named Tennessee’s Gatorade Player of the Year twice. His parents grounded Miller in charity work. The family was “regulars” at The Little Pantry That Could, working four-to-five-hour shifts throughout Miller’s senior year, according to local owner Stacy Downey. It closed last summer, but Downey recalled Miller using his height to stock shelves and help customers as they shopped.

When a ninth-grade Miller won the equivalent of a homecoming award, Miller approached the dean of students, Khaliah King, and after thanking her for the opportunity, asked his name be taken off the ballot in the next round of voting and for years to come. Miller was a quiet kid, expressing himself through muscle cars, a hobby he picked up with his dad.

Preparing for his eventual stardom, however, the Millers consulted a publicist a few years ago and talked with lawyers about future representation should any need arise, Phillips Jr. said, While they never imagined a scenario like Jan. 15, Phillips acknowledged the family “knew” Miller’s actions that night would eventually be reported, likely at the trial’s continuation.

“There’s a lot of stuff out there I want to (respond to). A lot of stuff (Simms) wants to say. But you don’t get into back and forth with people who don’t know Brandon. It’s a small circle,” Phillips Jr. said. “… The thing with this situation is Brandon had the dash cam. When all the information comes out, there’s gonna be a lot of people that are like, ‘Aw, I didn’t realize it happened like that.’ But you gotta sell the narrative, you gotta sell the story. You gotta get on ESPN. … It’s the nature of the beast. That’s how you get paid. So you don’t feed into that. (The Millers are) well-rounded, good family, good people, as long as Brandon’s OK, it’s all you got.”

Simms said Cane Ridge students haven’t asked about Miller’s case. Simms doesn’t know if his coworkers talk about Miller’s current situation either. If they do, it’s behind his back. They know better than to approach him. Simms, who watches every Tide game multiple times, has stayed off social media the last few weeks, even removing access to the Cane Ridge basketball account from his phone. He used to enjoy the reaction to Miller’s historic season but was instead hurt by the way users discussed Miller and the case.

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Tuscaloosa detectives said in court testimony Miller has been cooperative from the beginning of the investigation. Starting with Alabama’s first media session of the postseason Thursday, journalists from across the country are expected to follow the Tide. More likely than not, Miller will be questioned about that night and his answers, if any, will be dissected.

But back in Cane Ridge, those who know Miller won’t need to hear his response. A few of them are still looking to grab a seat for Alabama’s tournament debut on Friday.

“This is a young man who did things for his community,” King said. ” …I can say without a shadow of a doubt and you can quote me, if Brandon were involved in anything malicious, he does not, in that situation, he doesn’t know what was going down.”

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].