Column: Cody Zeller loses his coach off the court

The line of mourners spilling out the front door of Gill Funeral Service on a picturesque fall afternoon in Washington, Ind., patiently waited in a queue that wrapped around East Walnut Street.

“Is the line normally this long?” I asked the man standing next to me.

“No,” he said with assurance. “But these are special circumstances.”

I was already disappointed in myself for arriving 10 minutes late to the open house for the late Debra Miiller, but that feeling only worsened when I realized that minor setback meant taking my place behind an entire community that was sure to not be tardy.

Included in this throng of Hoosiers was IU freshman forward Cody Zeller, accompanied by his mother Lori.

Their family has grown close with the Miillers since 2006 when Debra’s husband of 39 years, Gene, took over the reins of the Washington High School basketball program. Gene, who also serves as Washington’s athletic director, coached both Cody and his older brother Tyler to a combined three Class 3A IHSAA state titles, including championships in the past two seasons.

Debra, or “Debbie” as she was known by her friends, cannot be found on the rosters of those championship teams that have brought so much pride to a small town that encapsulates a portion of Indiana State Road 57.

Her name won’t live on in record books as the head coach or star forward, but she was just as much a part of those teams as the uniformed players and coaches on the court.

“She was definitely a big part of our state championship run,” Cody said. “A lot of times after games, we would go over to (the Miillers’) house and she had a whole spread of food out for us.

“She was just there for us, taking care of us and she was definitely a great lady, one that put others before herself. And I think the community is definitely going to miss her.”

Debbie’s hospitality and selflessness made her house — where team meetings and the annual Christmas Party were  — the Zeller brothers’ “home away from home” and rendered Debbie “another mom,” said Lori.

Cody said at games Debbie’s enthusiasm would at times rival that of her husband.

“In a game she was always yelling at the refs — sometimes more than Coach Miiller,” said the youngest Zeller brother. “Basketball was definitely important to her, but I think more important than anything, everyone else around her was more important than herself.”

Outside of her famous desserts and being the Washington Hatchets’ biggest fan, Debbie left her mark on Cody with lessons that transcended basketball.

In addition to the selflessness Cody said he learned from Debbie, Lori saw something else rub off on her sons.

“Debbie was always a fighter and she never gave up,” said Lori, who works with Gene Miiller as an Athletic Office Assistant. “She was one of the toughest ladies I knew and I think for the boys, they would see that and they would know that that was something they could learn from her.”

Once a group finished its visit and exited through the same pure white door from which it entered, many community members would walk back down the line, greeting nearly every familiar face along the way.

Smiles, head nods, conversations about Hatchet sports started with first-name greetings and proceeded until they got to the out-of-place student journalist with unsure eyes nervously grasping his pen and black notepad.

There was a reason the seemingly infinite line at Gill formed so rapidly. There was a reason bouquets of flowers lined the walls of the open house, including a yellow arrangement with a card from the Washington High School basketball team. And there was a reason the Debra Miiller Scholarship Fund was created shortly after her passing.

“Washington is a great, small town,” Cody said. “When anyone is sick, especially a great lady like herself, the whole town comes together and does whatever they can. It’s definitely a big loss to the community.”

Debra Miiller, 58, suffered a heart attack Sept. 26 and passed away Sept. 29. Her loss is felt in Washington, with the Zellers, and in the four high school communities where Gene has coached.

“It’s difficult for the boys to see (Gene’s) heart so heavy,” Lori said. “He has taken us on a wild ride of (three) state championships while my boys have played, and we’ve had the best of times, and now this is probably the lowest that we’ve been.”