Atlanta ? Aaron Miles doesn’t pattern himself after any particular point guard.

“I’m just me,” said Miles, Kansas University’s 6-foot-1 freshman floor general.

Still, the Portland, Ore., native admits he does admire the traits of others who play one of the most demanding position in all of sports  like Hall of Famers Isiah Thomas and Magic Johnson as well as Terrell Brandon, a former Oregon University standout now with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“I’ve got to go with Isiah, Magic and Terrell Brandon because Terrell is from Portland,” Miles said.

Johnson, of course, led the Los Angeles Lakers to multiple world championships after pacing Michigan State to an NCAA title, while Thomas won several championships with the Detroit Pistons after leading Indiana to NCAA glory.

“Terrell  I love his mid-range game and how poised he is on the court,” Miles said.

Miles has been a Thomas fan a long, long time.

“I grew up watching the Pistons because my dad is from Detroit,” Miles said. “My brother (Mark) and I would have a fake hoop in our room and we’d play 2-on-nothing with a sock or a mini-basketball. We’d act like there were defenders on us and we’d go in on the fastbreak. My brother would never let me be Isiah, though.”

Instead, Miles had to be Joe Dumars, a Thomas teammate on the Pistons.

The 2-on-0 fast break always ended in a basket by Mark.

“Except when my brother jumped in front of me and decided to play defense at the last second and knock me down,” Miles said with a grin.

Before his career is over, maybe Miles will join Thomas and Johnson as one of basketball’s greats. He is off to a good start as KU’s all-time freshman single-season assists leader with 242.

“He is really, really important to us pushing the ball on the break,” KU coach Roy Williams said. “He’s really important in us trying to control the game with our perimeter. And before it is over, he will be a good shooter for us. There’s no question about that.”

Williams is not concerned about the only current knock on Miles’ game  point production.

Miles, who averages 7.0 points per game, has hit 41.3 percent of his floor shots and 31.7 percent of his threes. In four NCAA Tournament games, he has made 36.4 percent of his shots  one of six threes  while averaging 8.5 points a game.

Some teams do not guard Miles when he’s 15 feet or deeper from the goal.

“I don’t feel it’s disrespect,” Miles said. “They just respect our other players so much that they’ll have me try to beat them. In tournament games, they’ve not backed off as much.

“In the past I’ve been timid to shoot. In the past somebody on our team would penetrate and I didn’t want them to kick it out to me. Now I am more confident. If it’s there, I want my teammates to kick it out to me. I want to shoot and make it.”

That’s because his shot is mechanically correct.

“I think I’m a good shooter now,” Miles said. “But in the future I can be great. I stay after practice, come before practice and shoot all the time. I will do the work it takes to be a great shooter.”

Miles shrugs at the suggestion freshmen point guards cannot win national titles.

“I don’t look at it like we have a freshman point guard,” Miles said. “Kirk Hinrich is still a point guard. It’s like I’ve got help out there. He helps me a lot. I have great players around me. It’s not just me out there. It’s not just a freshman, it’s everybody.”

He’s ready for the challenge of playing against Maryland guards Juan Dixon and Steve Blake.

“They have great guards. They have a great team,” Miles said. “I see it like they have the same style of play as we do. It’ll be another fun game, another fast-paced game.”