Bobby Miller was already a well-known youth basketball figure in Bethesda and Potomac when Matt Miller became the boys' varsity coach at Churchill High School two seasons ago.

The two shared a last name (they weren't related) and a passion for making the Bulldog basketball program into a Montgomery County contender.

Still, Bobby Miller was established. He had coached in the Bethesda Magic AAU program. He had even coached Churchill summer league and fall league teams.

Matt Miller was new on the scene, yet, he remembered back to when he was first hired, to when Bobby Miller was one of the first to greet him and his staff.

"It was because he was very excited to see Churchill basketball do well," Matt Miller said. "More than anything, he wanted the kids to have a great experience and he gave us his full support from day one."

Bobby Miller died as a result of cancer in April of 2009.

This week, Matt Miller and others at Churchill who remember his contributions will honor his memory with the second annual Bobby Miller Bulldog Classic.

It's a eight-team, two-day high school basketball tournament featuring both the Churchill boys and girls teams and it means a lot to the Bulldog boys' current coach.

"He was a man who was always looking to help kids, always looking to coach kids," Matt Miller said. "He was very involved here. We wanted to honor him."

Tournament organizers will accept donations in Bobby Miller's name for the American Cancer Society.

The Churchill boys will play Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. before taking on their second-round opponent in Thursday's game.

You can find the full tournament schedule here and stay up-to-date with tournament results all week on Patch.