Dan Miller's life has been transformed the past 18 months.

He switched schools, leaving Maryland after three years for Notre Dame. He altered roles, going from being a valuable reserve two years ago for the first Terrapins team to make the Final Four to becoming a starter and key contributor for the Fighting Irish this season.

Even his first name has slightly changed. Known as Danny while at Maryland, he's called Dan by everyone on the school's South Bend, Ind., campus, just as he was back in high school in New Jersey.

Whether it's merely a matter of maturation or simply being asked to do more than he was required to in College Park, Miller has certainly demonstrated his well-rounded game with a higher degree of productivity during the first month of the season than he did at Maryland.

Through seven games, Miller is third on the team in scoring, with a 17-point average. He is also second in rebounding (7.4 a game) and is tied for second in assists (2.1). A career 45.1-percent shooter with the Terrapins, Miller is shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 38.7 on three-point shots (12 of 31).

Fresh off a performance that included 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in a 92-71 upset of No. 13 Marquette on Monday night, Miller hopes to show his former coach, Gary Williams, and his former teammates how much he has developed when Notre Dame (6-1) plays No. 9 Maryland (3-1) today in the BB&T; Classic at MCI Center.

"It's definitely a game I've looked forward to. It's been a game I've had circled on my schedule for a year-and-a-half now," Miller said earlier this week. "I've got to approach it like any other game; I can't get too excited about it. I've just got to go out there ... like I have any other game so far."

There was a lot of speculation about Miller's departure after the 2000-01 season. Rumored to be unhappy after losing his starting position to Byron Mouton early in the season, Miller still played a significant role in Maryland's march to the NCAA tournament semifinals.

But Miller was uncomfortable in a role that limited his touches on offense and, at times, his minutes off the bench. After starting all 34 games and averaging 8.5 points in nearly 31 minutes as a sophomore, Miller became a reserve and wound up scoring 4.8 points in less than 19 minutes as a junior.

"It was more like just a confidence issue," Miller, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, said last month in South Bend. "I wasn't getting many shots in a game and when I did, there was so much pressure on one shot. That's when I started losing confidence in my game.

"Being in that situation, with one year left, I had to decide if I wanted to stay around. I didn't know what to do. I wasn't as good a player as I thought I could be. I felt I had to change scenery. It's working out well for me right now."

Coming to Notre Dame was the easy part for Miller. He was familiar with Irish coach Mike Brey, who coached one of Miller's two older brothers, Greg, at Delaware. It was Brey, a former Duke assistant who grew up in Rockville, who had recommended Maryland to Miller and his family.

"The father was using me as kind of a consultant," said Brey. "It was the spring of the kid's junior year and we had a conversation one day and he [Miller's father, Mike] said, 'We saw Wake and Duke and Carolina and Virginia and we're going to look at Rutgers and Villanova.' I said, 'What about Maryland?' "

Brey didn't have any trepidation taking Miller this time, not even with only one year of eligibility remaining.

"We're recruiting high school kids now that may not stay but one or two [years]. Why can't we look at it on the other end?" said Brey. "With a transfer, it's not one year because they do give you a year of practice. In a coach's life, a good year can save you. One year is a good investment if it's the right fit."

Brey has credited Miller with helping the Irish last year in practice. And, after losing all three frontcourt starters, Brey needed a player with Miller's experience. What Miller has given Notre Dame is a player versatile enough to play everywhere but center.

"He does so much at 6-8, you can move him around at different spots," said Brey. "We've really tried to take advantage of his flexibility. He's been a good leader, being an older guy with so many young guys. He's given us some toughness. He's made us a tougher team."

Though he has never second-guessed his move as others at Maryland did, Miller admits that last March was the most difficult time since he came to Notre Dame. It wasn't just the fact that he could practice, but not play, with a Fighting Irish team that made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing to Duke.

Watching the Terrapins win a national championship was a bittersweet experience.

"Definitely the whole month of March was the roughest, [because] that's the best time of year," said Miller, who sat out last season in accordance with NCAA rules regarding transfers. "I had a great time with those guys. They're still my friends; I'm still in touch with them. I was happy for them.

"It's a great thing to do, to win a national championship, but I don't know if it would have been great for me the whole year. That's one of the main reasons I had left. It was tough to sit and watch my team knowing I could have been there. I just had to remind myself why I left and why I was doing it."

In retrospect, Miller wasn't the happiest camper in College Park.

"I liked playing with those guys," said Miller. "With the whole situation I was in and the system I was in, I don't think I was happy as a player. Obviously in this type of system that Coach Brey has, an open-motion system, it allows me to be a better player and have more fun playing."

Among the players Miller keeps in touch with are seniors Steve Blake and Tahj Holden, as well as Lonny Baxter, who is now with the Chicago Bulls. Playing against his former teammates won't be any different to Miller than it was in practice for three years.

"We're all good friends, and there's no hard feelings," said Miller, who spoke with Blake on Monday night. "Once the game starts and we're on the court we're know we're out there to win, each one of us. We're going to go hard at each other."