Patrick Mills

Infobox NCAA Athlete
name = Patrick Mills
nickname = Patty


caption =
college = Saint Mary's
conference = WCC
sport = Basketball
position = Point guard
jersey = 13
status =
class = Sophomore
career_start = 2007
height_ft = 6
height_in = 0
weight_lb = 175
nationality = Australia
birth_date = birth date and age|1988|8|11
birth_place = Canberra
highschool = Marist College, Canberra
career_highlights = y
honors =
awards = Deadlys Award for Most Promising New Talent in Sport (2006)
NAIDOC National Sportsperson of the Year (2006)
Australia Basketball Player of the Year (2006)
WCC Newcomer of the Year (2008)
All-WCC First Team (2008)
tournaments =
tournament_list =

Patrick "Patty" Mills (born 11 August 1988 in Canberra) is an Australian basketball point guard who is currently preparing for his sophomore (second) season at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California, USA. He is especially noted for being one of the first Indigenous Australians to make a major name for himself in basketballcite news|url=http://www.basketball.net.au/fs_newsitem.asp?id=73614&orgID=1&Oname=BA&O1c=8&O10c=3 |title=New kid on Boomers' block |author=Reed, Ron, "Herald Sun" |publisher=Basketball Australia | date=2007-08-04 |accessdate=2007-12-01] cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=whelliston_kyle&id=3133651 |title=Memphis, St. Mary's and Gonzaga have freshman gems |first=Kyle |last=Whelliston |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2007-11-30 |accessdate=2007-11-30] and one of the youngest players ever to suit up for the men's senior national team, the Boomers.

Childhood

Mills, the son of a Torres Strait Islander father and Aboriginal mother from the Ynunga people of South Australia, was first exposed to basketball as a four-year-old with The Shadows, an Indigenous Australian team that his parents established.cite news|url=http://www.basketball.net.au/fs_newsitem.asp?id=68371&orgID=1&Oname=BA&O1c=8&O10c=3 |title=Patrick Mills is standing tall |first=Frances |last=Malone |publisher=Basketball Australia |date=2006-12-07 |accessdate=2007-12-01] He attended Marist College Canberra, in his early years of highschool where his sporting prowess shone. He represented the college in rugby, Australian Rules Football, athletics, cross country and of course basketball; all at the highest level. His interest in basketball continued throughout his childhood; he served as ball boy for the Canberra Cannons of the NBL around 2000. During that time, his family would develop a close relationship with Cannons player David Patrick, who would eventually play a key role in Mills' career.cite news|url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_7548281 |title=Aussies could outnumber Americans at SMC game |first=Curtis |last=Pashelka |publisher="Contra Costa Times" |date=2007-11-24 |accessdate=2007-11-30 (free registration required)]

Development

Mills was selected at age 15 for the ACT U18 squad to compete in the Australian National Championships. The following year, Mills accepted a full time scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport, which had also developed two time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson and current Milwaukee Bucks player Andrew Bogut, where he continued to develop as a player. He also made a strong impression at the 2005 Australian Olympic Youth Festival, an event considered to be a showcase for future elite sporting talents.

In January 2006, he received the RE Staunton Medal as top player in the Australia under-20 national championships.cite news|url=http://www.basketball.net.au/fs_newsitem.asp?id=65094&orgID=1&Oname=BA&O1c=8&O10c=3 |title=Mills caps off big week with BA junior award |publisher=Basketball Australia |date=2007-07-12 |accessdate=2007-12-05] In April that year, he received more international attention when he was named to the World team of under-20 players that played a US team of the same age group at the Nike Hoop Summit in Memphis, Tennessee. Mills led the World squad with 6 assists and also added 8 points in a losing effort.cite web|url=http://www.basketball.net.au/fs_newsitem.asp?id=63137&orgID=1&Oname=BA&O1c=8&O10c=8 |title=US too powerful for World in Hoop Summit |publisher=Basketball Australia |date=2006-04-09 |accessdate=2007-12-05] He was one of 22 players invited to try out for the Australia squad for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, becoming the youngest player ever to participate in a Boomers training camp. While he was in training with the Boomers in July, he was named by Basketball Australia as the Junior Male Player of the Year. Mills also had an outstanding 2006 season with the AIS men's team in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), earning him a place on the All SEABL East men's team and the honour of 2006 SEABL U/21 Australian Youth Player of the Year. He went on to be named the 2006 Basketball Australia Player of the Year, and also received two major awards from Indigenous Australian organisations—The Deadlys Award for Most Promising New Talent in Sport and NAIDOC's National Sportsperson of the Year.cite press release|url=http://smcgaels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/110806aaa.html |title=Men's Basketball Inks Patrick Mills During Early Signing Period |publisher=Saint Mary's College Athletics |date=2006-11-08 |accessdate=2007-11-30]

Debut with the Boomers

After repeating as Staunton Medallist in 2007,cite press release|url=http://www.ausport.gov.au/fulltext/2007/ascmedia/290307.asp |title=Australia’s best young basketballers unveiled at Australian Institute of Sport |publisher=Australian Institute of Sport |date=2007-03-29 |accessdate=2007-12-05] Mills completed his scholarship with the AIS and opted to play for Saint Mary's. Before arriving in the Bay Area in August 2007, he played for Australia at the FIBA U19 World Championship in Serbia, in which Australia finished fifth. He was then called up to the Boomers in July 2007, making his debut against Austria on 31 July in an international friendly tournament in Bormio, Italy. Mills scored 11 points off the bench and was credited with changing the complexion of the match, which Australia won 84-63.cite news|url=http://www.basketball.net.au/fs_newsitem.asp?id=73284&orgID=1&Oname=BA&O1c=8&O10c=3 |title=Mills comes of age in Boomers debut |publisher=Basketball Australia |date=2007-07-31 |accessdate=2007-12-01 (scroll down page to reach article)] This not only made him one of the youngest Boomers ever, [Mills is sometimes credited with being the youngest ever, but this is incorrect. Mills debuted on 31 July 2007, at the age of 18 years 11 months. But the [http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/basketball/achievements/australian_representative_history AIS Representative History] page records that Andrew Vlahov, born 1 April 1969, debuted in 1987, so Vlahov could not have been older than 18 years 9 months.] but also made him only the third Indigenous Australian, after Michael Ah Mat in the 1960s and Danny Morseu in the 1980s, to play for the Boomers. Mills went on to make the Boomers squad for the FIBA Oceania Championship, which doubled as a qualifier for the 2008 Olympics. His main highlight in the competition, which was a three-match series against Australia's trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand, came in the second and ultimately deciding match. Mills came off the bench to score 17 points, helping lead the Boomers to a 93-67 rout of the Tall Blacks that punched their ticket to Beijing.cite news|url=http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_7339047 |title=Patrick Mills |first=Jennifer |last=Starks |publisher="Contra Costa Times" |date=2007-11-01 |accessdate=2007-11-30 (free registration required)]

On August 5, 2008 Mills was a member of the Australian squad that gave the USA Basketball team its closest tune-up game of the summer before the Beijing Olympics. The USA National team beat Australia 87-76 in its exhibition game in Macau, China. Australia's star player, the Milwaukee Bucks' Andrew Bogut, did not play because of a sore right ankle. Mills, the youngest player on the floor, was impressive as he added 13 points for the Australian squad.

Coming to America

Mills signed with Saint Mary's during the NCAA national early signing period in November 2006. Although he was pursued by several other NCAA Division I schools such as Utah (where Bogut played before coming to the NBA), Wake Forest, Alabama, and Nebraska (where he would join fellow Australian Aleks Maric), he came to Saint Mary's, indicating that he was comfortable with the Gaels' head coach Randy Bennett. Also, just prior to the 2006-07 season, Bennett had hired Mills' old family friend David Patrick as an assistant coach.cite web|url=http://smcgaels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/patrick_david00.html |title=Coaches: David Patrick |publisher=Saint Mary's College Athletics |accessdate=2007-11-30] Mills became the fifth Australian that Bennett successfully recruited since arriving at Moraga in 2001. One of the other Australians to have played under Bennett at Saint Mary's was fellow AIS old boy Daniel Kickert, the Gaels' all-time leading scorer. Mills also followed in Kickert's footsteps in another way, becoming the first freshman to start for the Gaels since Kickert did so in the 2002-03 season.cite news|url=http://www.basketball.net.au/fs_newsitem.asp?id=75807&orgID=1&Oname=BA&O1c=8&O10c=3 |title=Boomers: Mills best in the West |author=Baxter, Bill |publisher=Basketball Australia |date=2007-11-27 |accessdate=2007-11-30] He first broke into the American basketball consciousness in his fourth game of the 2007-08 season, when he scored 37 points to lead the Gaels to an upset of nationally-ranked Oregon on 20 November 2007. The win also validated preseason expectations for the Gaels, who were picked before the season to finish second in the West Coast Conference behind traditional conference superpower Gonzaga.cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=273242608 |title=Freshman Mills scores 37 points as Saint Mary's upsets Oregon |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2007-11-20 |accessdate=2007-11-30] The Gaels went on to start the season 7-0 and earn their first national ranking since 1989.cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?id=3150469&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab6pos2 |title=Aboriginal hoops star putting face on St. Mary's |first=Andy |last=Glockner |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2007-12-12 |accessdate=2007-12-13] The Gaels also won the 2007 edition of the Rainbow Classic, an annual eight-team December tournament hosted by the University of Hawaiokinai, with Mills being named tournament MVP.cite press release|url=http://smcgaels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/122307aaa.html |title=Men's Basketball Win Rainbow Classic Title With 70-63 Win Over Ohio |publisher=Saint Mary's College Athletics |date=2007-12-23 |accessdate=2007-12-28]

The Gaels went on to be nationally ranked for most of the season, ultimately finishing second in WCC regular-season play to Gonzaga. After the regular season, Mills was named WCC Newcomer of the Year and also made the All-WCC first team. At the end of the regular season, Mills was the second-leading freshman scorer in the WCC at 14.4 points per game, and also led all WCC freshmen in assists (3.47 per game) and steals (1.80 per game). [cite press release|url=http://wccsports.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/030408aab.html |title=WCC Announces 2008 Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams |publisher=West Coast Conference |date=2008-03-04 |accessdate=2008-03-07] The Gaels went on to the NCAA tournament, where they lost in the first round to Miami (FL). In that game, Mills' 24 points made him the only Gael to score in double figures, and he also led the Gaels with 5 assists. [cite news|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=284000026 |title=McClinton leads Hurricanes' rally with career-high 38 points |author=Associated Press |publisher="ESPN.com" |date=2008-03-21 |accessdate=2008-03-26]

During Mills' freshman season, his countryman and teammate Carlin Hughes called him "probably the biggest deal going on in youth sport [in Australia] at the moment". Despite the enormous time difference between Australia and the U.S. West Coast—during most of the US college basketball season, Mills' hometown of Canberra is 19 hours ahead of the Saint Mary's campus—Australian television has telecast Gaels games live. Also, nightly newscasts in Australia frequently feature Mills' highlights, even though basketball occupies only a small place in the Australian sport scene.

Quotes about Mills

* Eric Musselman, former head coach of the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors, "He's as good as any point guard I've seen across the country," said Musselman, who has attended every Saint Mary's home game, including the win over Oregon in which Mills got 37 points. "He is their early offense and their transition offense, and he dictates the tempo of every game. He had 37 points (against Oregon), and I walked into Randy Bennett's office afterward and said, 'He was unselfish.' He's the only player I've ever seen play unselfishly and score 37 points."
* Australia national coach Brian Goorjian, after Mills' successful debut against Austria — "This kid's special. I didn’t know if it was going to be down the track or now, but after tonight I’m thinking now. He was our best player tonight and that has made people happy, but it has made people nervous too [referring to the three players competing with Mills for the two point guard slots on the FIBA Oceania squad] ."
* Danny Morseu, the last Indigenous Australian to play for the Boomers before Mills — "There’s not too many generals around in Australian basketball, he could be the next general. I think he’s the right fit and given the opportunity to be a part of the team I think he’ll be a major factor."cite web|url=http://www.basketball.net.au/fs_newsitem.asp?id=73881&orgID=1&Oname=BA&O1c=8&O10c=3 |title=Morseu says Mills is next General |author=Perry, Mia, NBL Media |publisher=Basketball Australia |date=2007-08-14 |accessdate=2007-12-01]
* Kyle Whelliston, reporter for "Basketball Times" in the USA and regular "ESPN.com" contributor — "A product of the same efficient Australian Institute of Sport that produced Andrew Bogut, the Canberra Cannon is off to an explosive start with his advanced court sense and smart shot."
* Manu Ginobili, Argentinian NBA superstar - "He's a very dangerous player. He's quick, he's got a nice shot, he's smart and he's young, so he's going to be a great player". (After playing against Mills in the 2008 Beijing Olympics)

Career highlights

*2008 –Australia Post Boomers squad member; Beijing Olympics
*2008 – WCC Newcomer of the Year, All-WCC First Team
*2007 - MVP Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic, Saint Mary's College Tournament Champions
*2007 - West Coast Conference Player of the Month: December 2007
*2007 - West Coast Conference Player of the Week: November 26, 2007 and December 26, 2007
*2007 - In just his fourth NCAA game for Saint Mary's, Patrick dominated with 37 points against Oregon - the sixth best return in the school's history, and best by a first year player.
*2007 – Australia Post Boomers squad member; Under 19 Men squad member;
*2006 - Boomers squad member (youngest at 17 years of age); AIS scholarship; Australian Junior Camp; U20 World team at Nike Hoops Summit (USA); U20 National Championships representing ACT and RE Staunton Medallist
*2005 - AIS scholarship; Australian Junior Camp; Youth Olympic Festival Australian Men’s team (gold); U18 National Championships representing ACT
*2004 - U18 National Championships representing ACT
*2003 - Marist All Ages Basketball Tournament - MVP
*2003 - Champagnat Medal, Marist College Canberra

References

External links

* [http://www.ais.org.au/basketball/mills.asp AIS profile]
* [http://www.basketball.net.au/fs_extra.asp?id=30198&OrgID=1 basketball Australia]
* [http://www.aussiebball.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17386 Patrick Mills Profile]
* [http://smcgaels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/stma-m-baskbl-body.html Saint Mary's basketball home page]
* [http://smcgaels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/mills_patrick00.html Official Patrick Mills bio at Saint Mary's]