Sophomore Guard Patrick Mills Declares For 2009 NBA Draft
Courtesy: SMC Athletics
Release: 04/17/2009
Courtesy: Tod Fierner Patrick Mills declares for NBA Draft.
Moraga, CA – Saint Mary’s College men’s basketball guard Patrick Mills announced Friday that he will enter his name into the National Basketball Association June draft. Mills will not hire an agent, leaving open his option to return to Saint Mary’s next season.
“Playing in the NBA has been a dream and a goal for Pat for a long time,” said Saint Mary’s head men’s basketball coach Randy Bennett. “This is the best time for him to test the waters and see where he stands. We will be here to support him 100 percent throughout the process.”
Mills averaged a team-leading 18.4 points per game, while averaging 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game during his sophomore season. Mills helped Saint Mary’s post a school record 28 wins during the 2008-09 campaign, as the Gaels completed the year with a 28-7 overall record and a quarterfinal finish in the National Invitational Tournament.
Mills missed nine games after he broke his hand on Jan. 29. Before his injury, the Gaels were 18-1 overall and were riding the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games. The Gaels were ranked as high as 18th in the country in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, the highest ranking in the coaches’ poll in school history. Additional, SMC was ranked as high as No. 22 in the country by the Associated Press the week of Jan. 25.
During the summer of 2008, Mills was the only collegiate player to compete in the Olympics, as he played for Australia. Mills averaged a team-high 14.2 points per game, in six games as a reserve, and helped the Boomers advance to the quarterfinal round of the tournament. Australia was defeated by the United States in the quarterfinals, but Mills scored a team-high 20 points, to go along with three steals and two assists with zero turnovers against team USA.
In his two seasons at Saint Mary’s, Mills scored 950 points and averaged 16.4 points per game. The 950 points are the most any Saint Mary’s player in their first two seasons. He set a SMC freshman record when he scored 472 points in 2007-08, and guided the Gaels to a 25-7 overall record, and a first round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Mills started 56-of-58 games at SMC, and led the Gaels to a 46-10 record in the games that he started.
Mills deciding to test the NBA waters marks the first player under eighth year head coach Randy Bennett to declare early for the NBA draft. Frank Kudelka (1944-47) is the only player in school history to leave early for the NBA. Kudelka played three seasons at Saint Mary’s, before leaving Moraga for the NBA following his junior campaign.
The deadline for underclassmen submitting their paperwork to the NBA to declare their intentions is April 26. Mills has until June 15 to withdraw his name and retain his rights to return to college.
Courtesy: Tod Fierner
