Patty Mills, the Australian point guard playing at St. Mary’s in the NCAA, broke his hand on Thursday against Gonzaga.

After scoring 18 points in the first half, by hitting a school-record 6-8 threes, Mills would dribble into the lane with 3:06 left in the half.  He would lose his balance, fall, try to catch himself, and would suffer two fractured metacarpal bones in his right hand.

The sophmore would test the hand during shootaround in preparation for the second half, but it was obvious that the 6-0 guard couldn’t go.

Without Mills, the 22nd-ranked Gaels would lose the game to the Gonzaga Bulldogs 69-62. “That was the longest half I’ve ever had, ever,” Mills said. “Even now, you just can’t do anything but sit and watch… I’ve fallen like that so many times before. I’ve jammed my fingers a whole number of times, but it usually goes back into place. I was hoping to get better straight away.”

Mills will miss four weeks, and St. Mary’s (18-2, 5-1 in league play) will certainly miss their star guard’s 18.7 points, 3.9 assists, 2.4 steals, speed and leadership on the court.

Olympic Breakout
The Australian point guard made international headlines in a surprising showing during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.  With bigger name professional players like Andrew Bogut, David Andersen, Brad Newley, Chris Anstey, and Matt Nielsen on the Boomers’ roster, Patrick Mills would come off the bench and lead the team in scoring with 14.2 points including a breakout performance (20 points, 3 assists, 2 steals) against Team USA in the Olympic semi-finals.

“Patrick’s really a confident, poised, composed guy,” says St. Mary’s Coach Randy Bennett . “He’s played in some big games (internationally), games that really mattered. He’s been playing against 24-, 25-year-olds for years, so this isn’t a big shock to him.

Mills is likely to leave college after this season and declare for the NBA draft.

Links and Resources: Saint Mary’s Mills out at least four weeks with broken bones in hand (San Jose Mercury News), Saint Mary’s to be without leading scorer Mills for four weeks (Sporting Network), Patrick Mills Profile: Olympic Breakouts (Interbasket), 2008 Oceanic Player of the Year (Ibn Award) (Interbasket), Patrick Mills News (Interbasket)