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    FROM ST MARY's GAEL

    QUOTE OF NOTE: "He's a lot more mature than most freshmen with all his international experience and three years at the Australian Institute of Sports." — Head coach Randy Bennett on freshman PG Patrick Mills.

    STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

    SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS: Freshman Patrick Mills was impressive in international play over the summer, both with Australia's Under-19 team and its national team. He has the quickness and skills to be an instant star in the WCC and gives the Gaels exactly what they need. Carlin Hughes and Lucas Walker, a pair of Aussies who sat out last season after transferring from Montana State-Billings, may help too.

    ************************************************** ********
    AUSTRALIAN teenager Patrick Mills set a record for most points by a freshman in leading his US school to an upset 99-87 victory today.
    In just the 19-year-old's fourth NCAA game for St Mary's, the Canberra point guard dominated with 37 points against Oregon - the sixth best return in the school's history.

    He also had five assists, two steals and only one turnover in a head-turning display.

    Mills, who starred for the Australian Boomers last August, shot 10 of 20 from the field with four three-pointers and 13 of 14 from the free throw line.

    The 12 point victory was St Mary's fourth win in as many games, the school's best start since they went 5-0 in 1993.

    Mills' previous college career high score was a 17-point performance against Sonoma State on November 9.

    ************************************************** ********
    MORAGA, Calif. (AP) -- Patty Mills' spectacular performance against Oregon gave everybody a huge glimpse of why the Gaels regard him so highly -- and the Saint Mary's freshman sure spoiled Ernie Kent's return to his former school.

    Mills had the best scoring output by a freshman in program history with 37 points, and also had five assists, two steals and only one turnover that came with 3 minutes to go, and Saint Mary's stunned the 12th-ranked Ducks 99-87 on Tuesday night.

    "If he plays that way every night, he's a pro," said Kent, comparing Mills to Spurs star Tony Parker.

    Mills led the feisty Gaels (4-0) to their first win over a ranked opponent in nearly three years in a rocking, sold-out arena. It was only his fourth college game and the effort tied him for sixth-best ever at Saint Mary's.

    Students rushed the floor as soon as the buzzer sounded to celebrate the upset.

    "Firstly, being a freshman coming from Australia, I've never been part of an atmosphere like this before," Mills said. "To win that, it's unbelievable and it's just a great start to the season."

    Diamon Simpson had 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks and Omar Samhan added 16 points despite foul trouble for Saint Mary's, which honored Kent and his 1997 NCAA team that won the Gaels' lone West Coast Conference tournament title. This tiny school in San Francisco's east suburbs gave Kent his first head coaching job, and now the Gaels are 4-0 for the first time since getting five straight wins to start the 1993-94 campaign under Kent.

    "We've been waiting for big moments like this, so it's no surprise to me," Simpson said. "This is definitely my first time seeing Patty go crazy like that. He was on fire tonight."

    Kamyron Brown scored 20 points, Maarty Leunen had 17 and 11 rebounds, and Tajuan Porter 13 before fouling out for Oregon (4-1), which already had lopsided victories over two of Saint Mary's WCC opponents.

    This marked only the fifth time the Gaels hosted a non-conference ranked opponent, and they put on quite a show.

    The Ducks, meanwhile, became desperate down the stretch.

    "The difference to me was our intensity level," Brown said. "We didn't come out ready to play and then we stayed at that level, thinking they would drop."

    Mills made back-to-back 3s early in the second half and Simpson's putback at 16 minutes gave the Gaels a 56-46 lead. On the other end, Simpson blocked Malik Hairston on two straight Oregon possessions.

    But Leunen's consecutive putbacks trimmed the Saint Mary's lead to single digits with 9:13 to play, 70-64, before Lucas Walker gave the Gaels a boost off the bench with four straight points.

    Three of Mills' 3s were from well behind the line and he shot 10-for-20 from the field.

    Mills, Carlin Hughes and Walker are three of Australians making an immediate impact -- and they have become instant fan favorites, with students cheering "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi!" when they score. Men at Work's tune "Down Under" blares during timeouts.

    Mills hit Hughes on a pretty pass for a layin with 5:48 left, then Mills sank two free throws 14 seconds later for an 80-68 lead. Saint Mary's didn't have its first turnover of the second half until Porter stole the ball from Hughes at 8:36 and finished with only seven.

    The Gaels had lost five straight games against ranked opponents dating to an 89-81 victory over then-No. 11 Gonzaga on Jan. 8, 2005. Saint Mary's is picked to finish second behind the Zags.

    "If we keep getting better and keep playing well, the rest of what comes with it will happen," Gaels coach Randy Bennett said. "The atmosphere was unbelievable. This is probably the best non-conference team we've played here during my seven years."

    Kent's return had all the drama of a big-time game between a pair of unbeatens, even if it's only late November.

    Mills made 5 of his first 7 shots and had two steals. Brown and Porter took turns guarding Mills, who in the opening 12 minutes had 13 points, two assists, two steals, a rebound and no turnovers. After his two free throws at 4:19 made it 32-27, he got his first break.

    "He's quick with the ball, he sees the court well and he's a hard guy to guard," Brown said. "But there's still no reason for him to have 37 against us. I'm not knocking him. He's a great player but there's no reason for that."

    Both teams came out shooting, with Saint Mary's starting 10-for-17 and Oregon 9-of-13.

    A capacity crowd of 3,500 turned out at McKeon Pavilion with the same kind of energy typical of a rivalry game with Gonzaga. Seven pro scouts were on the list to attend the game, along with former Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings coach Eric Musselman.

  • #2
    The kid certainly has potential as shown by his play for the Boomers few months ago against the New Zealanders.

    Comment


    • #3
      MORAGA, Calif., Dec. 7, 2007 (KGO) -- When you think Australian sports you don't think basketball. The thunder from down under has hit the East Bay with gael force winds and the eyes of the college basketball world are starting to take notice of tiny, but mighty St. Mary's.

      There's an invasion happening on a small campus in Moraga that has students speaking in a foreign different tongue.

      The Gaels basketball team is 6-0 (now 7-0 after defeating San Diego State 69-64) for the first time in 19 years, with the help of four Australians. Ben Allen, Lucas Walker, Carlin Hughes and WCC player of the month, freshman Patty Mills, are part of the quartet from down under that often have teammates wondering, 'what did he say?'
      Story continues below
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      "I live with two of them so it's a lot of fun and we just have a good time listening to them with their little accents," says Omar Samhan, St. Mary's center.

      "Get off the blower means get off the phone. Just normal stuff like that. Give us the sauce means the ketchup. Just normal everyday things that we don't recognize, but these guys seem to find it hard to understand us at times," says Carlin Hughes, St. Mary's guard.

      One language these players all relate to is basketball. After big wins against undefeated Oregon and Seton Hall, the fans of St. Mary's basketball have adopted Aussies as their own.

      "Kind of special because it is a reminder of where you're from, because not only me, but the other guys too, we represent not only St. Mary's, but Australia as well" says Patty Mills, St. Mary's guard.

      The team oriented style the Aussies play has the team on the cusp of being nationally ranked for the first time since 1989.

      "A lot of people appreciate the way these guys play. They're fun to watch, they share the ball and they're sharing their culture with our culture and it really does make it fun," says Randy Bennett, St. Mary's head coach.

      Comment


      • #4
        Go Patty!!

        The first Aussie to play at St Marys was Eric Cooks back in 1982 -- who is the current coach of the Wollongong Hawks in the NBL

        Comment


        • #5
          This thread is way overdue to be updated. Unfortunately, it's bad news:

          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.



          Stuart
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          • #6
            Man, that's awful news. I was thinking that perhaps Mills might be declaring for the draft this year, but with a big injury like this, teams might get scared and, more importantly, he might not have a chance to show off his skills.
            "I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas

            Comment


            • #7
              ESPN said he will have surgery but is still expected to miss [i]only[/] a few weeks.

              Sain Mary's In Big Trouble Without Mills - by Josh Herwitt, Fox Sports, February 1, 2009

              If there was any question about how much of an impact Patrick Mills has had on the success of Saint Mary’s this season, Saturday night’s double-digit loss in Portland certainly was a telling piece of evidence.

              Mills, who broke two bones in his right hand during Thursday night’s loss at Gonzaga, had been the team’s leading scorer at 18.7 points per game.

              In fact, he had nearly reached that mark in the first 17 minutes against the Bulldogs, scoring 18 points and tying a school record with six threes in the first half before leaving with 3:06 left prior to halftime.

              Better yet though, the sophomore point guard was also shooting 42.4 percent from the floor and 36.2 percent from three-point land while leading the team in assists (77) and steals (47).

              But to get an idea of what head coach Randy Bennett is in for over the next four weeks (and possibly more), you need only to look at Saint Mary’s offensive production in an 84-66 effort against the Pilots.

              The No. 18-ranked Gaels, for one, managed to shoot just 39.6 percent from the field and a meager 29.4 percent from three, while also only dishing out 10 assists compared to Portland’s 21.

              And it's also worth noting that Saint Mary's, without Mills in the second half against the 'Zags, shot just 10-for-30 from the field and a miserable 2-for-14 (14.3 percent) from distance a few nights ago in Spokane
              .

              Portland (15-7 overall. 6-1 WCC), on the other hand, shot lights out from long range, canning 61.1 percent — including a 6-for-6 effort in the second half — of their trifectas, while junior guard Nik Raivio torched Saint Mary’s for 27 points and added five rebounds and four assists to his stat line.

              "I’m really proud of our performance and the way we responded after getting hit in the mouth early," Portland coach Eric Reveno offered afterward. "I think the defense dictated that we won, then we just happened to shoot the ball well and create some separation."

              While there’s no doubt that the Pilots’ defense was good, particularly in the second half, the same didn’t hold true for Saint Mary’s (18-3, 5-2), which has now lost back-to-back conference games and finds itself sitting in third place — behind Portland — in the West Coast Conference standings.

              "Your heart goes out to (Saint Mary’s) because they’re in a tough spot, that’s a tough situation to be in as a hard-working team," Reveno said about the Gaels missing Mills. "It’s hard for a college basketball team to go through, so I knew that we needed to stay on them, to our guys’ credit, the guys just dug in and made some plays."

              And with Portland just a game back of No. 20 Gonzaga midway through the conference race, Reveno couldn’t really be much happier with the way things have turned out so far.

              "It’s great to be in this position, I told the team that they should just enjoy this, feel confident and feel good about being good," the third-year coach said. "But we need to remember why we’re good, and remember how we got here.

              "We just got to keep grinding, but at the same time you want to appreciate where you’re at and what you’ve accomplished. You can do both … you can appreciate what you’ve accomplished and still be greedy and ask for more."

              Asking for more would mean a season-changing type of win over Gonzaga next Thursday at home, and if the Pilots play the way they did against Saint Mary’s Saturday night, it’s certainly possible that they could be sitting tied for first place with the Bulldogs next week.

              "We have our work cut out for us Thursday night, I hear Gonzaga is pretty good," Reveno said with a chuckle. "We’re not going to surprise them, or sneak up on anybody anymore. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing."
              "I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas

              Comment


              • #8
                AUS/USA – Mills set for return as St Mary’s take aim at NCAA Tournament berth

                MORAGA (NCAA) – Australia international Pat Mills wowed the crowds at the Beijing Olympics with his blazing quickness and lethal long-range shooting.

                Now the Boomer is back in business with his St Mary’s Gaels team in American college basketball after recovering from injury in time to play in this weekend’s WAC Tournament.

                Should the Gaels, whose strong season has given them direct passage to the semi-finals, advance to the title game and capture the conference crown, a spot in the NCAA Tournament is guaranteed.

                Otherwise, St Mary’s (24-5) will being hoping to receive an at-large berth.

                Few expected Mills to make it back in time to play for St Mary’s in the event after he broke a bone in his hand in game against Gonzaga on January 29.

                "The bone healed faster than they expected," Mills said in an interview with espn.com.

                "Like any player in the world, you don't want to sit out on the sideline and watch your teammates play on the court.

                “It's just a bad feeling to not do anything. Although I've been heavily involved off the court providing leadership, I think the main thing is to provide it to the boys on the court and make sure we're organized."

                Mills averaged 14.2 points per game last summer in Beijing and showed he would be a leading player for the Aussies on the international stage in the years to come.
                Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
                Artificial Nature

                Comment


                • #9
                  Mills Declaring

                  Draft Notes and Rumors - April 5, 2009, DraftExpress, by Jonathan Givony

                  ...St. Mary’s guard Patrick Mills will announce he’s declaring for the draft next week, without hiring an agent, according to multiple sources close to the situation...
                  In March, DraftExpress had him as a lock for the 14th pick, but now they are suggesting that he will go late in the first round.
                  "I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I saw him placed 1st in 2nd round...
                    Bronze Medal - IBN 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup Prediction Game

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Costa AKA Visseira View Post
                      I saw him placed 1st in 2nd round...
                      http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Patrick-Mills-1362/
                      Yes, you're right. Here's what some of the big draft sites have right now for Mills:
                      • NBAdraft.net - 30th to Cleveland
                      • DraftExpress - 31st to Sacramento
                      • CollegeHoops.Net - 20th to Dallas
                      • InsideHoops - 17th to Toronto

                      Of course, given the nature of the draft, he probably won't be selected at any of those times in the draft!
                      "I really like the attitudes of eagles. They never give up. When they grab a fish or something else, they never let it go. It doesn't matter. In a book, they write they find a skeleton of [an] eagle and there is no fish. It means that the fish beat him and killed him, but he didn't let go." -- Donatas Motiejunas

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        AUS – Mills weighs up NBA option

                        MORAGA (NBA) – Australia’s Pat Mills electrified crowds in Beijing’s Wukesong Arena last summer as the Boomers reached the Quarter-Finals before falling to Team USA.

                        Now he’s ready to test the NBA draft waters.

                        The 20-year-old has declared for this summer’s draft but will not hire an agent, which means he can return to St Mary’s in Moraga, California, and resume his NCAA career with the Gaels if he doesn’t like his draft position.

                        Underclassmen have until April 26 to declare for the June 25 draft and those who do not hire an agent have until June 15 to withdraw from consideration.

                        "It's a win-win situation for me," said Mills, who missed much of last season with the Gaels after breaking his hand.

                        "If I don't get all the feedback that I want or need, I come back for my third year.

                        "It was a tough decision to come across ... sitting down with my family and coach.

                        "I really need to push myself and challenge myself to the next level, test the waters and get the feedback."

                        The 6ft Mills, who has blazing quickness and thrives in transition, is projected to be a first-round pick.

                        He excelled under former Australia coach Brian Goorjian and after the Boomers’ Quarter-Final defeat to the United States, USA coach Mike Krzyzewski erased any doubts about Mills’ long-term future.

                        "I'm glad my Duke team doesn’t play St Mary's,” Krzyzewski said.

                        “He is a great guard and he will be an NBA guard."
                        Die Liebe wird eine Krankheit, wenn man sie als eine Heilung sieht
                        Artificial Nature

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          What should Patty Mills do?

                          To secure an agent and nominate for the draft thereby relinquishing his amateur status

                          To nominate for the draft without the services of an agent and retain his amateur status or forego the NBA entirely

                          Complete his junior year with St. Mary’s.
                          "No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
                          -El Padrino

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            from ESPN

                            Patrick Mills, PG, So., St. Mary's*
                            Mills gained some serious NBA cred in the Olympics and had a solid sophomore season before an injury knocked him out for the last month. Mills is healthy again and will try to get scouts to remember those Tony Parker comparisons they were using last summer. He has the quickness and speed that Parker possesses, but still lacks the consistent jumper and decision making scouts are looking for. He's most likely a late first-round pick. Whether that's enough to convince him to stay in the draft is the question.

                            and other stuff about mills after missing out on NCAA selection and instead playing in NIT

                            The 10 members of the selection committee probably will never admit it, but here's guessing they're sweating bullets over No. 12 seed Arizona's first-round game against No. 5 seed Utah. The committee invited the Wildcats but stiffed Saint Mary's, which on Tuesday beat Washington State by 11 points in the NIT -- the same Washington State team that beat Arizona by 16 points on Feb. 26. Patrick Mills, who would have looked good on CBS air, scored 27 points for the Gaels.

                            and finally from the heraldsun.com.au

                            EXCLUSIVE: PATRICK Mills' ability to seize the moment, both on the basketball court and off it, has him poised to become Australia's latest million-dollar sporting star.

                            The 20-year-old indigenous point guard announced on Friday he was foregoing the last two years of his American college scholarship to test the waters in the NBA draft.

                            The NBA has the highest average salaries in sport.

                            The league's average wage is $7.86 million, with the top players getting more than $28 million a season.

                            With money like that, you can see why this young man from Canberra, the son of a Torres Strait islander father and an Aboriginal mother, has dedicated his life to achieving this goal.

                            And he appears to have timed his run to perfection.

                            Until Mills came along, the NBA was mainly interested in Australians more than 200cm tall.

                            Luc Longley had a distinguished career, winning three titles with Chicago in the 1990s, while Andrew Bogut was the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft.

                            They both topped 213cm.

                            Mills - a cousin of Melbourne AFL star Aaron Davey - is whip-thin and just 183cm. But he has two commodities highly desired by NBA scouts: blistering speed and a cool head.

                            Worried about the slowing pace of its game, the NBA has gradually altered its rules to help small, quick players.

                            Once a game for giants, now point guards such as Steve Nash, Chris Paul and Tony Parker - all around the 180cm mark - dominate the league.

                            It's a trend that has not passed unnoticed by Mills.

                            "You've got Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, they're all changing the game," he told the Herald Sun in California.

                            "It's a very fast game now, and with all the athleticism, it's a good time to be a point guard because all you have to do is push the ball and give it to guys who can finish."

                            Mills showed just how well he can do that during last year's Olympics. Facing the US, he torched Paul and Williams, drawing high praise.

                            "He'll be an NBA guard. I'm very, very impressed. He really has great quickness," US coach Mike Krzyzewski said at the time.

                            "He's got to be an extremely tough-minded . . . I think the kid has got a big-time future, quite frankly."

                            The Beijing experience taught Mills he was ready to dominate on the court.

                            "To play with confidence at the Olympic level is hard. It's mentally challenging, but I got tremendous support from the guys on the Australian team. There's some teams that reject young guys," he said.

                            "The veterans took me under their wing and showed me the way to go. They said, 'You need to play the way you usually would'. That's all I needed to hear to have the confidence to go out and do my job on the court."

                            Returning to college, Mills led St Mary's to an 18-2 record before a broken hand derailed the season for him and his team.

                            Mills' response was typically positive and no-fuss -- he became an assistant coach.

                            "I was in a position where I would be sitting out as a normal fan and I thought I had a lot more to give to the team. Acting as assistant coach was the least I could do," he said.

                            During games he was first off the bench at time-outs, cajoling and encouraging his teammates.

                            The sight of him talking intently to his back-up point guards, arm around their shoulders, was one that warmed the hearts of St Mary's officials.

                            "It was his idea," said assistant coach David Patrick, one of several Australian connections at the college.

                            "Patty can never stay still. He's always got a basketball in his hands. He was never going to sit in the stands."

                            Mills faces a series of try-outs with NBA teams, which will analyse his strengths and weaknesses like breeders at a livestock sale.

                            If he does not get any interest, Mills can return to college until he signs with an agent.

                            But with his Olympic performance still front of mind, he's unlikely to get a better opportunity.

                            And if he's lucky enough to get his name called out on June 25 in Madison Square Garden, who does Mills want to emulate?

                            "Tony Parker (three-time NBA champion point guard with the San Antonio Spurs). My game is similar to his. Not at the same level, but the way he pushes the ball and gets through gaps that no one else can get through. He's someone I've tried to model my game on," Mills said.

                            Parker is a good model in other ways, too. He was plucked from a country (France) not known for its basketball talent, but his confidence and speed allowed him to play the game on his own terms.

                            Sound familiar?

                            TOP 5 NBA SALARIES
                            1. Kevin Garnett (Boston): $34.87 million
                            2. Allen Iverson (Detroit): $30.91 million
                            3. Jason Kidd (Dallas): $30.11 million
                            4. Jermaine O'Neal (Miami): $30.08 million
                            5. Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers): $29.95 million

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by VII View Post
                              TOP 5 NBA SALARIES
                              1. Kevin Garnett (Boston): $34.87 million
                              2. Allen Iverson (Detroit): $30.91 million
                              3. Jason Kidd (Dallas): $30.11 million
                              4. Jermaine O'Neal (Miami): $30.08 million
                              5. Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers): $29.95 million
                              It's amazing the $$$ these blokes earn. They're pretty much set 4 life.
                              "No hay poder en el mundo que pueda cambiar el destino"
                              -El Padrino

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