History. Pat Mills is staying in the NBA Draft so St Mary's will look for other Aussies to carry the load.
Thanks to Andy Katz and ESPN,we hear from St Mary's Coach Randy Bennett and Pat Mills about the decision of Mills to go pro.
"Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett held out hope throughout the weekend that Patty Mills would look at the dearth of point guards in the draft, see that he was a borderline first-round pick and then decide to return to Moraga for his junior season.
Bennett waited until the final minutes of the deadline Monday afternoon when he finally got word that Mills was staying in the June 25 draft.
The one word text Bennett sent, "Gone," symbolized the Gaels' frustrations. Gone is the Australian Olympian, the Gaels' headline name and their link to possibly catching Gonzaga in the WCC or a possible NCAA tournament berth.
Mills went to the Reebok Eurocamp last week in Treviso, Italy where he shined well enough to warrant staying in the draft.
Bennet cited Mills' work ethic and pasion for the game in a statement, saying he will flourish as a professional.
"I respect and support Pat's decision to stay in the draft and we wish him the very best in his pursuit to play in the NBA," Bennett said in the release. "He's been a tremendous ambassador to our basketball program, and we will miss him as a person, a leader, and a basketball player."
Mills played in 26 games for the Gaels, averaging 18.4 points and 3.9 assists. He missed nine games last season with a broken right hand. He returned for the WCC tournament but wasn't well enough to lead the Gaels to the NCAA tournament.
Saint Mary's lost to San Diego State in the postseason NIT quarterfinals.
"I want to thank the coaching staff, and especially my teammates at Saint Mary's, as they have played a major part in helping me get to this point in my career," Mills said a statement released by the school. "I appreciate everything they have done to help me along the way, and they deserve a lot of the credit. Saint Mary's is my home away from home."
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Mills To Stay In Draft
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4 comments:
Interesting I wonder if he got that guarantee of a first round pick from someplace.
From all the mock drafts he seems to be all over the place, some have him as high as 19th with the Hawks, some have him with Cavs.. Others dont have him showing until the 2nd round.
End of the day, I hope he takes the criticism well and uses that to improve his game..
Hawks are a good chance - i thought the Spurs had a lower pick - but it goes to OKC. I think the Bulls at 26 are a chance. He'd be a back up to DRose. They're looking at moving a few guards,
Ater Majok withdrew from the Draft... I wonder if he'll go to College or pursue a European career?
just found this jr u got any more?
As long as center A.J. Ogilvy doesn't change his mind about staying in school (playing overseas has been discussed)
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