Patrick Mills

[wheels4]

Just wondering how Patty Mills is going over in America i heard hes playing some college ball over there. Is anybody keeping track on him and has he got any chance of making the NBA?

 

[smashh]

Playing for St Marys maybe? Unfortunatly I don't see any college games. Last year he had the most points for a freshman or something I think (36ish)

 

[nuggets]

I'm a huge college basketball fan and I've been following Patrick Mills closely. He's playing for Saint Mary's in the West Coast Conference - traditionally dominated by Gonzaga. Last season he averaged 14.8 points 3.5dimes and 1.8 steals per game, the highlight of his season was his 37-point game against Oregon which is a Saint Mary's freshman record.

He has received a lot of hype and attention because of his impressive outing at the Olympics. I have seen early mock drafts having him as a late lottery pick - even though these mocks will change drastically as the year goes on.

Whether or not Mills can uphold his current draft predictions will come down to the improvement he shows this year. If he puts up the same numbers as last year, his stock will drop. An example I often use for this is Tyler Hansborough, following his stellar freshman year, he was projected as a lock for a top 5 pick. In his sophomore season he put up identical numbers to his freshman year, although very impressive numbers his stock dropped from that of a top 5 pick to a late first rounder, where he has remained even after he received the Naismith award. Also, he will have a lot more attention now, which means alot more people watching and critiquing his game, like with Hansborough people will find his weaknesses and over emphasis them.

Another key factor is determining how high he goes will be the success of his team. The success of a team in comparative to the expectations placed on that team can make or break draft stock. Tyrus Thomas, who wasn’t an All-American in high school, led LSU with the help of big baby to the Final Four, because of this his stock sky-rocketed and was selected as the 2nd overall pick. In the subsequent year big baby Glen Davis, remained with the LSU team which had high expectations failed to make the tourney and big baby was no longer considered a first round candidate. Saint Mary’s is rated as a top 30 team so will be expected to make the tourney, anything short of this will be detrimental to Mills. If Saint Mary’s can make a run into the sweet 16 or better he would rise into a top-10 pick. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did make a decent tournament run, they return their best 3-players (Mills, Simpson, Sahman) and they brought in 2 athletic and talented wings, and Aussie Ben Allen will finally get some burn.

Key games for Mills to prove himself will be against Gonzaga – a consensus preseason Top 25 team - whom they play twice in the regular season. Mills will be up against reigning WCC player of the year and fellow point guard, Jeremy Pargo. Both these games are being covered by ESPN, I don’t know if we’ll get them both over here though.

After seeing Mills get destroyed by DJ Augustin (9th pick this year) I do not rate him as a lottery type talent, but with this year being a weaker draft class I could definitely see him going there. In my opinion this year would be the best year for Mills to enter the draft because barring some Saint Mary’s collapse, he will be a first rounder

 

[Deledio2Conca]

Nice analysis nuggets, you seem to know your stuff

When does the College season kick off?

 

[Ralphy09]

when will he play NBA

 

[nuggets]

Nice analysis nuggets, you seem to know your stuff

When does the College season kick off?

Thanks, season starts tomorrow, Duke is playing someone.

 

[Alex99]

Thanks, season starts tomorrow, Duke is playing someone.

Presbyterian @ Cameron indoor stadium

 

[wheels4]

Thanks for the info guys (especially nuggets)

 

[mitch820]

when will he play NBA

He will most likely go in the the next draft (2009). If not then, then the 2010 draft.

 

[DoubleA]

Mills and Ogilvy both crack the pre-season top 50 for the Wooden Award

2008-2009 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List

Player Ht. Pos. Yr. School
A.J. Abrams 5-11 G Sr. Texas
Wink Adams 6-0 G Sr. UNLV
DeJuan Blair 6-7 F So. Pittsburgh
Jon Brockman 6-7 F Sr. Washington
Derrick Brown 6-8 F Jr. Xavier
Chase Budinger 6-7 F Jr. Arizona
Nick Calathes 6-6 G/F So. Florida
Dionte Christmas 6-5 G Sr. Temple
Earl Clark 6-9 G/F Jr. Louisville
Sherron Collins 5-11 G Jr. Kansas
Darren Collison 6-0 G Sr. UCLA
Lee Cummard 6-7 G Sr. BYU
Stephen Curry* 6-3 G Jr. Davidson
Devan Downey 5-9 G Jr. South Carolina
Robert Dozier 6-9 F Sr. Memphis
Wayne Ellington 6-4 G Jr. North Carolina
Jonny Flynn 6-0 G So. Syracuse
Taj Gibson 6-9 F Jr. USC
Blake Griffin 6-10 F So. Oklahoma
Tyler Hansbrough!*^ 6-9 F Sr. North Carolina
Luke Harangody* 6-8 F Jr. Notre Dame
James Harden 6-4 G So. Arizona State
Gerald Henderson 6-4 G/F Jr. Duke
Lester Hudson 6-2 G Sr. Tennessee Martin
Robbie Hummel 6-8 F So. Purdue
Stefon Jackson 6-5 G Sr. UTEP
Dominic James 5-11 G Sr. Marquette
Damion James 6-7 G/F Jr. Texas
Curtis Jerrells 6-1 G Sr. Baylor
James Johnson 6-8 F So. Wake Forest
Marcus Landry 6-7 F Sr. Wisconsin
Ty Lawson 5-11 G Jr. North Carolina
Eric Maynor 6-2 G Sr. VCU
Jack McClinton 6-1 G Sr. University of Miami
Jerel McNeal 6-3 G Sr. Marquette
Patrick Mills 6-0 G So. Saint Mary's
Raymar Morgan 6-7 F Jr. Michigan State
A.J. Ogilvy 6-11 C So. Vanderbilt
Jeremy Pargo 6-2 G Sr. Gonzaga
Patrick Patterson 6-8 F So. Kentucky
A.J. Price 6-2 G Sr. Connecticut
Scottie Reynolds 6-2 G Jr. Villanova
Tyrese Rice 6-1 G Sr. Boston College
Kyle Singler 6-8 F So. Duke
Tyler Smith 6-7 F Jr. Tennessee
DaJuan Summers 6-8 F Jr. Georgetown
Hasheem Thabeet 7-3 C Jr. Connecticut
Robert Vaden 6-5 G/F Sr. UAB
Terrence Williams 6-6 F Sr. Louisville
Sam Young 6-6 F Jr. Pittsburgh

 

[jumse]

If anyone has foxtel, they are sheduled to broadcast St Marys vs Fresno State at 2am, the replayed at 10pm.

It should be interesting to see how Mills goes in the season opener(i think its the season opener)

 

[Deledio2Conca]

If anyone has foxtel, they are sheduled to broadcast St Marys vs Fresno State at 2am, the replayed at 10pm.

It should be interesting to see how Mills goes in the season opener(i think its the season opener)

Tonight? I thought it was a week off from now?

 

[Goedy]

Seeing him tear it up in the Olyimpics agasint some of the NBA's best surely he would have to be a top 15 pick if not top 10 just on that alone.

 

[jumse]

yeh my bad i forgot to post the date, its the 19th of november

 

[nuggets]

Seeing him tear it up in the Olyimpics agasint some of the NBA's best surely he would have to be a top 15 pick if not top 10 just on that alone.

I do recall Romel Beck dropping 20+ on Kobe twice in international play.
what? you've never heard of him? Didn't think so.

 

[Rocco_S]

I also follow college ball fairly closely. I can't see Mills as a top 10 pick, Ogilvy possibly, but not Mills. 11-15 a little better, but he still has a lot of improving to do. His biggest weakness is that he is undersized, and it's not as though that is a skill he can improve. However if the draft were tomorrow, he'd be a first round pick. Since players are no longer aloud to get drafted out of high school, all the buzz atm is about the freshmen. (Rose, Beasley, Mayo, Love & Gordon were all freshmen last year) So it's more than likely a handful will pop up again this year.

I'm almost 100% sure the Gonzaga game is on ESPN in Australia and can't wait. Mills vs Pargo will be an amazing match-up.

Nuggets mentioned a lot will hinge on the Gaels' performance this year. They progressed further than anyone expected last year and this year their 3 best players return (inc. Mills) so great things are expected of St. Mary's.

If Joe Ingles gets drafted it's possible 3 Australians could go next year which would be a fantastic result.

 

[Rocco_S]

An example I often use for this is Tyler Hansborough, following his stellar freshman year, he was projected as a lock for a top 5 pick. In his sophomore season he put up identical numbers to his freshman year, although very impressive numbers his stock dropped from that of a top 5 pick to a late first rounder, where he has remained even after he received the Naismith award.

I have no doubts at the next draft Hansborough will be a first round pick. Not top 5 but definitely a 1st round. At the end of the day though, it doesn't matter whether you're pick 1, or pick 30, you still get a guaranteed contract. Tony Parker went number 30 in the same draft Kwame Brown went number 1.

What do you think Nuggets?

 

[nuggets]

I have no doubts at the next draft Hansborough will be a first round pick. Not top 5 but definitely a 1st round. At the end of the day though, it doesn't matter whether you're pick 1, or pick 30, you still get a guaranteed contract. Tony Parker went number 30 in the same draft Kwame Brown went number 1.

What do you think Nuggets?

I also have no doubts that Hansborough will be drafted in the first round. The point I was making is that Hansborough was in a similar position to Mills coming into his sophomore season - he had just lead a team further than anyone had expected and had a lot of hype coming in. Due to this he not only had high expectations, but also had more people critiquing his game; so when he put up 18 & 8 again, people were disappointed and attributed these numbers to weaknesses they had identified by a more in-depth analysis of his game. He will get drafted somwhere in the 20's and he will help ensure that the playoff team that drafted him will remain in there.

 

[mdc]

I have no doubts at the next draft Hansborough will be a first round pick. Not top 5 but definitely a 1st round. At the end of the day though, it doesn't matter whether you're pick 1, or pick 30, you still get a guaranteed contract. Tony Parker went number 30 in the same draft Kwame Brown went number 1.

What do you think Nuggets?

There's a fair bit of difference in terms of money and the opportunity afforded to the players. For example, had guys like Reddick or Morrison been late 1st-round picks, there's every chance they'd have been cut by now. As it is, teams persist, to save face if nothing else.

As for Hansborough, he's a probably 1st rounder, but I don't think it's a lock. Consider a guy like Wayne Simien, who was a dominant senior, played at a major program, and still slid to 29. It just takes a lot to convince a team to take an undersized, unathletic PF with their first pick.

Fwiw, in the last 3 drafts, the only undersized PFs without superior athleticism to go in the first round are;
Kevin Love (though it's McHale, so it doesn't count, plus he's tremendously skilled)
Jarred Dudley (though he was/is trying to convert to a SF)
Shelden Williams (a Billy Knight special, and really more of an undersized C)

 

[wezza]

Could add Ike Diogu to that list too.

 

[mdc]

Could add Ike Diogu to that list too.

Yep, but he was 2005. Sean May and Simien went in that same draft. I think teams learnt their lesson

 

[nuggets]

Back to Mills, ESPN named him the to the consensus preseason all-american 2nd team, with Andy Katz even putting him in the first team.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/preview2008/news/story?id=3701249

To all you college ball fans out there, where do you rank him among other point guards in the nation?

 

[DoubleA]

He'll go between picks 20-40 IMO.

 

[moistie]

First game of the season against Seattle Pacific and he was equal top scorer with 15 points on 6-15 shooting with 3-6 threes, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals and 4 turnovers. Not a bad way to kick off the new season.

 

[Rocco_S]

To all you college ball fans out there, where do you rank him among other point guards in the nation?

I'd say Darren Collison (UCLA) and Ty Lawson (North Carolina) set the standard. Group those 2 with Rubio, Mills probably is the grade below.

Although not really a point guard, Stephen Curry from Davidson is a star. Look out for him this year.

I'd say that at the moment, Ogilvy would be among the top 5 centres.