ID :
56021
Fri, 04/17/2009 - 19:24
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/56021
The shortlink copeid
Mills primed for NBA dream
(AAP) - Australian basketball star Patrick Mills is about to embark on a punishing physical regime of weights work and cross-country travel to help secure his dream of being drafted by an NBA team.
Mills confirmed on Friday he would nominate for this year's draft, where the
20-year-old from Canberra could become an instant millionaire if selected as a
first-round pick on June 25.
The speedy guard, whose stocks rose through an impressive Olympic campaign last year
and two stand-out seasons with Californian college side St Mary's, is aiming to join
Andrew Bogut and Nathan Jawai as Australians in the world's best league.
To do that, he must combine his studies with travelling all over the US over the
next two months to perform at franchise tryouts, and add five kilos more muscle to
his 82kg frame.
"If you chucked me in there now with the big boys they'd probably have their way
with me and handle me like a rag doll," he said.
"So getting in the weights room is going to be important over the next few months."
Mills decided against signing with an agent so he remained eligible for college
basketball if overlooked at Madison Square Garden.
"For me it's a win-win situation, if I don't get the feedback that I want or need to
be in the NBA then I can withdraw my name and come back for a third year at St
Mary's," he said.
Many mock drafts have Mills being selected either late in the first round, which
would secure a guaranteed three-year contract, or early in the second.
"You really don't know until you go to the teams and you get the feedback from them,
but you really don't want to go into a situation like this thinking that you're not
going to make it," he said.
"... I've learnt from my dad and my family that once you're given a small
opportunity, make the most of it and that's what I hope to do."
Mills' college coaches will help him prepare physically over the next two months,
and will also use his mentors and parents as sounding boards when talks with teams
start.
If drafted, Mills would become the second indigenous Australian after Toronto's
Jawai to get a start in the NBA, and would fulfil a long-held dream.
"When you're a little kid and you watch NBA teams and watch Michael Jordan on TV,
you understand that the NBA is the highest standard of basketball in the world," he
said.
"If you're a competitive person that's what you want to be, you want to be the best
in the world or compete in the best league."
Mills credited his performances in Beijing, where he averaged 14 points a game for
the Boomers and top-scored with 20 in the quarter-final defeat to the United States,
as proof he could match it with the best.
He followed that with a standout season for St Mary's, where he averaged 18.7
points, four assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, which convinced him he
was ready to make the jump.
Mills said he was keen to take part in the Boomers' campaign in 2009, but had told
new national coach Brett Brown it would depend on whether he was drafted.
Mills confirmed on Friday he would nominate for this year's draft, where the
20-year-old from Canberra could become an instant millionaire if selected as a
first-round pick on June 25.
The speedy guard, whose stocks rose through an impressive Olympic campaign last year
and two stand-out seasons with Californian college side St Mary's, is aiming to join
Andrew Bogut and Nathan Jawai as Australians in the world's best league.
To do that, he must combine his studies with travelling all over the US over the
next two months to perform at franchise tryouts, and add five kilos more muscle to
his 82kg frame.
"If you chucked me in there now with the big boys they'd probably have their way
with me and handle me like a rag doll," he said.
"So getting in the weights room is going to be important over the next few months."
Mills decided against signing with an agent so he remained eligible for college
basketball if overlooked at Madison Square Garden.
"For me it's a win-win situation, if I don't get the feedback that I want or need to
be in the NBA then I can withdraw my name and come back for a third year at St
Mary's," he said.
Many mock drafts have Mills being selected either late in the first round, which
would secure a guaranteed three-year contract, or early in the second.
"You really don't know until you go to the teams and you get the feedback from them,
but you really don't want to go into a situation like this thinking that you're not
going to make it," he said.
"... I've learnt from my dad and my family that once you're given a small
opportunity, make the most of it and that's what I hope to do."
Mills' college coaches will help him prepare physically over the next two months,
and will also use his mentors and parents as sounding boards when talks with teams
start.
If drafted, Mills would become the second indigenous Australian after Toronto's
Jawai to get a start in the NBA, and would fulfil a long-held dream.
"When you're a little kid and you watch NBA teams and watch Michael Jordan on TV,
you understand that the NBA is the highest standard of basketball in the world," he
said.
"If you're a competitive person that's what you want to be, you want to be the best
in the world or compete in the best league."
Mills credited his performances in Beijing, where he averaged 14 points a game for
the Boomers and top-scored with 20 in the quarter-final defeat to the United States,
as proof he could match it with the best.
He followed that with a standout season for St Mary's, where he averaged 18.7
points, four assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game, which convinced him he
was ready to make the jump.
Mills said he was keen to take part in the Boomers' campaign in 2009, but had told
new national coach Brett Brown it would depend on whether he was drafted.
