St Mary's leads a tight game 36-33 at the half.

Mills is matched up against a top NBA PG prospect in Stephen Curry and so far has the edge with 17 pts on 7-14 shooting compared with Curry's 11 on 5-12.

Only watched the last 8 mins of the half, but Mills showed some nice ability to get separation using his dribble and then pop for the shot, rather than just charging to the rack every time.

Mills does not appear to be playing a true pt guard role though. He is really just a good ball-handling scorer and the Gaels are not running their offence through him everytime down the floor. Might be for the best that he injured his hand this season and his NBA stock dropped. One more year at College might give him time to learn to run an offence better.

Becoming a good PG is probably the key to how successful he can be in the NBA, because he is too small to compete effectively as a SG.

He played more of a true PG role for the boomers because he had better players around him. He doesn't have a true big guy around him at St Marys, or an equally good scorer so he's forced to shoulder a lot of scoring. He must be one of the most valuable players to his team in the NCAA, so I think he should go for the draft for sure.

im listening to this game live, the crowd sounds Insane..

Statistically Curry is far superior to Patty, which is why he's listed as a top 3 point guard but Patty's having a better game so far. Hubert Davis also just said Patty is one of the best point guards in the country.

Curtley, Mills stock has dropped a lot according to Draft Express. He is rated a mid second rounder at best for now. If he is only going as a second rounder I would rather see him go back for his Junior year and develop his PG skills some more.

I think with a good season he can be a top 15 pick and that would get him a guaranteed contract with a few years to break through in the NBA.

Also Simpson and Samhan are both good quality bigs at the college level. So Mills is not shouldering as much load as, for example, Curry is for Davidson.

Crowfan, why are you only listening? Can you not get the video feed I posted above?

Announcers just said Mills first double double tonight: 21 pts 10 ast 1 TO !!!

Way to make a statement Patty!!!

hey bean, im at work so i just listened to the live stream, cheers for the link tho.

Mills MUST declare for the draft this year. His stocks are as good as they will ever be given the Olympics and his season to date. The injury is of minor concern given his form the last two games and it isn't a knee or ankle problem. If he went back to college then he has more to lose. Firstly, teams like to see significant improvement over each year in college (which will be hard to do AGAIN next year) and second, he will be a year older (not many Juniors and Seniors get drafted any more - and the ones that do are normally 'NBA read' which I don't think Mills would be).

Hey TMC, it is good to see Mills putting up good numbers in the last two games. Especially today against Curry (though they didn't guard each other all the time). Perhaps if he can carry the Gaels far enough in the NIT, scouts will re-assess and his stock will rise again.

If it does rise and he puts his name in the draft to test the waters (without hiring an agent) maybe he can put in a couple of phenomenal workouts to convince someone to use a 1st rounder on him. But unless he is fairly sure of getting a 1st round guaranteed contract, like I said before, I don't think he should stay in the draft.

The other problem is that this year is supposed to be quite deep for PGs (at least according to Draft Express) so that also reduces his chances of getting drafted 1st round.

I just don't want to see him drafted 2nd round, given one or two years non-guaranteed and then sit on someone's bench learning nothing. Developing him into a true PG is critical to the Boomers future.

Patty's athletic talent is top notch and I don't want to see it wasted by getting him typecast as an NBA combo guard role-player who is too small for SG and not savvy enough for PG. I've seen it happen too many times in the NBA to think it won't happen to Mills if he is not ready.

Good points Beantown, but I'd go with Run TMC - I reckon you have to go while your stock is high.

Mills needs to nominate this year IMO. He still has at least 1 more game to go this season, and has had few poor games this year full stop barring his first couple back from injury.

Scouts know what he can do and the Olympics remain fresh in the mind.

Mill's game is probably more suited to the NBA and pick and roll basketball...imagine Mills playing for Phoenix or the Knicks and their run and gun styles!

He will definitely go first round...

More interesting wil be whether AJ Ogilvy nominates this year or next year. He was by far the best player on a weak and very young team, but injury hampered him for half the season at least. I reckon he will have one more season of college ball...

Was looking at a draft board and was also surprised to see how many pg's there were. Not having a real grasp on the college game I don't know much about them but it seems like patty would have to fight a lot on competition. I think he should not hire an agent see what happens and if he gets vibes for a 1st stay in, if not come back next year.

PGs havent existed for years in drafts, and patty wouldnt translate as a pure PG in year 1, so as a BACK UP, it'd be better than being picked as a pure PG next year.

Mills needs to nominate this year whilst he's still on the radar. Mills has something that the majority of players in the draft don't have, Olympic experience. The important people have seen how he runs a team and how he contributes on the court.

The 2010 draft has much more potential at the PG position than 2009. 2009 is okay with Jennings, Maynor, Teague, Curry, Evans but 2010 is better with Rubio, Wall, Walker, Calathes and Beaubois.

It's still a little early to be putting much faith into mock drafts, and comparing sites will give you headaches.

I do wonder how Curry will go in the NBA. Great college shooters in recent years have struggled when stepping up to the NBA.

He are the amin players that Mills is up against IMO:

- Ricky Rubio (International)
- Brandon Jennings (International)
- Eric Maynor (VCU)
- Jeff Teague (Wake Forest)
- Stephen Curry (Davidson)
- Ty Lawson (North Carolina)
- Jonny Flynn (Syracuse)
- Jrue Holiday (UCLA)
- AJ Price (Connecticut)
- Darren Collison (UCLA)

Out of the above, Jonny Flynn has already said he will not nominate this year and thus will return to college.

Ricky Rubio is a standout international PG from Europe and will get picked up as a lottery pick. He has recently stated in the media he will definitely nominate for this year's draft and not wait until next year.

Eric Maynor is arguably the most well rounded PG in the draft and most ready to lead an NBA team IMO.

Therefore I see Brandon Jennings, Eric Maynor, Ricky Rubio and possibly also Jeff Teague all being drafted ahead of Mills.

I see Mills competing for selection with the likes of Stephen Curry who clearly lacks point guard skills, Holiday, who like Curry plays more like a shooting guard, senior Darren Collison who in my opinion lacks strength, and Ty Lawson who probably is the stronger player at this role than the aforementioned players. Depending how far Uconn goes in the tourney, AJ Price stock's could also rise.

Mills has played against senior international competition and particularly at the Olympics. Just remember the fact that he put on a show against USA "Redeem Team" and made the likes of Chris Paul and co. look pedestrian - nobody could stay in front of him and on that team Mill's played a true point guard role - and still top scored for the Boomers off the bench!

Mills is on a far weaker team that most of the other PG's likely to nominate for the draft with the possible exception of Curry. And thus their performances are even more creditable as they arguably get more defensive attention.

Guy's like Teague, Lawson, Flynn, Holiday, Price, Collison all have a plethora of other stars on their teams that take the heat off them...

Some good points for and against in here. Does anyone know the "last" date a player can nominate for the NBA draft? March or April sometime?

I think the Pat should nominate, the Gaels will be weaker losing a few quality senior players, especially Diamon Simpson.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about DX's rating, they posted a relatively harsh article about him last month from one of their writers criticizing his PG skills- most of the analysis appeared to be based on statistical evidence and not actually watching game tapes.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Patrick-Mills-1362/

In response to TR, I have NO doubt that Stephan Curry will suprise a lot of people and be a lethal scorer in the NBA.

His range is ridiculous (extends way beyond NBA), he gets to the ring easily, he finishes well inside, he's amazingly quick, he'll have one of the best pull up games in the league, I mean I don't understand how he can go top speed and then stop on a dime and drill a 15-30 footer, and his shooting form doesn't change at all when it does it, I've never seen anything like it. Plus his biggest thing is he has taken the shittest college team to the elite 8 (last year) and hes already dealt with bigger bodies, massive pressure, double teams, triple teams, and goes for 30-40 points.

He's SO confident and so mentally tough, there's no way in my opinion he doesnt thrive in the NBA, especially seeing as theres so much pick and roll, and he is DEADLY in the pick n roll.

If guys like Iverson, Ellis, etc can score big despite their size at the 1/2, then Curry can.

Oh, and Mills is going to be a SERIOUS player!

I became a fan of Curry in last years NCAA. He's Reggie Miller-lite, but lacks the height. I just wonder if his game will translate again bigger and stronger players. JJ Redick comes to mind, but I'm certain Curry's all round game is way better than Redicks. Curry shoots the rock even better than his old man.

LC, interested in reading that Rubio article about him declaring this year. Everything I read indicates 2010.

TR - I will try and find it...think it may have been on FIBA website or even the ESPN website.

"Good points Beantown, but I'd go with Run TMC - I reckon you have to go while your stock is high."

Isaac, this is just what I am saying - his stock is not high. Start of the college season Draft Express had him projected as about pick 14. As the season went on and he didn't progress as much as hoped, then injured his hand, his stock dropped him into the bottom half of the 2nd round.

Stellation, thanks for the link. My concerns with Mills PG ability are not his statistics, but his actual play (both Boomers and Gaels). He has all the physical talent and skills to be a top notch PG, but I have not seen him show any understanding of how to run an offence every time down the floor - getting the right guys the ball in the right spot. That is hard to learn on the fly in the NBA, and coaches there have very little patience to teach.

Patty can still prove me wrong though! I hope he wins the NIT tournament and averages 8 assists a game! That might get him back in the first round!

I'm with you, Beantown.
IMO, Mills surprised his way through last season, but better scouting and of course the injury have hurt his status right now.
He is still an inconsistent shooter, is still questionable as a point guard outside of transition offence, and - more worrying to me - I think that his one-on-one defence needs a lot of work.
Reading the game & anticipating to get steals & cause turnovers is all very well, but you've also got to be able to contain your man when you're matched up against a quality opponent. In 2 years I'm yet to see a lot from Patty on that front. Once he gets to the NBA he won't run into many opposing PGs he can afford to play half-arsed D against.

There is still plenty he can improve upon, which would leave him not just in bigger demand this time next season than he is now, but a more well-rounded player as well, and therefore better prepared to take the next step.
So I think he should go around one more time.

TR - he is the link to the article posted just last week: http://linky.com.au/tdw12

Hmmm, looks like the jury is still out on whether Rubio joins the draft this year or next. That article doesn't say how much his buyout is or when his contract ends - both major factors in when he will come to the NBA. Clever clause that the Spanish have come up with as well, only allowing an NBA team to pay up to $500k of the buyout fee. That means Ricky has to cough up the rest himself or find a wealthy benefactor!

Cheers LC.. That's a good article. I can see Joventut holding out until this buy-out is done as they are in some financial trouble.

I agree with Run TMC as well. If he is being talked about as a potential draft pick at all IMO that means his stock is high. If Mills stays at St. Marys and doesn't see significant improvement then he may drop off the radar all together - especially seeing as he will be a Junior (ie a year older). He should declare this year.