St. Mary's Mills headlines fourth Hornets' pre-draft workout

Written by Jude Young | Tuesday, 16 June 2009 15:30 | Jude Young's Blog

Patrick Mills from St. Mary's was perhaps the headliner among the 6 prospects on hand. The Austrailian Olympic star clearly garnered the attention of Hornets head coach Byron Scott.

"If you played (Mills) right now in a five-on-five game, he could run all day," noted Scott with a smile. "He's in unbelievable condition."

In fact, the 6-foot, 175 pounder from Canberra, Australia was more energizer bunny than Koala Bear. Mills broke the record for speed in the always-treacherous ‘suicide' running drills.

"I do love that," said Scott.

But Mills also impressed with his ability. "He has a great shot and really knows how to play."

More of a scoring point than a passer during his amateur career, Mills is likely to be available when the Hornets first round selection (21st overall) rolls around on June 25.

"A lot of people talk about me being a scoring point guard at St. Mary's now and needing to transition that into the league and being a facilitator," remarked Mills. "That something I'm familiar with experiencing that in the Summer Olympics with the Australian National Team. So I believe that transition will be ok since I've been through it already."

Of course, New Orleans doesn't need a starting point guard with Chris Paul around. But quality depth is needed as all positions from the Hornets including the backup point guard spot.

"I've watched a lot of tape on Chris Paul and played against him as well. He's someone that I've tried to learn from," said Mills. "The Hornets' style of play is great and fits into my game."

Mills was the leading scorer for his country in the 2008 Olympics and tallied 20 points against Paul and Team USA in the quarterfinals. He also has no turnovers in 28 minutes. His ability to protect the ball and become a distributor will determine his fate in the NBA.

Two Louisiana talents had their first experiences with NBA workouts. LSU's Terry Martin and Xavier ‘s Shaun Dumas were fill-ins at the workout. Both have been training with former NBA star John Lucas in Houston in attempts to springboard into professional basketball at some level.

Dumas (5-11, 170) was the LABC Small College Player of the Year. But he has bigger dreams.

"If you belong, you belong. If you belong at Xavier University or belong at UCLA, you're a ball player. You have to compete," Dumas stated.

Martin (6-6, 210) was one-dimensional offensively in college as a streaky shooter. He continues to work on his ability to put the ball on the floor. European clubs have shown interest in the Monroe native.

Other potential first rounders in atteandance were Taj Gibson of USC and Josh Heytvelt of Gonzaga. The two big men bring difference attributes.

Gibson (6-9, 225) is long and lean but brings defensive tenacity and toughness to the paint. His offensive game is raw, but the Brooklyn native can finish around the basket.

"Taj has a great wingspan and can block shots," said Scott.

Heytvelt is a more perimeter-oriented big man who can knock down the mid-range jumper. He also shows willingness to bang in the paint. But, unlike his former West Coast Conference rival Mills, the 6-11, 260 pounder did not impress with his conditioning.

"I'm sure he is a much better basketball player than he showed today," said Scott. But he really kind of hurt himself as far as I'm concerned since he is not in the shape you have to be in."

DeJuan Summers from Georgetown may be another guy caught between positions heading into the pro ranks after bypassing his final year in college. He is too slow to play small forward and not aggressive enough to man the power forward position.

At 6-8 240, Summers has an NBA body but looks more comfortable on the perimeter offensively and appears to lack explosiveness around the basket.

NOTE: Scott was asked about the latest rumors involving a potential trade of Shaquille O'Neal. He acknowledged hearing about Cleveland's potential interest in the future Hall-of-Famer but said he did not know if the Hornets organization has made any inquiries with the Phoenix Suns.

More...
• Who's in, who's out? The list of early entry candidates for the 2009 Draft
• VIDEO: Tuesday's workout - Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3
• VIDEO: Patrick Mills interview

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