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Aussie Mills keeps name in NBA draft

AUSTRALIAN Olympic star Patty Mills is prepared to test his talent in the National Basketball Association.

The Saint Mary's College point guard said on Monday he will forgo his final two years of college eligibility and keep his name in the NBA draft.

"In my head, I'm 100 percent in," Mills said. "There's a great opportunity for me to play in the NBA this year and I'm trying to make the most of the opportunity."

Mills was among 12 players to work out in two separate sessions on Monday for 21 NBA teams at the Golden State Warriors' practice facility in Oakland, California. He even campaigned for the Warriors to select him on draft day June 25 so he can stay in the Bay Area.

"It's home away from home for me at the moment," Mills said, wearing navy blue Warriors practice gear and sporting a Golden State towel.

He said the only way he would return to school would be if enough teams told him before the draft that he should play another college season.

"I haven't heard that as of yet."

Mills, an indigenous Australian, scored 20 points in the Beijing Olympic quarterfinals against the gold medal-winning US team full of NBA stars. He also had three assists, two steals and no turnovers.

He is set to leave tomorrow to attend a showcase camp in Italy for European teams.

This year's draft is heavy with point guards and Mills knows it. "If you look at it this year, it gives me more motivation," he said.

He saw first hand some of the other top players at his position. Wake Forest's Jeff Teague, Eric Maynor of Virginia Commonwealth and Arkansas' Patrick Beverley also participated in his six-player session on Monday.




 

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