Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Barea (Berea, Kentucky) |
College | Kentucky (1957–1960) |
NBA draft | 1960 / Round: 18 / Pick: 92nd overall |
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals | |
Position | Center |
Number | 54 |
Career highlights and awards | |
Don Mills is a former American college basketball player. He is best known as a key reserve on the University of Kentucky's 1958 NCAA championship team.
Mills was recruited to play basketball at the University of Kentucky by head coach Adolph Rupp following an All-American season at Berea Community High School. [1] As a sophomore (the first season he was eligible to play), Mills was the first player off the bench for the "Fiddlin' Five" during the 1957-58 season. He played a significant role in the 1958 Championship Game against Seattle after starting center Ed Beck was sidelined due to foul trouble. Mills scored nine points off the bench, including a hook shot over Seattle's Elgin Baylor with 5:50 minutes left in the second half to give Kentucky the lead. [2]
Mills became the Wildcats' starting center the following season. As a senior, he averaged 12.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game and was named second team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) by the Associated Press and first team All-SEC by the conference's coaches. [3] He finished his collegiate career with 699 rebounds (9.4 per game) and 664 points (9.4 per game) in 71 total games played. [4]
Mills was selected in the 18th round (92nd overall) by the Syracuse Nationals in the 1960 NBA draft but never played in an NBA game. [5]
Tayshaun Durell Prince is an American professional basketball executive and former player. The 6-foot-9-inch (2.06 m) small forward graduated from Dominguez High School before playing college basketball for the University of Kentucky. He was drafted 23rd overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2002 NBA draft and went on to win a championship with the team in 2004.
Keith Ramon Bogans is an American former basketball player who last served as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Kentucky.
Scott Anthony Padgett is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach for Manhattan. He was formerly the head coach at Samford University. He played for the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Winston George Bennett III is an American retired professional basketball player and coach.
Orestes Jodie Meeks II is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Birmingham Squadron of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the University of Kentucky. On January 13, 2009, he gained national recognition by breaking the Kentucky single-game scoring record with 54 points in a nationally televised game on ESPN against Tennessee. In the same game, he broke the university's single-game three-point record by making 10 three-pointers. Meeks won the 2019 NBA championship as a member of the Toronto Raptors.
The 1957–58 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented University of Kentucky. The head coach was Adolph Rupp. The team was a member of the Southeast Conference and played their home games at Memorial Coliseum. This squad was often nicknamed the "Fiddlin' Five".
Michael Anthony Edward Kidd-Gilchrist is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kidd-Gilchrist was drafted second overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2012 NBA draft. He played for the University of Kentucky men's basketball team from 2011 to 2012.
William Edwin Spivey was an American basketball player. A 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) center, he played college basketball for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Kentucky Wildcats from 1949 to 1951. After his high school career, Spivey was recruited by the University of Kentucky. During his time with the Wildcats, he led the team to the 1951 NCAA tournament championship, and was voted Most Outstanding Player of the event. When a point shaving scandal was revealed that year, Spivey was accused of being involved, which he denied. He left the Wildcats in December 1951, and the university banned him from the squad in March 1952.
Anthony Marshon Davis Jr., also known by his initials AD, is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the power forward and center positions. Davis is an eight-time NBA All-Star and has been named to four All-NBA First Teams and four NBA All-Defensive Teams. In his first season with the Lakers, he won an NBA championship in 2020. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
Nerlens Noel is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His collegiate basketball career ended in his first season with a tear of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at the University of Kentucky. Noel was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. His rights were later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. He plays center and power forward, and was one of the top high school basketball players in the class of 2012.
Willie Trill Cauley-Stein is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball with the Kentucky Wildcats. He previously played with the Sacramento Kings for four seasons before signing with the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 offseason. In January 2020, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks.
Edrice Femi "Bam" Adebayo is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before being selected by the Heat with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He was named an NBA All-Star and voted to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team during the 2019–20 season. He also won a gold medal on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo.
Malik Ahmad Monk is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus second-team All-American honors in 2017. Monk was selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets with the 11th overall pick. He has also played for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kevin Devon Knox II is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Nicholas Richards is a Jamaican professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
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Tyrese Maxey, nicknamed "Mad Max or The Franchise", is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Edward Paul Beck was an American college basketball player. He is best known as the starting center and team captain of the "Fiddlin' Five," the University of Kentucky's 1958 NCAA championship team.
Isaiah Ju'mar Jackson is an American basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Tyrone Lewis "TyTy" Washington Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top point guards in the 2021 class.