Welcome - Paul Mills

[WstateU]

Mills appears far more analytical and calculated than his predecessor

I believe he was a financial analyst before he began his coaching career… recall FHCGM having a similar past with economics and business degrees.

[Shockm]

I thought CJ Moore did a great job, as always.

Most interesting tidbit I found in the article - out of the six official practices WSU has had so far, four have been started late due to one or more players being tardy. Candy wrappers left on the floor in the locker room...these guys are gonna get whipped into shape by Mills.

This tells anyone with an open mind, that IB wasn't a "high expectations, "detailed", "discipline" type of Head Coach (but his players liked him). That sounds like a losing atmosphere and culture. I can't see GM ever allowing practices to begin late, etc. IB is a great guy and a fine Asst. Coach, though.

[ShockerExpress]

I believe he was a financial analyst before he began his coaching career… recall FHCGM having a similar past with economics and business degrees.

Anyone who is deliberate and smart enough to count cards in blackjack is going to be successful in life.

[1972Shocker]

Definitely a man with a plan (and it appears a very strong work ethic). Really good article. I suspect the humble pie he was fed at his $12,000 a year teaching/coaching job at Fort Bend Christian caused a permanent chip to grow on his shoulder.

Wichita State’s roster is still not quite strong enough to compete for a league championship, but Mills is not afraid of a build. He lived it at Baylor, and Oral Roberts won eight games the year before he took over in 2017. (Whether that was Moore's opinion or something Coach Mills expressed is hard to say. Either way that seems like a realistic assessment at this point.)

“He spends 90 percent of practice teaching guys how to play versus just running plays,” assistant coach Kenton Paulino says.

Mills says his goal at Oral Roberts was never to lead the country in 3-pointers; it was to lead the country in dunks. He teaches his players to constantly put pressure on the rim, whether that’s driving or cutting.

[1972Shocker]

From The Athletic article:

Any edge is key. A few years ago he hired a young guy from Serbia to be a graduate assistant. Ognjen Stranjina, Mills was told, knew everything about every player in Serbia. Stranjina had started an NCAA certified scouting service with his buddy Ivan Mitrovic in 2017 when Stranjina was just a college freshman. Mitrovic is now a scout with the Washington Wizards. When Stranjina arrived in Tulsa to work for ORU, it was his first time stepping foot in the United States. He’s now Wichita State’s director of recruiting.

I don't recall hearing about this guy previously. Not listed on the Shocker roster nor the AD Directory. I wonder if this is accurate.

[WINGdingBALLfling]

From The Athletic article:



I don't recall hearing about this guy previously. Not listed on the Shocker roster nor the AD Directory. I wonder if this is accurate.

He's followed by Taylor Eldridge and follows the W$U MBB page, I assume it's accurate.

https://twitter.com/ognjen_st2

[JVShocker]

Hopefully we show up to the games on time

[1972Shocker]

He's followed by Taylor Eldridge and follows the W$U MBB page, I assume it's accurate.

https://twitter.com/ognjen_st2

I did a site search of "Stranjina" on goshockers.com and on oruathletics and received no results. However, I did find and confirmed in the ORU media guide that he was listed as 1 of 6 grad assistants in both 2021-22 and 2022-23. Based on The Athletics article, he is some kind of recruiting "coordinator" at Wichita State for Coach Mills which doesn't warrant any mention on the roster or staff directory. But it is interesting that the only two staff members mentioned in the article was Kenton Paulino (quotes) and Stranjina.

[WuDrWu]

Damn, maybe we can get Peja's son to decommit from Stanford.


Vuk Marjanovic is in the class of 2029. Someone to keep your eye on.


As long as we're on the Baltic region discussion, am I the only one mildly annoyed that Zarko and Zoran haven't managed to send any love our way over the years? (Both still involved in the game I believe).


Do you think Coach Mills even knows something like that?

[Wichita Willy]

The article says he has 3 scholarships. I thought we only had 2. Did someone leave or something?

[Stickboy46]

The article says he has 3 scholarships. I thought we only had 2. Did someone leave or something?

3 for 2024

[pinstripers]

Vuk Marjanovic is in the class of 2029. Someone to keep your eye on.

prolly leave that to you younger folks

[1972Shocker]

The article says he has 3 scholarships. I thought we only had 2. Did someone leave or something?

Wichita State has three scholarships available heading for the 2024-25 roster. Mills plans to take one high school player and leave two spots open for transfers.

Of course, that assumes no early departures.

The only comment about recruiting for this season was:

Last Monday, Mills was considering a spur-of-the-moment trip to Greece to see a player who could help the Shockers this season. He spent Tuesday calling a player still available in the portal...

Last Monday from when is not clear but I'm thinking that would have been a couple of weeks ago. Could have been June 26th or even June 19th.

[shock]

New Athletic article about Paul Mills.

https://theathletic.com/4656060/2023...ls-basketball/

Paging Sub. How do you feel now?

[ShockRef]

Definitely a man with a plan (and it appears a very strong work ethic). Really good article. I suspect the humble pie he was fed at his $12,000 a year teaching/coaching job at Fort Bend Christian caused a permanent chip to grow on his shoulder.

Wichita State’s roster is still not quite strong enough to compete for a league championship, but Mills is not afraid of a build. He lived it at Baylor, and Oral Roberts won eight games the year before he took over in 2017. (Whether that was Moore's opinion or something Coach Mills expressed is hard to say. Either way that seems like a realistic assessment at this point.)

“He spends 90 percent of practice teaching guys how to play versus just running plays,” assistant coach Kenton Paulino says.

Mills says his goal at Oral Roberts was never to lead the country in 3-pointers; it was to lead the country in dunks. He teaches his players to constantly put pressure on the rim, whether that’s driving or cutting.

I've noted some 'doubting Thomases' on here lately regarding HCPM. I'm telling you we got the right guy for the job, especially considering the circumstances.
The guy is well versed, very intelligent and exceptionally well trained by those in the know.He is also well connected in todays collegiate sports world.

He reminds me a bit of HCGM, without the crazy ass family. Might as well say he could be HCGM 2.0 - without the histrionics.

Be patient. This guy is focused, has a plan and getting the right people in place to make it happen.
I'm enthusiastic about the future, for the first time in quite a while.
Case in point - RefChick and I have already booked a BNB in Carolina for the Myrtle Beach Tournament.

That is all.