Terry Richard Mills (born December 21, 1967) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who played as a

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

. He was a member of the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

' 1989

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) Men's Division I Basketball Championship winning team before playing over a decade in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA).

College career

After a standout career at

Romulus High School Romulus Senior High School or Romulus High School is the public high school in the city of Romulus, Michigan in Metro Detroit. History In 2013 Inkster High School closed due to the closure of the Inkster School District. Students in the Inkst ...

, Mills was named 1986

Mr. Basketball of Michigan Each year the Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best Secondary education, high school senior boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Michigan. The award is named in honor of the late Hal Schram, a sports wri ...

. Mills attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

where he helped the

Wolverines The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The wolverine ...

win the

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the Division I level ...

. In January 2009, Mills participated in the 20th anniversary celebration of the 1989 National Championship team. He had recently completed his degree from Michigan and was looking to break into the coaching profession.

PAOK

In 1990 summer, Mills signed a professional contract with

P.A.O.K. BC PAOK (, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans''), commonly ...

. After several friendly games which included a home game against

Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. Maccabi Tel Aviv Basketball Club (), known for sponsorship reasons as Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv (), is a professional basketball club based in Tel Aviv, Israel. The team plays in the Ligat HaAl (the top tier of Israeli basketball), and inte ...

, Mills left the club. The reason was an argument with Kostas Politis, during a training in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

.paokbc.gr Η ιστορία μίας φανέλας
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NBA career

Mills was drafted in 1990 by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

who later traded his rights to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

for whom he played 17 games. Mills also played for the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

, and

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Although he played the power forward position, Mills became known for his 3-point shooting. Legendary Piston announcer George Blaha nicknamed him "Sugar Bear" for his "sweet" shooting stroke and "Three Mills" for his on-target three-point shooting.

Coaching career

Mills was the head coach of the

International Basketball League The International Basketball League (IBL) was a semi-professional men's basketball league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States. In 2010 the Albany Legends became the first team in the Northeastern United States to join. The ...

's Macomb County Mustangs (of

Center Line, Michigan Center Line is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Metro Detroit, Center Line is located roughly north of downtown Detroit, and is completely surrounded by the larger city of Warren. As of the 2020 c ...

) during the 2006 season.

Personal life

He is the cousin of former NBA power forward

Grant Long Grant Andrew Long (born March 12, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. He played over 1,000 games for the National Basketball Association over a 15-year career. Long had two relatives who were playing in the NBA during h ...

, and the nephew of

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

John Long. He is the radio color analyst for University of Michigan Basketball on the Michigan Sports Marketing Network. Currently residing in Michigan, he is an active participant in amateur

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...

References

External links

NBA Player file
@ basketball-reference.com

@ basketballreference.com
University of Michigan Basketball Statistical Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Terry 1967 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Wayne County, Michigan Denver Nuggets players Detroit Pistons players Indiana Pacers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Miami Heat players Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players Milwaukee Bucks draft picks New Jersey Nets players P.A.O.K. BC players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Romulus, Michigan Power forwards Romulus Senior High School alumni