Mills: Ready for pros

Rusty Simmons, Chronicle Staff Writer

Monday, June 1, 2009

(06-01) 21:00 PDT -- Patty Mills sat alongside an NBA practice court Monday, sporting an NBA jersey and dealing with an NBA-size media contingent.

He was plenty comfortable with the whole scene.

"In my head, I'm 100 percent in (the draft). There's an opportunity there, and I want to make sure I grab both horns and go for it," Mills said. "I suppose there's always a backup plan, but in my head, there's no backup plan."

The Australian Olympic point guard announced Monday that he will forgo his final two years of eligibility at St. Mary's, though he has until June 15 to officially withdraw his name from the NBA draft. Mills was among 12 players to participate in two separate workout sessions for 21 teams at the Warriors' practice site in Oakland, but his comments stole the show from the other prospects.

Mills is projected as a late first-round pick or an early second-round choice. He said he doesn't need a first-round promise, which comes with a guaranteed contract, to remain in the draft pool.

"I just need an opportunity, and once you make it to that level, you've got to make sure you stay there," he said.

Mills doesn't have much else to prove at the college level, having led St. Mary's to 53 wins and one NCAA Tournament berth in two seasons. He averaged 16.4 points, 3.7 assists and two steals a game and shot 41.5 percent from the floor.

Neither St. Mary's coach Randy Bennett nor athletic director Mark Orr could be reached for comment.

In the 2008 Olympics, as the youngest player in the history of Australian basketball, Mills averaged a team-best 14.2 points a game and had two assists and 1.7 steals in 23 minutes. As a 19-year-old, leading a team with players mostly in their mid-30s, Mills went for 20 points, three assists, two steals and no turnovers in the quarterfinals against the U.S. team.

"That experience was the highlight of my career," Mills said. "I can always use that summer campaign to prove to teams that I can compete at that level when I'm healthy."

Mills missed the final nine regular-season games for St. Mary's with a broken right hand that he says is healthy now. Scouts have other worries, however. One evaluator at Monday's workout said Mills, who was measured to be 6-feet at the Chicago combine last week, was "exposed on defense, especially when he was posted up."

Though this year's draft class is widely viewed as weak, the point-guard pool is rather deep. Mills is expected by most to be selected after Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, Jonny Flynn, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague and Virginia Commonwealth's Eric Maynor, who worked out in Oakland on Monday.

"He's fast and uses the ball screen well," Teague said of Mills.

"I've been knowing of him, and he's a tough competitor," Maynor said.

Mills also said his jump shot was often short, because he felt a little jet lag after flying from Chicago on Sunday night. On the other hand, no one is questioning his speed, his ability to penetrate and his creative finishing, which all have drawn comparisons to San Antonio's Tony Parker.

"He's shown us what he can do," a scout said.

He's not done quite yet. He leaves Wednesday for the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso, Italy, where he'll get his first chance to work out for teams in a 5-on-5 setting. He also has workouts scheduled with Detroit, Atlanta and Milwaukee.

Mills didn't make it any secret that once the pre-draft travel is done, he'd love to end up back in the Bay Area on June 25.

"This is my home away from home," Mills said. "After flying in from Chicago, I was relieved to smell the Bay Area air."

E-mail Rusty Simmons at rsimmons@sfchronicle.com.

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Saint Mary's senior forward Diamon Simpson, who was a reserve at Monday's workouts, said he doesn't want to push Mills in either direction. Simpson said he was pretty sure Mills could play at the NBA level but that after watching him Monday, he has no doubt.

"I'm a lot more certain now," Simpson said. "It's a good possibility he's gone."

Mills' likely successor at point guard for the Gaels is junior-to-be Mickey McConnell, who started 13 games last season, including during the span when Mills was sidelined with a broken right hand. McConnell, 6-foot, averaged 5.4 points and 2.2 assists per game, shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range.