Melbourne Tigers announces Patty Mills

The Melbourne Tigers Basketball Club are thrilled to announce the addition of NBA star and Australian Boomers point guard Patty Mills to their playing roster. Mills joining the Tigers line-up is the biggest signing in recent NBL history and is a huge boost for the iiNet NBL Championship. The addition of Mills will create new opportunities for the league, with fans expected to embrace his return to play in Australia. Melbourne Tigers CEO Seamus McPeake is thrilled with the signing. “It is a great coup for the club that Patty Mills wants to play for the Melbourne Tigers. We pride ourselves on our rich history and success, and Pat agreeing to join the club reflects the quality of the program our new coaches have put in place. The structure that the new coaching group are implementing, along with the benefits that Patty brings, allows us to move closer to our goal of being the number one basketball program in Australia”, McPeake said. “Patty is the best point guard Australia has to offer and to see him in a Tigers uniform will be fantastic for the club, the league and basketball in this country. His outstanding basketball ability and his experience on the big stage in the NBA and at an international level will be invaluable to our current group and will aid the club’s continual development,” McPeake added.  Mills, the 2008 and 2010 Male International Player of the Year (Gaze Medal), was last season contracted with the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA where he was expected to re-sign prior to this season’s NBA lockout commencing. The forced lockout has created the opportunity for Mills to play back in his home country in front of his family and friends. “I am very excited about joining the Melbourne Tigers and playing back home in the NBL for a period while the NBA lockout is in place. The Melbourne Tigers has a long history in basketball and I have followed former players such as Andrew Gaze in the past. I look forward to contributing to their program while I am in Melbourne”, Mills said. Tigers Head Coach Trevor Gleeson is also enthused with Mills joining the roster. “It is an exciting time at the Tigers, Patty will complement our existing roster very well. He displays the camaraderie and leadership of a veteran despite being only 23 years old. His new team mates will be very excited as his passing ability is fantastic and his capacity to create his own shot and make big plays is excellent. He is a world class player and one of the best Australia has to offer, which will no doubt benefit us significantly,” Gleeson said. Mills’ contract with the Tigers includes an NBA out clause, which allows him to return to the NBA should the lockout conclude before the end of the 2011/12 iiNet NBL Championship Season.