Andre Mills didn’t need a long recruitment pitch this time around. In a portal-heavy era when roster movement has become the norm, the Maryland guard made his decision early and made it plainly: he was staying put.
“There was really no real conversations. I just said, 'when can I start?' I already had my mind made up, so I had no ifs ands or buts or doubts in my mind that where I was going to be, who I was going to be with, who I wanted to do it with," Mills said.
That certainty grew out of the relationships he’s built with Buzz Williams and assistant Wabissa Bede, ties that stretch back to Mills’ junior year of high school. The connection with both coaches was already in place before his breakout redshirt freshman season, and Mills said Bede was a key part of his redshirt year at Texas A&M, when the two worked together through early-morning workouts. That history is a big reason Mills refers to the staff as “my family.”
“I feel like they never put me in a wrong position. They trust me a lot.
I feel like, in the middle of the season when stuff went wrong, they kind of just put the ball in my hands. I feel like loyalty goes further than chasing money, and I think that it's going to mean something to me more if I win with this group of coaches rather than me go somewhere else and win and be a part of whatever," Mills said.
Mills’ choice also speaks to what Maryland is trying to build as it resets after a 12-win season. The roster has changed, but the returning guard sees signs that this group is coming together naturally. He pointed to Thursday’s optional lift, when more than half the team showed up, as a small but meaningful indicator.
“I just think stuff like that goes a long way, for sure."
For Mills, the biggest lesson from his first season was simple: liking teammates isn’t the same thing as fitting with them. He said last year’s team got along, but “didn't blend.”
"You can like somebody off the court, but you could also not be compatible with them on the court, or you can not like somebody at all off the court, and then be compatible with them on the court," he added.
This summer, he says the new group has shown a different kind of fit. Mills described the first month of workouts as carrying “no selfish intention,” and he singled out Boston transfer Mike McNair as “really good.” He also praised the two SEC transfer guards, Bishop Boswell and DJ Wagner, calling them “very downhill guards that can create for others and very high IQ guards.”
“It kind of feels like I'm playing with myself, if that makes sense, like in terms of like the aggressiveness, the downhill, the constant attacking somebody, and I just don't think a lot of teams are gonna be able to handle all that, like having that many people coming at you all game like that," Mills added.
That confidence comes with proof. Mills emerged as Maryland’s breakout piece last season, starting 25 of 33 games and putting together three 20-point games in the final month.
The peak came on Feb. 18 at Northwestern, where he dropped a career-high 39 points on 12-of-17 shooting. He finished his redshirt freshman year at 12.2 points per game and nearly 41% shooting from the floor.
Now he’s trying to sharpen the rest of his game. Along with continued film work, Mills has focused on shot selection and worked the mid-range and floaters back into his arsenal.
“Learning not really when to shoot, but when not to shoot, more so like the back line of your defender, because I feel like I could really beat anybody off the dribble, but it's the second line I think I've grown a lot from that."
Mills will be part of a deeper Maryland rotation in Buzz Williams’ second year, with New Mexico transfer Tomislav Buljan joining Pharrel Payne to anchor the frontcourt after Payne’s waiver was made official last month. For Mills, though, the big decision is already behind him.
"You don't want to keep moving from school to school. I feel like that's a lot.
Feel like I’ve made Maryland my home," Mills said. "I feel like the people love me here.
I feel like it's a comfortable space, like I live in the same place. I don't want to keep jumping ship to ship.
So this is home for sure."
In Other News...
Former Terps Staffer Tevon Saddler Lands Go-Go Head Coaching Job
Tevon Saddler is getting another chance in the Washington basketball pipeline, this time as the new head coach of the Capital City Go-Go. The Wizards tapped the former Maryland director of player personnel to lead their G League affiliate, adding a familiar name for Terps fans who remember him from Kevin Willards staff in the 2022-23 season. Saddler, an Aberdeen native, has built his career through college basketball as both a player and coach before landing this latest opportunity.
For Maryland followers, the move reads as something of a homecoming, with Saddler now back in the D.C.-Maryland orbit after head coaching experience at Nicholls State. His path has included a stop that gave him a chance to run his own program, and now he steps into a development role with an NBA organization that leans heavily on its G League team to shape players and coaches alike. The Wizards made the hire after looking at a crowded field, and Saddler now gets the job of turning that chance into momentum. [Read more 🡒]