Prospect Spotlight: Andrew Mills (2020)

It's no secret as to why every year teams that have a senior laden team rise to the top. For New Town, it helps even more when one of those senior are the former Baltimore County Player of the Year Andrew Mills. The Titans were equipped with a slew of seniors last season as well and went on to dominate county play before winning the county title game against Franklin. This season, they're on track to repeat as they boast a 20-1 record and show no signs of slowing down.

Mills hasn't quite had the breakout scoring games as he did in 2018-19, but he's been steady throughout. He did however just have another big time performance in their most important game of the season to clinch their slot in the county championship game on Feb. 25. The 6-foot-5 wing poured in 31 points against Parkville this past Friday evening and did so with relative ease. It was a flashback to last year's game against Dulaney that cemented their spot in the county title game where Mills finished with 33 points and held a shooting clinic from three.

I caught up with Mills following the win and asked him to address his ability to step up in big games for his team, "When Martaz (Robinson) got into foul trouble early, I knew someone had to step up so I said to myself why not take over?"

Mills scored 17 of his 31 in the first half, nine of which came from deep off of pick-and-pop scenarios. Although New Town dug a hole early, his play ignited the comeback effort and was key in holding onto the victory as time progressed.

"I knew what Parkville was capable of defensively and I knew that it would be a game where I could take over," Mills said. "We knew their bigs were shaky guarding out on the perimeter, so we ran more sets to stretch the floor instead of rolling to the basket."

This type of thought process comes along with the maturity that Mills has developed over the past year. No longer does he rely on one part of his game to be successful. He can score inside and out as shown in the second half when he manufactured multiple buckets coming from the mid-range or the block with his back to the basket.

"I put in a lot of work for this. This summer I heard a lot of people saying I couldn't put the ball on the floor and that I'm just a catch-and-shoot player. So while Taz has been taking over games this year, I also want to show people I can do things and make things happen when I put the ball on the floor."

Offense isn't the only area where Mills has shown improvement. New Town isn't rich in size in the frontcourt, so Mills has to play the forward and even at times, the center position. It's forced him to become a better rebounder and communicator as the back line of the defense.

New Town will face Woodlawn in the county championship. The Warriors have quietly put together an impressive season, but this is a position where experience can play a huge role. Mills is confident.

"We just have to stick to our game plan," Mills continued, "being sharp on our defensive assignments and doing the little things like jumping to the ball on passes and we'll be fine."

Fairmont State is the school who most recently inquired about Mills. He fits the mold of being a player who can have an impact at the Division II level with a year of development. His recruitment remains wide open as he continues to help lead New Town to another banner season.