Mills always finds a way

She is a towering 6-foot-1. She is described by UMass coach Marnie Dacko as being the squad’s go-to player. She is also hands-down the best interview on the team. This she to whom I am referring is junior captain Kate Mills and – to this sportswriter – she has been the Massachusetts women’s basketball team’s Most Valuable Player this season.

The 21-year-old powerhouse is, more often than not, the biggest thing out there on the court. She has the strength of a bull and the touch of an angel. She uses her grit and strong build to outmuscle opponents under the basket, but stills maintains the poise and grace to throw the ball through the nylon. Rare it is that one sees her type of vigor cocktailed with such polished style and finesse. And if you think I’m exaggerating her dominance, just take a look at the stats.

She has amassed a total of 468 points in the regular season’s 29 games – an average of 16.1 per game (both marks are team-highs). And she doesn’t let her overwhelming altitude goes to waste, as she is second on the Maroon and White in rebounding, pulling down 194 total boards so far.

Impressed yet? Yeah, so am I – but I’ve just scratched the surface.

Mills manages to possess the qualities of two of the most polar-opposite players (in terms of height) in NBA history – she has the selflessness and passing ability of 5-foot-3 Muggsy Bogues and the impenetrable forcefield aspect of 7-foot-7 Manute Bol.

Third on the team with 70 assists, she doesn’t hesitate to shovel the ball off to a more-open teammate. And, having batted down an unprecedented 63 shots (a UMass single season record), she has a mind-boggling 56 blocks more than the team’s runner-up, senior forward Tamara Tatham.

It was, in fact, Tatham who Dacko expected to carry the team on her back, but it seems as though Mills has picked up that job.

She has been the high-scorer is a team-leading 14 games and has pulled down the most rebounds in nine of the season’s contests, second most on the Minutewomen.

Freshman guard Kim Benton started off her collegiate career the way every basketball player dreams of – she began draining threes left and right. When she’s on her game she gives the ball and the net a type of relationship that is nothing sort of romantic. But, on the extremely atypical night when the jump shot of the 5-foot-5 guard (this should give you a idea of exactly how small Mr. Bogues actually is) can’t seem to find its mark, Mills is always there to pick up the slack. You can rely on her to be moving around near the baseline looking for room to work with – and getting just enough of it to do her thing.

It’s just never a bad idea to dish it to #41 when she’s near the basket. She is shooting .539 from the floor and .821 from the free-throw line. She always uses her raw strength and natural ability to employ, what I have dubbed, the four steps of the official Kate Mills Style of Execution: 1.) Receive pass, 2.) Get one’s bearings and look for an option, 3.) Elevate, 4.) Use a little backboard and a lot of touch to deposit a 2-pointer.

And never did Mills use this seemingly-flawless method better than in UMass’ game versus Dayton University on Feb. 22.

She registered a career-high 28 points in the 66-58 win over the Flyers that temporarily put the Minutewomen in a four-way tie with Dayton, La Salle and Richmond for sixth place in the Atlantic 10 Tournament. (They are now the seventh seed.)

And this was no fluke, either.

It was actually the second straight game in which the Elkton, Md., native established a career-high in the points category.

The game before Dayton, a 75-67 loss to Xavier on the 18th, Mills racked up 25 points, passing her old personal record of 24. The 12 rebounds that she added in the losing effort allowed for her second consecutive double-double.

Last week, the A-10 finally recognized Mills’ excellence by naming her a third-team All-Conference selection.

Dacko says she is disappointed that UMass wasn’t represented by more players in the voting, which is conducted by the league’s coaches. But that should not take away from the honor bestowed upon Mills, who was a second-team All-Conference selection last season.

There are over 150 women’s basketball players in the A-10 and our Kate Mills has been placed among some of the finest.

First-team, second-team, third-team – it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that a panel of A-10 coaches has decided that one of our beloved Minutewomen is one of the top 15 players in the conference. Though, I’ll admit, she almost definitely should have been placed even higher.

The Maroon and White are leaving today for their first game in the ‘one-n’ you’re-done’ A-10 Tournament – a matchup against St. Bonaventure on Friday.

Though an immaculate trip to the tournament’s championship is unlikely, any success the Minutewomen have will stem from the performance of Mills.

Check this same exact page on Monday and if UMass is triumphant and Mills is not the main factor – color me surprised.

Either way, no matter what this weekend holds, next December take a seat in the Mullins Center for a women’s basketball game and when you ask yourself, “Who is that lofting player dominating under the hoop?” you’ll remember that it is one Kate Mills, unofficial MVP of the UMass women’s basketball team.