Dover native Micah Mills named Wilmington College men's basketball coach
Micah Mills has gone from a Crimson Tornado to a Fightin' Quaker.
Mills, a 2007 graduate of Dover High School, emerged from a national search of over 130 applicants to be the head men's basketball coach at Wilmington College and it became official Friday.
He becomes just the seventh head men's basketball coach in Wilmington's NCAA Division III era (1990-present).
"It is an absolute honor and a blessing to become the next head men's basketball coach at Wilmington College," said Mills in a press release by the school. "I want to thank KC Hunt for providing me the mentorship and opportunity for me to grow as coach under his tutelage these last seven years. I relish the opportunity in following in his footsteps here at Wilmington and in the OAC. The tradition of Wilmington men's basketball is one that has continued to grow over the years, and I am excited and focused on making sure I lead this program into a successful future."
Hunt was Wilmington's coach for the past 15 seasons.
Mills attended Ohio Valley University in West Virginia where he was four-year letterman and three-time captain for the Fighting Scots basketball team.
He finished his career as the program's all-time leader in assists and free throw percentage. Mills earned a bachelor's degree in education from Ohio Valley and holds a master's degree in allied health sports science from Otterbein.
"This moment would not be possible without my incredible family, my close friends, all the players I have been blessed to coach at all my stops and my coaching mentors," said Mills. "I was fortunate to play for two legendary coaches at Dover High School in Dan Ifft [football] and Bob Von Kaenel [basketball]. Coach Ifft instilled in me as a player to never back down from competition and show up every day with a champion attitude and elite effort in everything you do. Coach Von Kaenel always emphasized being a great teammate and be disciplined with the fundamentals. They both taught me first-hand the positive impact a coach can have in the life of their players. That responsibility of positive impact is something I will never take lightly."
Wilson is happy to have Mills as his head coach.
"We are excited to name Micah Mills as our new head men's basketball coach," said Wilson. "We had numerous qualified candidates for this position, but Micah rose to the top during the interview process. He truly cares about Wilmington College, and we are confident he will move our men's basketball program to a consistently competitive place in the OAC and NCAA Division III."
Mills has spent the last seven years with the WC men's basketball program, including the last four as associate head coach.
During his first four years with the program, the Fightin' Quakers improved their wins total every year, culminating with the 2018-19 campaign that saw Wilmington come within a single game of its first OAC regular-season title. During that year, WC was regionally-ranked and finished with a 17-8 overall record and a 13-5 mark in conference games, tied for the most OAC wins in a single season in school history.
Ten Quakers have earned All-OAC honors during Mills' tenure, including first team selections of Jeffery Mansfield (twice) and DaeShawn Jackson. Two individuals during that time — Mansfield and Christian Jones — scored over 1,000 career points.
While at WC off of the basketball court, Mills has aided in multi-cultural recruitment for the office of admission, been a professor for several courses, overseen the college's intramural program and served as the Assistant Director of Athletics.
"We will be a team that displays mental fortitude and will always press on no matter what we are facing," said Mills. "We will be a team that plays together with a level of passion and joy that is inspiring to watch. We also look forward to getting more involved and ingrained in the Wilmington community."
Alongside his duties at Wilmington, Mills serves as a director for Point Guard College Basketball, an organization aimed at inspiring and equipping every player and coach for success both on and off the court. He's been in this role for nearly a decade.
Prior to Wilmington, Mills served as an assistant coach at fellow Otterbein University for three seasons. He also spent time in Parkersburg, W. Va., teaching and coaching high school basketball.
Mills' first game as head coach is scheduled for Nov. 11 at the Defiance College Purple and Gold Classic.
This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Micah Mills named new Wilmington College head men's hoops coach