No, Kentucky fans, it’s not THAT Cameron Mills who will be on your ballot this fall

Former University of Kentucky basketball player Cameron Mills would like you to know that’s not him running for governor of Kentucky this November.

But there will be a Cameron-Mills ticket on the ballot, voters learned Wednesday morning, after GOP nominee Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced State Sen. Robby Mills, R-Henderson, as his running mate.

The announcement quickly evoked memories of the Lexington native who became a fan favorite as a walk-on-turned-contributor during his final two seasons at UK in the late 1990s. He played a significant role in UK’s 1998 national championship run. Before that, reaching the state finals twice as a high school star at Paul Laurence Dunbar in Lexington.

Mills’ first reaction to the announcement? He called it “humorous.”

“I think it’s funny and fun and interesting,” Mills said. “I texted all my family with a screenshot of the announcement with a little joke text that said ‘this is going to be a very irritating year for me.’”

Observers on Twitter were quick to notice, too.

“Trying to trick people into thinking they’re voting for a former UK basketball walk-on from Lexington,” tweeted Mike Rutherford, manager of Card Chronicle, a site dedicated to University of Louisville athletics. “Savvy pick.”

Mills himself jumped into the fun on social media.

“Is there a trademark lawyer out there who wants to help me cash in on my upcoming, non-existent gubernatorial campaign?” the former Wildcat tweeted.

Cameron and Mills, the politicians, are seeking to defeat Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman this fall in what is is expected to be the most expensive and closely watched governor’s race in the nation.

Despite Kentucky’s conservative leanings, Beshear is believed to be a tough opponent to beat. Polling shows he has consistently high approval ratings and is one of the most popular governors in America.

The former basketball star who is now an executive at a home health and hospice care company and runs an eponymous Christian ministry service said that he won’t be publicly backing either candidate. His board of directors at Cameron Mills Ministries bars him from supporting candidates.

“Especially with the way the world is today involving politics, I just want to share Jesus with people and I stay out of that part of it,” Mills said.

Mills added that he’s unsure if the name combination of “Cameron-Mills” on the ticket would matter at all, but he ventured a guess as to where it might make a difference.

“If (the name) does carry any weight, I feel like it would carry more out in the rural areas of Kentucky than it does in Lexington or Louisville. Not that there aren’t UK fans in Louisville or Lexington… but when I got done playing ball in ‘98, the further we got away from the big cities, the bigger and more rabid the fans were. Out in the counties, I feel like my name might be more well known,” Mills said.

Political analysis aside, Mills’ reaction was on the whole a lighthearted one.

“What I honestly think will happen is 10 years from now, I’m going to meet someone at one of my ministry events or something and they’re gonna ask me, ‘so did you run for governor a few years ago,’” Mills joked.

A little-used reserve in his first two-and-a-half seasons at UK, Mills became a March Madness sensation in 1997. In six NCAA Tournament games, the 6-foot-3 Mills made 24 of 39 shots, 17 of 27 three-pointers, and averaged 11.8 points. The player who had come to Kentucky as a walk-on helped the Cats advance all the way to the national finals — where Arizona needed an overtime to deny UK its second straight national title.

As a senior the following year, Mills made only three baskets in the 1998 NCAA tourney but all were humongous. His three-pointer with 2:15 left against Duke in the round of eight gave UK a one-point lead in what became a two-point win. Of his two made three-pointers against Utah in the second half of the national title game, the first tied the contest, the second pulled Kentucky within one point and helped the Cats rally to their seventh NCAA title.

Mills remains part of the UK basketball scene as the pregame radio analyst alongside host Dave Baker for the UK Sports Network’s official game-day broadcasts.